Alienware m11x

Best Buy still has the $899 higher spec Core 2 model. I would take the longer battery life over the slight upgrade in processor.

EvilDead wrote:

Edit: Whats the average assembly time on these things?

Ordered mine on 6/8 and received it on 6/26 (would have been 6/23, but FedEx and work don't play well together). I should have had it shipped to my office. So, about 2 weeks. Dell said they shipped it on the 11th though.

I'm having a lot of fun loading all of these games that I picked up cheap and seeing how good they look and how smooth they play. Batman: AA, Far Cry 2, DA:O, Just Cause 2 and lots more. Like a kid in a candy store. That combined with the portability and the video outputs make this one of the most solid PC (not just laptop) purchases I've made in a long time.

I'm aware that I'm limited on my upgrade path, but that's really one of the things that turned me off from PC gaming for the last few years.

MannishBoy wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

For $160 more I could have this Asus, but its 14 inches. Decisions... Decisions....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

Not familiar with that one. I was looking at the Asus U30Jc. It's not CULV, and it's got a lower end Nvidia chip that would reduce the number of "modern" games you can play. But even without the CULV, it's still got good battery life. But I still don't see my need to play games on the road as needing a ton of power, as it would mainly be in the hotel for work travel. Not sure I need to be able to run Bad Company 2 or anything. It would be nice, but it wouldn't be that common I suspect.

Surely there have got to be a bunch of "back to school" laptop models getting released soon. Maybe some thin and lights with decent graphics chips.

So, I ordered the Alienware but you have me second guessing. 13 inches would be much better for RTS games which are the types of games I like to play on laptops. However, that Asus seems overpriced for a 310M. Put at least a 330 in that and we are talking. After doing a ton of searching I have found that there is a huge gap between the M11X and 14 inch laptops where dedicated graphics are almost no where to be found.

Hemidal wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

Edit: Whats the average assembly time on these things?

Ordered mine on 6/8 and received it on 6/26 (would have been 6/23, but FedEx and work don't play well together). I should have had it shipped to my office. So, about 2 weeks. Dell said they shipped it on the 11th though.

What shipping do you choose? Right now I have it on the cheapest but would bump it up one if it would be I could get it by next Friday.

EvilDead wrote:

So, I ordered the Alienware but you have me second guessing. 13 inches would be much better for RTS games which are the types of games I like to play on laptops. However, that Asus seems overpriced for a 310M. Put at least a 330 in that and we are talking. After doing a ton of searching I have found that there is a huge gap between the M11X and 14 inch laptops where dedicated graphics are almost no where to be found.

I agree about the lack of better options in this size range. I'm not so sure that the Asus's are overpriced, though. There are a couple of others similar in this price range, then the next set are like the HP Envy or the Sony Viao Z that are closer to $2000.

MannishBoy wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

So, I ordered the Alienware but you have me second guessing. 13 inches would be much better for RTS games which are the types of games I like to play on laptops. However, that Asus seems overpriced for a 310M. Put at least a 330 in that and we are talking. After doing a ton of searching I have found that there is a huge gap between the M11X and 14 inch laptops where dedicated graphics are almost no where to be found.

I agree about the lack of better options in this size range. I'm not so sure that the Asus's are overpriced, though. There are a couple of others similar in this price range, then the next set are like the HP Envy or the Sony Viao Z that are closer to $2000.

Well, for what your getting if you jump to 14inches you can get a machine ridiculously more powerful (i7 720m quad or i520m / 450m dual) with ATI 5650's or Nvidia 335s. I know its a size jump but it seems silly that there is such a huge price difference for .7 inches.

Unfortunately it doesn't look like too many Vendors are putting their sites on the 13.3 inch market which isn't helping prices go down.

EvilDead wrote:

Well, for what your getting if you jump to 14inches you can get a machine ridiculously more powerful (i7 720m quad or i520m / 450m dual) with ATI 5650's or Nvidia 335s. I know its a size jump but it seems silly that there is such a huge price difference for .7 inches.

Unfortunately it doesn't look like too many Vendors are putting their sites on the 13.3 inch market which isn't helping prices go down.

But those 14" aren't thin and lights from what I've seen for the most part (that U30Jc is kind of not, either, compared to the UL30Vt from last year). There's a bit of a premium for that form factor and there has always been due to the harder to engineer cooling. The fact that some of the thin and lights now have decent graphics chips is a new thing.

Then there's battery life. I was looking at the Lenovo Y460s which has the ATI 5650, but can't get over the bad battery life. Plus it's a bit heavier at 5 lbs.

MannishBoy wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

Well, for what your getting if you jump to 14inches you can get a machine ridiculously more powerful (i7 720m quad or i520m / 450m dual) with ATI 5650's or Nvidia 335s. I know its a size jump but it seems silly that there is such a huge price difference for .7 inches.

Unfortunately it doesn't look like too many Vendors are putting their sites on the 13.3 inch market which isn't helping prices go down.

But those 14" aren't thin and lights from what I've seen for the most part (that U30Jc is kind of not, either, compared to the UL30Vt from last year). There's a bit of a premium for that form factor and there has always been due to the harder to engineer cooling. The fact that some of the thin and lights now have decent graphics chips is a new thing.

Then there's battery life. I was looking at the Lenovo Y460s which has the ATI 5650, but can't get over the bad battery life. Plus it's a bit heavier at 5 lbs.

Got ya. I guess the M11x wouldn't exactly be a thin and light either at 1.3 inches and 4.5 pounds. I currently have an Aspire 1410 11.6 in. @ 3 lbs and its so convenient that I end up bringing it wherever I go. If only it had a little more graphical ooomph I would be fine with it. I only want enough to play games like Civ and Starcraft II.

EvilDead wrote:

I only want enough to play games like Civ and Starcraft II.

That's kind of the thing. I suspect the 310 chip would do that for me, but the inner geek just can't settle I get really tempted on this M11x, then remind myself what typing on a netbook is like for my big hands and don't pull the trigger. Not sure going to 11-12" will make enough difference.

MannishBoy wrote:

That's kind of the thing. I suspect the 310 chip would do that for me,

Well you can always check out the specs of all notebook video cards and do a little comparison.

Stele wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

That's kind of the thing. I suspect the 310 chip would do that for me,

Well you can always check out the specs of all notebook video cards and do a little comparison.

I have.

The point was I think the lower spec chip would do what I think I would really need it to do, but I don't know for sure what I will want to run as much in practice. More subjective than objective.

MannishBoy wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

I only want enough to play games like Civ and Starcraft II.

That's kind of the thing. I suspect the 310 chip would do that for me, but the inner geek just can't settle I get really tempted on this M11x, then remind myself what typing on a netbook is like for my big hands and don't pull the trigger. Not sure going to 11-12" will make enough difference.

The Acer Aspire 11.6" allows for a full size keyboard as far as the letter keys are concerned. I have measured, and the Aspire has the exact same distance as my work 15 in. Macbook pro (7 7/16". measuring keys Q- P). The full width of the keyboard is 10 9/16".

I think the 310 and the 320 are essentially "on board" GPU's and not discrete GPU's. I could be wrong though. I think the new MacBook's (13"'s) have the 320

After reading this thread, I officially want one of these.

The screen size has not been a problem for me. I do think 13" is the sweet spot, but there are not enough portable gaming laptops on the market to have any real alternatives to the m11x right now. It is portable, has a good gpu, good battery life, and, very importantly, it is really well built. Pick up and handle an m11x and compare it to a budget Asus gaming laptop. You'll notice the difference right away. Even the consumer brand Lenovos with dedicated GPUs (Ideapads?) feel cheaply made in comparison. There just are not any small gaming laptops that I have seen in this price range that feel as well built.

TheGameguru wrote:

I think the 310 and the 320 are essentially "on board" GPU's and not discrete GPU's. I could be wrong though. I think the new MacBook's (13"'s) have the 320

They are onboard and have no dedicated memory. The 335 with 1GB of dedicated RAM runs games a lot better than the 300s in the Macs.

Yeah as a general rule of thumb I stay far away from integrated GPU's despite however "fancy" they attempt to make them sound.. they always run modern games like ass no matter what they say... especially at native resolutions on 13" and 14" LCD's

heavyfeul wrote:

They are onboard and have no dedicated memory. The 335 with 1GB of dedicated RAM runs games a lot better than the 300s in the Macs.

The 310M does have dedicated memory (512-1024MB GDDR3) and is neither part of the CPU die nor chipset. It's a dedicated GPU, if a low powered one. It's not what would be called "integrated".

MannishBoy wrote:
heavyfeul wrote:

They are onboard and have no dedicated memory. The 335 with 1GB of dedicated RAM runs games a lot better than the 300s in the Macs.

The 310M does have dedicated memory (512-1024MB GDDR3) and is neither part of the CPU die nor chipset. It's a dedicated GPU, if a low powered one. It's not what would be called "integrated".

Aye. From the notebookcheck site I linked already... 310 numbers 3Dmark, game fps, etc. Runs L4D1 in high, 44fps. And specific reviews of test laptop systems there as well, that include the gpu.

It's not the greatest, but don't lump it in with that Intel sh*t.

Got it (the 320M is integrated), but the performance of the 310M is still unimpressive. The 335M will perform significantly better.

I tried going to Best Buy the other day to test one of these guys out, but they didn't have any in stock; aside from not having any disposable income at all, my last qualm is getting a feel for the keyboard and screen size in person.

I just pulled the trigger on the i7 model after finding a free upgrade deal from the i5 on the Dell site. Looking forward to getting it in my hands.

I've been waiting on the cpu refresh and a decent deal ever since playing around with the SU model at my local Bestbuy. I'm a mac user, but have grown weary of dual booting to play Windows games.

I hope their shipping estimates are a bit exaggerated.

Remember, you're asking for three mutually contradictory goals.... speed, size, and battery life.

Gaming is hard work for a computer. My Radeon 5870 pulls almost 300 watts under load, and even a 'downscale' 5770 desktop part needs about a hundred watts. The typical power budget for an entire laptop is something like 60 watts, maybe 90 in a big one, and that has to power the screen, the CPU, the drives, the chipset/RAM, and the video card. And not only do you have the power problem, you also have a cooling problem, since presumably you'd prefer your lap to remain unscorched.

So, when you see those Mac laptops with those awful video cards? In exchange, they get awesome battery life, and stay fairly cool under load. (at least, if you turn up the fan speeds, as the defaults are set too low.) If you want a lot of power, then you need a bigger laptop to be able to cool it, and you also need bigger batteries, driving up the size as well. And smaller parts are more expensive in general, so the tinier you want it, the more you'll spend for the same power level.

Speed, weight, battery life... pick any two. And the price of the machine will inversely correlate most closely with the weight.

heavyfeul wrote:

Got it (the 320M is integrated), but the performance of the 310M is still unimpressive. The 335M will perform significantly better.

uh to say the least.. the 310M might not be integrated but it might as well be.. just on the paper spec's from Nvidia's website the 310M is pretty low end.. 335M will stomp in to the ground spec wise.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce...

EvilDead wrote:

How does this sound:
"Acer Aspire TimelineX 3820TG-5454G64Nks

Core i5-450M 2x 2.40GHz • 4096MB (2x 2048MB) • 640GB • without optical drive • ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 1024MB • 3x USB 2.0/Gb LAN/WLAN 802.11bgn/Bluetooth • HDMI • UMTS • 5in1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro/xD) • Webcam (1.3 megapixels) • 13.3" WXGA glare LED TFT (1366x768) • Windows 7 Home Premium • Li-Ion battery (6 cells) • 1.80kg • 24 months warranty"

All in a nice looking ultra-thin aluminum case. Its an alternate configuration of the Timeline model shown on Amazon. Now only if Acer would be nice enough to bring it to the states.

It had crossed my radar once before. Then my investigation led me to the exact conclusion contained by your last sentence

MannishBoy wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

I only want enough to play games like Civ and Starcraft II.

That's kind of the thing. I suspect the 310 chip would do that for me, but the inner geek just can't settle I get really tempted on this M11x, then remind myself what typing on a netbook is like for my big hands and don't pull the trigger. Not sure going to 11-12" will make enough difference.

How does this sound:
"Acer Aspire TimelineX 3820TG-5454G64Nks

Core i5-450M 2x 2.40GHz • 4096MB (2x 2048MB) • 640GB • without optical drive • ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 1024MB • 3x USB 2.0/Gb LAN/WLAN 802.11bgn/Bluetooth • HDMI • UMTS • 5in1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro/xD) • Webcam (1.3 megapixels) • 13.3" WXGA glare LED TFT (1366x768) • Windows 7 Home Premium • Li-Ion battery (6 cells) • 1.80kg • 24 months warranty"

All in a nice looking ultra-thin aluminum case. Its an alternate configuration of the Timeline model shown on Amazon. Now only if Acer would be nice enough to bring it to the states.

Edit: Its not mentioned in the specs but they have switchable graphics and people (on notebookreview.com) are importing them for as low as $900 USD.

I'm now addicted to loading games on here, seeing that they look way better then my old system and then deciding I'm probably not going to play them that much anyway.

Steam sales aren't really helping the situation, either.

Anyone have an Alienware M15x? Wife needs a new laptop.

Well I pulled the trigger on the m11x r2 with the i7 in it and it came in a couple days ago. I must say the build quality on this laptop is very nice. It is a rather solid weight but when you open it up it is all battery, it has a huge battery inside that is over 1/4 of the body. It hums along with everything I have tried so far BFBC2 at high worked fine (it is only 1366x768 but ya know). my one complaint is Nvidia's Optimus crap I wish they had stuck with the switch of the r1. It doesn't work quite right and doesn't recognize the some of my games properly (mostly steam games) like PvZ,Defense Grid, and MTG aren't starting up right. It looks like there is an new beta driver from dell that I am going to try this weekend and maybe that will work better then the factory drivers. It is a shame they just took the switch away.

Anandtech has a review of the new model here.