Help before purchasing an M14x

Hello. I'm just after a few tips before buying a M14X.

1. I will of course be using it primarily for gaming. A large portion of that time will be on the go, on the commute to work each day. Obviously these machines aren't built to last away from a power source, but can I possibly squeeze 2 hours out of it before it dies? I found an official test claiming 2.2hrs as well as Dells claim of some ridiculous number we all know isn't true, I'm really after real user feedback on this.

2. My 2nd question is, do most people go with the 720p or 900p display? What are the big differences? On one hand outside of gaming I'd like a bigger display but I plan to game on a lower res so I can increase detail options. Will the larger display impact on battery life?

3. I really want this for Dues Ex 3 and The Witcher 2. Would I be better off with a M11X or is the R3 still not that great for the latest and greatest? While I'm at it, is the small screen on the M11X too small for such games to be enjoyed?

4. The fans. Are they really that bad or can you cancel the noise out easily with headphones? I had a XPSM17 a few years back, that for me was pretty bearable.

5. How hot does it get? Hot enough to not be able to keep it on your lap?

For $1494 I can get:

Again, I'm really after user feedback, nothing from reviews or the like. Thank you for any input. After much deliberation the M14X seems right for me, I have a gaming desktop already so to have something I can continue playing games on away from home would be an absolute dream.

 

So you will game on battery the performance will degrade a bit "Due to GPU underclocking" you do know that. Now to your questions:

1. Yes it can last upto 2hrs but depends what you are playing, the processor hogs a lot of battery.

2. On 14inchs even the 720p looks ok its more less your call. 900p does make movies look better, battery life will be not be impacted much if any.

3. Now since both m11x and m14x have the same starting resolution 720p you need a similar card to feed the games. Since 540m< 555m i would say m14x is better for newer games. Screen size depends on you people can get into the zone with 4" mobile screens but the m11x does make it a bit harder than say a m14x.

4. New BIOS is a god sent it has fixed noisy fan problem with smart automatic speed control.

5. My friends m14x goes around 80-83 max while gaming so its ok and this is on lap figures be sure not to block the under vent or the back vent for that matter.

 

A few things...

The GPU downclocks when unplugged so you won't get the best gaming performance without an AC adapter.

Also, I got about 2 hours on world of warcraft while tethering through my phone which wasnt bad on battery.

I got the 900p screen because at this size the resolution is just beautiful. However it is always better to game a native resolution of your monitor so if you are planning to game at a lower res the 720p is the way to go.

I play FFXIV on this thing at 900p at a good 40-50fps with no problems on medium settings and that game is a beast, so I am pretty sure it will run the newer games at 720 decently. Only games that are poorly optimized will really have problems I foresee.

As for your config, dont get the 6GB, the way Dell configures it the 6GB will run single channel which is really stupid since they use a 4GB and a 2GB instead of 2x3GB so you should either get 4GB or get 8GB. I would get the 4GB and upgrade yourself later since it is cheaper. The 3GB GPU is overkill. This GPU will never use more than 1.5GB of memory so upgrading it is a waste of money unless you are encoding laaaaaaaaaaaarge videos and even then in reviews the difference on this gpu is negligible.

As ajaidev said, the new bios fixed the fan noise, mine has been pretty quiet.

As far as temps go, the CPU seems to get warmer than the GPU. Since the CPU is in the middle of the mobo the center bottom gets pretty hot. I usually sit with the edges on my legs if I have it on my lap and the middle over air which usually makes it workable. If you were making contact it would be too hot and the metal nameplate there get really hot. If you do this though you just want to make sure there is enough room for the fan on the left bottom to intake from below and exhaust out the back left.

 

Mainly, the m11x will be better for gaming on the go. It can acheive about 3 hours with the dedicated GPU on. But, for the m14x, it may be better to game on the Intel graphics in which you could squeeze out about 3.5 hours, but I dont know if Witcher 2 could run on that.

900p screen is almost a must to me. I play more intensive games on 720p on the 900p screen and it looks fine. But the 900p screen looks fantastic, but if you want something bigger then go for that. It really doesnt make a huge difference.

Fans are fine with the bios A05 now.

Mine can get fairly hot but with some under clocking which I bet youll do for battery itll be fine for your lap. The bottom doesnt get hot really.

3GB GPU is heavily debated. Many say its not worth it and a smaller group say it can make a small difference in the future which eventually leads to them getting flamed out of the thread. For my 2 cents, if you plan to keep this thing more than 2 years or so, and want the best possible performance, it can be worthwhile.

 

Thanks for all the info

To clarify, I don't need to play TW2 on the go (I know how it is, it kills my GTX480 with some of the options on high) but I'd still expect a lot of modern games to run nicely.

I say that because for the past 6 months my Macbook Air via bootcamp can play Mass Effect 2, The Witcher and some other modern games at very playable frame rates, and that's with a nVidia 320m @ 1440x900 for just over 2 hours. It's been very surprising for such a thin laptop, but even when plugged in it struggles to play others like DX:HR, TW2, Company of Heroes, Dead Space and a heap of other games that don't force me to use a low resolution and hardly any detail options.

Some final things...

Does the integrated GPU perform well at all?

How much will the main GPU be underclocked on battery?

Thanks

 

The IGP is meh. It plays Fallout New Vegas at about 30-40fps on Medium @ 1366x768, and Left 4 Dead 2 at about 40fps at medium with 1366x768.

 

The m14x is a good choice, as I have owned a m11x and even though I found it a nice powerful unit. The screen on the small size for watching movies or playing games for any length of time. As stated I find the 900p a wonderful screen very bright and crisp. You do not really need the 3gig on the GPU but if you got the money fine. I find the base unit powerful enough and can play games at max or high settings. Temps a little warm idle 51 and stress up to 83 degrees. Fan not bad at all my m17x will drown it out..lol Hope you enjoy your system as much as I do. I do not use the intel graphis as I keep it on the Nvidia card 100% of the time. I still get 1hour 40 minutes on battery. Hope this helps.

 

Doesn't this belong to this thread:
M14x Pre-Order Configuration Questions... Ask HERE

 

First off, I would reccomend that as long as your'e tech savvy enough to replace the HD, you can upgrade the RAM to 8GB for less than 6GB from Dell yourself. Second, you do NOT need the 3GB GPU, pretty much everyone agrees it's pointless. The 1.5GB is more than enough. As for all your questions, I would not be able to answer, waiting for my laptop myself. But, if the thing DOES get too hot to game on your lap, I got my mom this laptop thing for Mothers Day, her work issued computer gets SUPER hot on the bottom. It's so hot that you could probably get a blister if you touched the bottom of it for more than 10 seconds. Basically it's this plastic thing with rubber on top, the rubber absorbs all heat, and keeps your lap safe. And, it's only maybe 1/4 inch thick, so it's not a hassle to carry around. And, I would bet it's better ventilation than having it on your lap.

 

If you dont even have it, then how can you say 100% it doesnt make a difference from your own opinion? You have no benchmarks from yourself..

 

I ended up getting:

M14x
I7-2720QM
900p screen / GT555m 3GB
750GB HDD (will SSD later)
8GB DDR3 1600mhz Ram
(Plus all the other standard stuff, doesn't look like it has bluetooth or the $20 soundcard, but I'm happy)

For $1,459.00, as new (cancelled order?) from the Dell Outlet.

Thanks again

 

Looks good, sooo glad you said it was a cancelled order as would have questioned the 3gb GPU.
You probably wont even miss the bluetooth. Well perhaps Dolphin. The creative sound is just software, tbh I purchased it but kinda wondering where the money went.

 

I don't think I need my own benchmarks when I have seen other peoples... I mean, the same computer will yield generally the same results, regardless of who is testing it.

 

Would of been better waiting for coupon but seems good or a system needed now

 

^^^ Honestly, it may provide NOT THAT MUCH benefits than the 1.5gb but it is IS BETTER.

Ya know, one guy didn't have enough money to buy the 3gb card, so he rationalized it as "it doesn't provide that much performance over the 3gb card, so it's POINTLESS", and then everyone else started using the same slogan hahaha.

Things like the i7 2920, 3gb Nvidia Gt555m and so on so on, will always be BETTER. yeah, BETTER PERFORMING. Now, if you want to argue the price vs performance ratio, that's a different story, and most likely, for the price you pay for the performance of a 2920 in example, it's probably NOT WOTH IT to most people.

But it seems that people have now taken it to the extreme and rationalized these technology upgrades as being "pointless".

Sigh.

 

I could have, but it's exactly what I wanted to order, I didn't want to wait for it to pop up again

 

I do not believe most people are saying they are pointless, because we can not afford one. And if anyone wants to spend the extra for the UP GRADES which they are. Even a little is an upgrade after all. They are only trying to advise people that the money they save can be better spent on 3rd party up grades for bang for the buck. Now after that said anyone that has the money to afford what they like should by all means get what makes them happy. And more is always better to me. But if some one is short on cash and wants the best for the dollar I will recommend the 3rd party up grades every time.

 

Yeah, you have a good, open-minded mentality though. I mean, I normally cannot *afford* the high-end gear, never have. This time around, I was able to get a some-what modded m14x to high specs, So I know the "rationalization" that takes place psychology when you cannot afford certain specs on a rig so you have to divert into "OH WELL, the i7 is BASICALLY the i5 and I will never noticed the real world effects, so i5 it is!"....

But it seems lately going to youtube videos on the m14x or this website, it has turned into "the 3GB Nvidia is completely pointless" and some people even go out and call the people who buy it idiots! lol.

I'm not saying that a 3gb is going to run Crysis on HIGH with 60fps while the 1gb can only do it on medium hahaha, they are most certainly very simliar cards, but it's just interesting that SOME people (not all) bash an upgraded component now-a-days lol

 

I doubt if you could find a single benchmark to show that the 3GB card is BETTER.

Its choice at the end of the day, if someone wants to buy the 3gb card.................thats up to them. As long as they know the facts about and dont expect any performance gain for the money.

Some people have got some great deals on the m14x and have had 3gb as part of the spec.

I for one have not called anyone an idiot for buying it, I do believe knowing that spending $99 for an upgrade thats worthless...................despite being aware is somewhat foolhardy.

Buying extra ram or a cpu upgrade will yield an increase in performance in most cases. Personally I opted for a pretty stock machine and just a better wireless card and the 900p screen.

 

An SSD is the single greatest upgrade you can make to most computers. As far as a 3GB video card goes, are there even any games that will use that much RAM? I can see an advantage for someone that encodes video with software that uses GPU over CPU, but other than that, it's like having a car that can go 160mph on a road that you physically can't go faster than 70mph on.

Benchmarks in anything are cool reference points to see if any changes you make to your system result in more or less performance, but they're largely pointless "bragging rights". It's like doing this or that and getting 56FPS over 54FPS, I'm sorry, but you visually can't tell the difference. You may think you can, but you're lying to yourself.

 

Isn't the 3GB VRAM useful for external monitors at larger resolutions?

 

How come when personalizing the M14x and I choose to go with i7 2630QM Processor I'm required to choose a 1600Mhz Memory.
When the M17x default setup includes a i7 2630QM Processor and a 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz Memory...

 

Dell.

pretty much sums it up