Get the M11x now, or wait until the "refresh"?

Hey all M11x owners, I have been trolling these forums for about 3 weeks and have noticed that there is a rumor going around that the M11x is going to have a "refresh" sometime this year. I think I will wait until June until I decide to either get one sooner or later. If the "refresh" happends in June, all the more better, but if its July, maybe August, I can wait. If its Nov/Dec, then I'll get it in June.

Also, would it be worth it to get that TechForward? I figure if the refresh happends within 6 months, then Ill be able to get %50 back, off of the original purchase. ~ $400 Dell Gift card.

So... if I am going to purchase it sooner rather than later I would get:

su4100
4gb ram
250gb hdd (ssd is way to expensive)
bluetooth
-and everything else stock/nothing added.

I would seperately get these:
Logitech Marathon Mouse M705
Invisible Defenders
Oakley Rework Backpack (Customized)
Anti-Glare Screen

What an upgrade this will be from my Dell XPS Gen 2 Laptop. The highest that thing has scored in Vantage's Gaming option was 1202. My desktop, on the other hand, did 5578(gaming).

 

Even if you're going to get an Alienware, I think that a number of upcoming models from other brands ought to put some real pressure on Dell, which I would think should at least force a price drop out of Dell.

Although the ASUS N82Jv and HP Envy are 14", they're both around 5 lbs which still isn't far off the M11x's 4.5lbs. However, the Acer TimelineX 3820TG is the bigger threat, since it weighs less than the M11x and is similar in size, but has a Core i5 and an HD 5650.

 

I agree with lackofcheese, it's more likely that Alienware will drop the price of the M11x by June. As for the refresh, god knows when it will happen. We can speculate all day but when it comes down to it, the M11x is still fairly new. It wouldn't make sense for Alienware to put out a new model in the summer since the laptop would only be about 6 months old. Also the ULV core i3,i5, and i7 processors were just announced. Once these come out maybe Alienware will refresh the M11x. Maybe

 

The ULV i5/i7 processors actually aren't all that great. The fastest, if I remember rightly, is 1.2GHz stock. Whether or not you can overclock it yet is unknown (rather, whether Dell will allow it as with the current processors) and an i7 running at 1.2GHz will actually be SLOWER than a C2D at 1.73GHz.

Even TurboBoost doesn't provide THAT much of a benefit over it, and it'll probably be quite a bit more expensive. And Turboboost will only work when you're using a single-threaded program which more than likely won't even need that kind of horsepower-all modern programs support more than one core, for the most part.

That's just my opinion on them though.

 

There's been no official word about an M11x refresh, that I am aware of. If you can wait until June, I would do that. This way, if there is a refresh or price drop, you can get in on it.

 

It really depends on usage. What type of games do you play and what titles will be coming out this year. Are you waiting for a specific title and whether your current setup can hold you until the refresh.

Also, I'd suggest to check the AW refresh trend on its other models and weigh the possibility on whether the m11x was a successful release. If the m11x was a failure i.e., a lot of RMAs, then I would assume the refresh would come sooner.

 

God not another one of these threads...

Btw Acer threat to AW? Lol.

 

I was in the same thoughts as the OP.. wait or buy... I said screw it and bought it. Do not regret a thing.

Now a days it does not matter what you buy because there will always been something better a few months later. If you always wait then you will never buy anything.

 

I would get it not, but also get the TechBuyBack thingy. For the M11x it's only $25.

 

If they release a faster processor just purchase the upgraded motherboard/processor combo... As long as the chassis is the same it will fit...
(yes I am making some assumptions here)

BW,

StevenX

 

Actually, you've got the facts wrong on Turbo Boost. It can work with any number of cores, it merely has different settings depending on how many cores are active. Turbo Boost makes the difference between 1.067GHz and 1.733GHz on two cores on the Core i7-620UM, so that's an enormous difference. Add to that that the Core i5s are faster clock-for-clock than the C2Ds, and that, for example, ASUS are still offering the option of a 33% overclock on the Core i5-520UM (which means ~2.13GHz maximum on two cores), and even the ULV Core i5s could easily be a very nice upgrade.

However, my main point is that if competitors are offering full-powered Core i5 and i7 laptops with switchable HD 5650 graphics and around 8 hours of battery life, Dell will need a strong response.

 

Isn't turbo-boost at 1.73ghz only workable when there's only one core working under load rather than both core working?

 

Actually, when there's under one core the Turbo of the i7-620UM is 2.133GHz. 1.73GHz is the dual-core boost.

 

I agree, I'm supposed to get mine this Wednesday or Thursday. It's more of a "backup" laptop to me as my family has a decent dual core, SLI rig for a desktop. Not top of the line, but more practical/cost effective IMHO.

"I regret nothing!" -The Postal Dude, Postal 2: Apocalypse Weekend

 

Hey guys thanks for the feedback! This seems to be one of the most active forums i'm a member of.

Well this pocket of mine is on FIRE! I went to Best Buy today to play on it for awhile, and well after playing the demo of Avatar, I REALLY WANT IT NOW!!! ARRRGGG ME.

the demo unit has the su7300, 4gb, 250gb hdd (picture)


OH! also i have been reading the Ordering Advice thread and I am making a list and checking it twice to find every possible coupon/deal/money saving thing that will help out too. Once I order, I will post everthing I find on that thread.


The games I play are: Company of Heroes, Dragon Age Origins, Call of Duty(5&6), Crysis (Mechwarrior mod), Splinter Cell Conviction, Dirt 2, and any other games that come out that I want to play. I beat nearly all those and also Metro 2033, Supreme Commander 1 & 2, + some others I cant think of atm.

I would like to use this at school (before, during, and between classes), at my friends houses, and especially while I'm driving (lol, jk).

I would also use this to help troubleshoot peoples' computers at their homes. My current laptop I have to wait ~15 minutes just for it to stabilize. What a waste of time. I can tether my phone to the laptop for the few minutes if they dont have internet too.

ooooooo!! Ill be flying back East this Fall, and hey, I can kill Nazi zombies @ 30,000 ft.! lol and/or terrorists!. YAY ME!

 

Hah another refresh thread. Chances are is that Dell won't be releasing the refresh until after Intel releases the newer ULV i7's Click Here to see what Intel might be releasing. I honestly can't see Dell refreshing the M11x until after intel refreshes the current ULV's first. Dell might release a few bells and whistles for the M11x to make people happy but until the bottleneck is solved its all on Intel getting their newer ULV's on the market first.

 

@dusters- get the m11x. YOU WILL BE HAPPY! ... and not to be rude to others but my advice to all the "other" offerings with i5s and i7s... well... they are not ALIENWARE! Nuff said. (yep ima fanboy)

StevenX

 

edit: Nevermind

 

I have an idea. Is there some way to stack the Bing CashBack (5%), with a Student EPP (10%), use coupon(s) ($50), use the Alienware Gamers upgrade coupon ($100), and get free NBD shipping? I have read to ask for the 20% discount upfront, but i have yet to see if they will stack certain deals.

 

nope,
Bing only works with Dell home and small business
Alienware upgrade coupon (already expired) only works in Dell home

 

aww i c, thx for clarification. i tried making another alienware arena account and it wont give the coupon. ol well, free processor upgrade wont be happening.