Am I crazy considering an m11x when I return my m17xr3 ? questions !!

Well my m17x will get returned and couldnt help but wonder if the specs are so far overkill for me for what i do. watch movies, browse forums, play a few games like Wow, cod4, frozen throne (wc3), and cs source.

Is the m11x fast enough to play these games at good rates? I'd get the i7 640 that the site shows for cpu.

Hinge problem fixed ??

I am liking the portability and small size of the m11x. battery life seems to be great too which i really like. Not sure i want to lug an m17x r3 with me when i go on vacation and use it on the plane and on the beach etc.

 

The M11x will be perfect for all of the things you listed.

Not sure about the hinge problem.

Yes, the M11x is all about the portability and battery life! I wouldn't want to carry around a M17x at all.

 

fyi if you can i think many people would suggest buying a refurb - especially when a +20% off coupon is out. most people with refurbs claim that the product is "like-new". mine was, with a few flaws sure... but i'm hoping to get them fixed (they weren't there to start with and most people seemed to have 100%, so i'm thinking just it's just the luck of the draw lols). on a side note, i get full OC on it haha (my last one got about 50%).

 

But the screen's sooo small compared to the M17... Won't you miss watching movies and playing WoW in all their 17" glory?

 

Ya that's the thing.. On the other hand I do my serious 'area/pvp' on my desktop anyways so maybe I won't be missing much. Movies I wonder about though. On the other hand I did watch YouTube on my iphone4 while I waited for the machine so maybe 11 is enough.

I appreciate the input on the refurb but since my budget is well over 3500 I think a new unit would make me feel at ease.

When did the i7 versions come out?

 

Everyone with hinge issues is getting the new and improved hinge if you have an issue. AW is also extending warranties on people with bad hinges for free.

Games you listed will work. Oh, and if you want a cheap i7, there's a power sellers on ebay that sells it brand new for about 1k last time I checked (few days ago); not sure if he still has any though.

For serious gaming like arena/rated bg's, either plug it into a monitor or use a desktop since you'll play better with a larger screen

If I'm not mistaken, C2D was 1 year, i5/i7 was 8 months? Someone might want to chime in on this part.

 

If I were you I would keep that M17x R3 and think about replacing it when the next revision of the M11x comes out. It is likely to be very soon (within a few months).

If you must buy now - wait for a nice sale or buy one from Dell Outlet with a coupon (I think a 15% one is floating around).

I would not buy i7 only because the R2 will be refreshed soon so why waste the extra $165 on an older platform. The i5 will OC to near or beyond i7 levels. You are GPU-bound for the most part, anyway. And upgrading to the i-series CPU solves the problem for any CPU-bound stuff.

 

Wouldn't new orders ship with this 'new' hinge? It would bother me if it didnt

 

I didn't know there was a revision coming soon .. Gonna forget about the m11x then. My r3 is going back because it has a board defect. I'll probably just reorder another one.

 

It's likely there is going to be a revision soon. Nothing is confirmed, however.

 

1) Yes, the Alienware M11x will be powerful enough to do all of the things you listed. I have yet to find a game that is unplayable on the Alienware M11x.

2) There are rumors that a new hinge has been designed and will be rolling out in March 2011. The closest Dell / Alienware source was a forum moderator on the Dell forums named Chris. There has not been any official confirmation or announcement from Dell / Alienware.

But even so, I wouldn't worry too much about hinges. As much as you hear about hinges on these forums, keep in mind that the vast majority of Alienware M11x owners do not have hinge problems, and will never get hinge problems. If you do happen to be one of the unfortunate people that gets hinge problems, use your warranty to get your laptop repaired.

3) "Portability" is the magic word with the Alienware M11x. You want portability, you want long battery life, and you are hopelessly addicted to PC gaming. The M11x is a fantastic laptop for those purposes. I think you will be VERY happy with it if you do decide to buy one (which I wholeheartedly hope that you do).