Alienware M11x R2: A Legend Reborn
by Jarred Walton on July 9, 2010 4:05 AM ESTA Worthy Update to the Original, but Not Quite Perfect
By now it should be clear that there's plenty to like with the M11x R2. It upgrades some of the most important areas relative to the original, and with Optimus in place of switchable graphics we no longer have to worry about a lack of driver updates. If you're after a small gaming laptop, there simply aren't any other compelling options right now. ASUS may change that in the near future (we've heard rumblings of a U30Jc type laptop with a faster GPU), but if you want a 13.3" or smaller laptop that can play any current game at medium details and 1366x768, there are only two options: M11x or the Sony VAIO VPCZ122GX we mentioned in the intro.
Since the GT 335M appears to be the limiting factor in gaming performance from our test results, the reasons to get the VAIO over the M11x are pretty simple. First, you may simply prefer the Sony design/aesthetics. Second, the 1600x900 default LCD on the VAIO is one item the M11x could really use; we don't know if it's a higher contrast panel or not, but the added resolution would be nice for Windows work—though gaming at 1600x900 will tax the GT 335M, let alone a lower clocked GT 330M. Third, you might want to get a laptop with an optical drive—how Sony gets a DVDR into a 13.1", 3 lbs. laptop while the 4.4 lbs. M11x goes without is a question for the philosophers. Finally, you may prefer the significantly faster i5-520M over the ULV i7-640UM. The catch is that like the original M11x, the VAIO uses switchable graphics, so driver updates are dubious at best. Oh, and while the VAIO includes RAID SSDs, the cost is $500 more than the M11x R2 we're reviewing.
Given the above list, there's no clear choice between those two laptops, but we'll side with Alienware for now if only because we prefer Optimus, driver updates, and the lower price. The list of areas where the M11x R2 falls short mirrors the above VAIO comparison. Our biggest complain—by far!—is the lackluster LCD. If Alienware had used a good panel with a high contrast ratio (and would it be too much to ask for a matte coating?), we'd be looking at a Gold Editors' Choice award. A DX11 capable GPU would be great as well, but there's no option that fills that role unless we give up Optimus or wait for the midrange NVIDIA DX11 parts to launch. It would also be nice if battery life hadn't dropped 10-25%, but perhaps that's just the sacrifice we have to make for going with Arrandale ULV.
So that gives us a few items for the M11x R3 update, whenever that comes—or for a competing product from one of the other laptop companies. First, the LCD has got to go. This chassis is big enough that if you get rid of the large bezel, a 1440x900 13.3" panel should easily fit in here. Make it a high contrast, matte LCD and I'd be in heaven. Second, GT 335M is good for 1366x768 and medium to high detail DX10 gaming. What we'd really like is something that can add DX11 to the mix at the native LCD resolution and at least medium detail. The HD 5650 at 550MHz is clearly faster than the GT 335M, but without Optimus it's difficult to recommend for an ultraportable. NVIDIA will likely push out mobile variants of the GF104/GF106 this fall, and perhaps one of those will fit the bill, but power requirements need to stay in check. Also, if we get the 1440x900 or 1600x900 panel we desire, we'd need closer to HD 5730 or GTS 350M levels of performance. While we're making changes, add in USB 3.0, dump the Fast Ethernet and give us Gigabit, and figure out a way to get eSATA and ExpressCard in there for good measure. Last, we'd like to keep pricing closer to $1000.
One of the things Acer, ASUS, and others have shown is that mass-producing a laptop and eliminating component choices can help keep prices in check. Look at the ASUS G73Jh, which packs in twice as much RAM and twice as much HDD space as the competition, along with an HD 5870, and it comes with a price tag of close to $1500. A custom Clevo W870CU with similar components will run a whopping $1900 or more! Allowing a buyer to customize the components is a nice feature, but if you choose good components to begin with it may not be necessary. If the M11x R2 only shipped with 4GB DDR3, a 500GB 7200RPM hard drive, Bluetooth, and an i7-640UM—basically our test configuration—but got the price down $100 or more, it's unlikely people would miss the ability to upgrade. There's an original M11x SKU at Best Buy for $899 that takes that approach, but you can get it just as cheap direct from Alienware. Economies of scale are supposed to reduce prices, and while the Fast Track M11x R2 saves you $20 (the cost of the Bluetooth module) it's not really a bargain.
 |
As it stands, the M11x comes up just short of providing everything we'd like, but it definitely deserves an award. For putting together the smallest and most potent gaming laptop we've seen, with only minor compromises, we're pleased to award the Alienware M11x R2 our Silver Editor's Choice award. Alienware has packed roughly the same performance as the initial Gateway FX P-7831 notebook into a 13" chassis that weighs half as much and provides three times the battery life. Until we get faster midrange DX11 graphics with Optimus (or an AMD equivalent), this is as good as ultraportable gaming gets. If you prefer slightly more battery life and you want switchable graphics under Linux, however, the original M11x can still satisfy your needs.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
55 Comments
View All Comments
blyndy - Friday, July 9, 2010 - link
Why the F**K does Alienware, for all its awesome customisability, poke a stick in the eye with reflective displays!?I would own a m17x if it wasn't for the shit screen. Give me the option for an RGB display but NOT for a matte finish? They can keep it.
plewis00 - Friday, July 9, 2010 - link
For everyone who complains about glossy displays there is someone who prefers them. I am one of those people. And if the majority disliked glossy displays the industry as a whole wouldn't use them.Matte displays attract dirt and fingerprints which are then harder to clean than glossy ones, that is a fact.
I don't know why everyone complains so much about them - true, in this instance the low contrast nature of the M11x display is bad but being glossy is a matter of taste, and given the choice, I would take the glossy display over the matte one, obviously you and others differ here, but whereas low-contrast is bad for all users, the display coating is definitely an opinion matter.
LaughingTarget - Friday, July 9, 2010 - link
Sounds to me the problem can be resolved by, you know, not touching the screen.plewis00 - Friday, July 9, 2010 - link
Just because I don't touch my screen doesn't mean other people in the vacinity don't...Or if you are in a rush and grab the computer. Or if you sneeze on it. Any number of things can get dirt on the screen, but I'm sure you knew that and were just being facetious and annoying for no apparent reason...
quiksilvr - Friday, July 9, 2010 - link
First off, I don't know what matte screens you're talking about but glossy screens attract dust and fingerprints like no other.If you are using the glossy screen for mainly home use and have it set up so there is no reflecting light, then I would say that glossy is the way to go.
LaughingTarget was merely pointing out the holes in your logic. For on-the-go use and for viewing the screen more easily, matte is the way to go.
Gloss is only there to compensate for the poor screen quality beneath that most manufacturers don't want to spend extra money on. I've seen matte displays with great contrast ratios AND given that the screen isn't a mirror, makes it usable in a well lit environments.
And as for the whole cleaning thing, they are the same. Just use the LCD cleaner with the cloth and both get just as clean.
plewis00 - Friday, July 9, 2010 - link
Well, I agree with most of what you say, however 'LaughingTarget' was being a tool. Whatever I do, some moron will come across to my computer screen or laptop in the day and point with the fleshy part of their finger having previously been stuffing their face with something greasy and unhealthy, so 'not touching' it just doesn't happen.I'm sure matte displays have their place, but there are times when glossy screens have a price premium and people do pay that premium for them (not me personally). And I have a Dell 2005FPW attached to one of my computers which is (as far as I know) a S-IPS panel with a great contrast ratio and matte finish, far outpacing most of the TN panels built 3-4 years later I seem to come across.
Personally, I still prefer and will continue to use glossy screens where possible (one of which used to be the stunning RGBLED in the SXPS16). It doesn't matter what someone says, it is down to personal preference ultimately - I'm sure someone will spin me a load of rubbish about how I don't take graphics or image work seriously because I just said that but they would be wrong (and I hope that isn't you). What is universally agreed though is that high contrast and gamut is better.
And yes, I do own an M11x and my complaint is not with the glossy LCD layer but with the hideously poor contrast and terrible vertical viewing angle.
LaughingTarget - Friday, July 9, 2010 - link
Understand what tool means. Whom am I being a tool for, pray tell? Some secret international conglomerate of matte monitor manufacturers?At the end of the day, your piss poor behavior using your expensive piece of hardware is hardly a great reason to buy a lesser monitor. If you can't pop open the screen without grubbing the monitor and hang around people with a total lack of consideration, that doesn't somehow make the glossy mess any better. You shouldn't be buying the m11 if you regularly bring the unit to places where folks smudge Cheeto dust all over it. That's what $300 Netbooks were invented for.
As for dust, close the thing when not in use. Problem solved.
plewis00 - Friday, July 9, 2010 - link
Look it up on Urbandictionary if you don't get it.Yes, you are a tool for being undeniably facetious and smug with your response without adding anything to the conversation. You may not agree with my use of glossy screens as do others but slating it or making a pointless remark like 'don't touch it' doesn't add anything, just like your last comment.
And I wasn't talking about my M11x, I was talking about any LCD (matte or glossy), I mean at work people come to show you things and poke the screen - I work in an office where it's 90% women, they don't listen when I say 'don't touch the screen, it damages it' even if I do work in IT.
Dust appears on screens and keyboards even if you do close them after use, it's these annoying things called static electricity and gravity but being such a smartarse you must've already known that.
erple2 - Saturday, July 10, 2010 - link
Honestly, the initial response of LaughingTarget I thought was pretty reasonable, even funny.Clearly, the solution <i>is</i> not to touch it. Whether you can fully control whether people other than yourself touch the screen is a side issue, but you can at least prevent your own fingerprints on the laptop.
Regardless, glossy vs. matte is, I suppose, as much about personal taste. I personally think that glossy is exceptionally annoying (and inferior from a practicality standpoint), but that's my opinion. I also think my opinion is based on facts. Whether those facts are important to you is a different story.
BTW, touching a screen is not a male/female thing. I work in an office where it's about 80% men, and they still touch screens, even after being told not to.
blyndy - Friday, July 9, 2010 - link
The slight mirror layer over the whole display contents is what is unacceptable for me and others. They're obviously acceptable to some and that's fine, but for people who prioritise 'usable' over 'sleek' our options are negligible, hence the frustration."Matte displays attract dirt and fingerprints which are then harder to clean than glossy ones, that is a fact."
*turns off desktop lcd (matte)* ...I see a few smudges, but I have to shift my head from side to side to see them, and they're invisible when the screen is on, completely unobtrusive either way. I don't go poking the screen too much anyway, with that said it's simple to clean if ever I happen to rub my hands all over it. With a glossy screen though you HAVE to clean it if you don't want it to look dirty.
Anyway my main gripe is that for all of Alienware customisation options they don't include a matte screen, on machines that are supposed to be uncompromising and for hardcore users.
Especially when all they have to do is remove the clear plastic cover.