How future-proof is the r3?

I currently own an m11x r3 and was thinking about selling it very soon. With all the new laptops coming out in a few weeks (Asus g55, ideapad y480, m14x r2) that contain ivy bridge and newer GPUs (GT 640/650M, GTX 660M) I feel as if the I5 2467 processor and GT540M might be inadequate for future gaming. Do you think it would be a wise choice to sell it right now, or does the r3 still have potential for future gaming?

 

Compare the R3 to all other netbook comparable models out there with the latest hardware in them being an Atom CPU with integrated graphics that cannot even run the most simple of games.

If you want to game on an 11 inch laptop there is nothing else on earth that beats the M11x as of yet.

Overclocked I am only 250 pts off a stock 555M GT in an M14x in 3dmark11. What more could you want?

It runs everything out at the moment comfortably. Sell up if the M11X R4 comes out with a 640M until then stay put.

 

I'd say an R3 would last for 2.5-3 years in the gaming world.

By the third year, you'd probably be looking at low settings on modern games.

I look at it this way -

See what setting a laptop can currently handle and each year that passes by, deduct it by one (ultra - high - medium - low).

 

I don't think we have got any indication of an R4 yet, right? However, I would be very surprised if they don't release a R4 with Ivy Bridge, and at least a Kepler GT 640M, which is supposed to be much better than the GT 540M.

 

They have announced their Ivy Bridge lineup, and the M11x R4 was not there. People for some strange reason like to stick to the notion that if it hasn't been announced then it's been developed in secret. The truth is if it hasn't been announced, it's probably not coming.

The i5 M11x R3 could be purchased for as little as $600 brand-new from Dell with their coupon codes, i don't think they release ridiculous discounts several times a year because it's a popular unit which is selling well. Out of their entire range the M11x most probably sells the least and is the most "unknown" to the general public.

I would not be surprised if the R3 was the final M11x revision, and i absolutely will not be waiting out to see if an R4 emerges.

@OP: Get decent RAM in there and an SSD and this baby is as fast as any desktop. Hell, i traded down from an Asus G73 to this M11x R3 and couldn't be happier.

 

Are you kidding me? The M11X series is way too popular and I'd expect countless revisions to follow the R3.

It's even offered at retail chain giants like Best Buy.

Even if we examine NBR for example, just look at the posts/replies per day ratio in the M11X compared to the other AW machines (also taking into consideration that the m14/18 are newer contenders).

If anything, I'd rate it like this:
1. M17X
2. M11X
3. M14X
4. M18X

 

I seriously doubt this will be a the final version of the M11x. Now I could be wrong but you have to think this is one of the highest selling models in the AW lineup and to not see a some sort of R4 would be foolish of DELL.
Maybe not anytime soon but at some point I beleive there will be.
Dang got ninjad be Voodoi but I agree with you bro!

 

With thunderbolt coming with the ivy bridge- that gives the new lappies more life due to possibility of using external desktops GPUs. This would practically extend the life of your then next laptop by quite a few years instead of getting trapped into anxiety every year to upgrade your laptop. Been there and have wasted tens of thousands in the process.

 

I am pretty sure M11x R4 will come. As others have pointed out, it's way to popular to discontinue. The reason we haven't heard anything yet is likely because the low voltage dual core Ivy Bridge CPUs are delayed to June/July. I am pretty sure the M11x will continue to use the low voltage ones.

It's only the quad-core Ivy Bridge that are available from April 29th, according to reports.

 

Being able to use external GPUs would be fantastic, but is also a sensitive one, for laptop manufacturers. It means people can extend the life span of their laptop, which may lead to people not upgrading/buying new as often as today.

On the other hand, it would make laptops more popular in general. And maybe make desktops less popular. I hope it goes in that direction, but it's all business and lots of stupid decisions are made that won't be of advantage to the consumer.

I wouldn't be surprised if the M11x R4 comes, but without thunderbolt...

 

Well the M11x is a laptop, indeed it's a gaming laptop, so it's not future-proof at all.

On the other hand, I just had an awesome LAN party with my buddy and his boys where we played Galactic Battlegrounds, which is like 8 years old. So at least it's past proof.

 

Dell have 3 new alienware upgrade models coming out this year for their laptops. The new Alienware M14X R2 of course and a new revision model for both the M17X and M18X.

Obviously we dont know as of yet whether there will be a new revision model coming this year.

I think the R3 is extremely future proof I would say for the next 3/4 years.
Take a look at some of the next-gen games we have right now this time 4 years ago games like CoD 4 were being released and now compare CoD 4 graphics to the next-gen titles being released right now.

Seeing as the R3 is the most powerful 11 inch laptop in the world it doesnt have much competition and of course it has a couple more years before we all move on to upgrade.

 

well i own mine since its release, bought in like first week of release or so, it did hurt the pocket, but i after a year or so, it still plays pretty much everything (FU TDU2 not even looking that good)... and i don't see a new m11x revision without release of next gen low voltage CPUs...

thunderbolt would be awesome, even though if it meant sacrificing internal intel GPU i would probably pass on it, as i don't got a desktop, not would i buy a dedicated card for that purpose, or a dekstop... a better GPU would be great, as i am sure they could move stuff around inside for a beefier heatsink, but i'd imagine it would bump the production costs too much.

 

m11x R4 will be announced once the Ivybridge ULV core i's are closer to release... That said, they really need to up there game now that they finally have some competitors in the 'gaming netbook' catagory. Sager just announced the NP6110. a 11.6" gaming notebook capable of handling a quad core Ivy bridge and a nvidia GT650m.

 

Just been reading about that, it sits bigger than the M11x however and I do not see how they are going to manage to cool a GDDR5 GPU in such a small model I can see it being an epic failure or extremely low clocked and restricted because the heat will be high unless it is very loud and caters 2 fans.

 

Damn, the NP6110 sounds beast.

 

I thought so too at first but it runs off the same 90 Watts that the m11x is on without downclocking any parts (on paper at least) plus if you look at the pictures of it, the chasis has some serious vents on it... sager/clevo is known for great cooling in there rigs. anyway, Its great to see some competition as that breeds inovation great for us!

 

If it works out then I may be upgrading sooner than I thought and yes my clevo is superb for cooling my 6990M but there is one big problem right there two big bugger fans. I can see that being a portable landing strip with two fans running in something so small and it would certainly consume more than the M11x R3 as the 90 watt adaptor is for charging purposes under full stress overclocked with everything on mine do not go above 60 watts, a GDDR5 card would certainly consume some serious juice.

 

sagers are definitely quite awesome, I'd love an m11x with a 650gt... alienware used to be about customization and upgradeability, sure its an 12" netbook, but would be nice to have more options that 1 video card and 3CPUs... it is a laptop and i suppose i am asking a lot to have a changeable cpu and gpu on a tiny laptop like this, but seriously, it isn't like there isn't enough room in the m11x... And screw standard, if no one is doing it, theres no reason not to do it. unless it is something stupid, like making a square wheel.

besides a socket for CPU/GPU don't take that much space.

 

What?! NP6110?!

Losing faith in my (not delivered yet) m11x r3 order...

Must... Resist temptation...!!

 

well first off it would most likely require quite a bit more maintenance than an m11x, cooling all that awesomeness does take a lot of blowing, so dust would collect quicker than on m11x, plus battery life wouldn't be as good... Also that air blower would be quite loud i bet.

Also sager got no displayport, and while it has loads of customization, a lot of it is external usb crap... which is rather pointless. Though company seems to be dedicated to take care of the customers... spec wise it is good, can't vouch for build quality though, or the quality of the main wear and tear panels... *dreams of an all aluminium/carbon fibre m11x*

though... are sagers USA only?

 

That Sager NP 6110/ Clevo W110er looks incredible.
I'm packing an M14x and are considering selling off...but the lack of a backlit keyboard....myeh....

The M11x R4 better be something special to compete spec wise.

 

I couldn't agree more.
The R4 better come out sooner than later or they will start losing sales NP 6110,
dont get me wrong the R3 is a great machine with a lot going for it but at some point the power of the NP 6110 starts tipping the scales in it's favor.
Sure the NP 6110 still has a lot of questions that need to be answered mainly the screen quality, temp management and how loud are the fans going to be (these are important to me anyway) but you have to be impressed by the hardware packed inside, that is if there are no problems.
The only negative about the NP 6110 on paper is the lack of backlit keyboard and in my opinion should be standard on every notebook.

 

yeah backlit keyboard is something i cant live without anymore lol... i wouldn't miss it with my old lappy but once i got m11x... i turn it off during the day mostly, but can't imagine living without now.

still a 650gt... if the battery would last similar to m11x... but 6cell?

 

I know how you feel, once you get a taste of having a backlit keyboard it's hard to go back to a reg one.
I really love the idea of the NP 6110 but if AW came out with a R4 with similar specs It would be no contest I would buy the AW even if it cost a bit more and only came with a ULV cpu.
I have a gut feeling we will see a R4 once the ULV IB cpu's are out but maybe it's more of my own fantasy than reality.

 

That Ivy paired with a 650M GT would be awesome but do not consider it for battery life, the GDDR5 version is just an underclocked 660M so it will be running around 50-60watts and on top of that a 35watt CPU you will need to have a plug on it because the battery under intensive use wont last an hour unless it has a better battery than the M11x which it wont.

Glare screen and no backlit keyboard it really only has the hardware going for it and with a GDDR5 card cooling is always a problem it will be loud no doubt. I think if an R4 does come out it will house an Ivy ULV and a 640M GT which will be superb looking at the power output of the 640M which is a huge boost over the 540.

 

It will have optimus to conserve battery life, but all your points are valid but if everything works as it should with the SAGER/CLEVO without throttling and have relatively cool temps without the fans blasting like crazy it will be hard to resist,very hard. Yea a lot of if's but it really has me intrigued and without any word of a R4 extremely tempting.
Will wait for reviews before deciding but some resellers say a matte screen will be a option. I love the R3 but the only thing holding me back is the hair dryer like fans blasting when gaming. (My buddy has one and it's very distracting)
If only AW had any announcement for a R4 I would wait for that.....but nothing.

 

Not fantasy. Tt's what most logical. The ULV chips won't be available April 29th, so that's likely why we haven't heard anything about an R4 so far.

 

that new sager has my name on it, bye bye m11x, your flashly looks are great but a quad core and the GT 650 will own anything that you could possibly do.

the new CULV cpus cant touch that 35 watt quad core, and i predict the m11x r4 will have the GT 640 not the 650.

That, and I can get the barebones sager for $475.

 

Out of curiosity, who's selling the barebone for that much?

---

I agree with some of the comments, though - The NP6110 lacks backlit keyboard, will have shorter battery life and the warranty isn't that good in comparison.

Three things to be considered before making the switch.

I switched from Sager to AW because I can't have any downtime while doing my internship and if my Sager would of broken down, I'd have to send it to their HQ in California (from Ontario, Canada) and the process would take several weeks (and I'd have to pay out of my own pocket for insured shipping one way).

With AW, any issues get fixed in 1-2 days with a simple 5 minute phone call. I get reliability with gaming capability.

 

Big things as well when it comes to an 11 inch gaming netbook. The fact it does not have a matte option the same as the R3 is a big no no and I still think GDDR5 needs a large fan so it will not be as quiet as it needs to be. 90watts will be needed for GDDR5 and a 35watt CPU so battery drain will be crazy.

I recently decided to bust my keyboard during a dissassembly and I contacted dell and said my keyboard is bust. Next day they had sent one out free of charge for me to fit myself or they could arrange a tech to come to my house and do it for me. That is good warranty service.

 

I took a night to think further on it and there is one question that depending on the answer will see whether or not I change supplier.

Does Sager/Clevo/ Whatever UK equivalent manufacturer follow the same possible method of part replacement.
ie. Would they send out a part to myself so that I can mend any problems without the aid of a technician if I requested it?

Now that I've had time to reflect and as much as the NP6110p attracts me, if the warranty/ aftercare isn't as good I won't be changing.
Especially if I have to pay for the shipping.
I don't have the time nor patience to deal with shipping any laptop of mine off for repairs for a warranty I have already paid for.

So much could go wrong during delivery (Either way).
The weeks of not being able to use the laptop would be unacceptable.

 

No my clevo had to go back in to have the screen replaced and it went through a full RMA and took 10 days. Rarely does a company just send out parts for you to replace but seeing as the M11/M14 are easy to do so I think that is why they either send out the part or the technician.

 

Knew it was a good idea to think more indepth about it.
Yes it is more power in a smaller package but when you view the whole deal it really can't hold a candle to an Alienware.

I'm waiting this out for the M11x R4...hasn't been confirmed but we all know something is coming...

 

Aren't we all I upgrade yearly as I am a tech geek and sell my current hardware so by this time next year the new Ivy revision will be on its way out in the hypothetical M11x R4

 

Unless you are a certified Dell technician, Dell will NOT send parts out to the customer other than the parts which they allow the customer to change (keyboard/RAM/HDD). Everything else is sent to the technician who then brings the parts on-site with him.

If anyone claims that Dell sent them parts directly, either they are lying or they really twisted the rep's arm into making them do it. My uncle's a Dell technician and he has never heard of Dell sending major parts out to ANYONE. The main reason is because once the parts are replaced, the old parts HAVE to be returned to Dell for them to troubleshoot and analyze, and then possibly be reconditioned. Dell can trust the technician to return the old parts, they can't trust customers. Next thing you know people will be making claims of dead system boards and chucking the brand new replacement units on eBay.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble. I wont give any details of who the email came from but I said I was fine to fit the things myself and didn't need a technician I did not twist their arm and I am certainly not lying and this is the response I got:

Correct me if I am wrong but I have to disassemble to connect the bluetooth adaptor that I just found out was not included with mine, or is not connected one of the other once I get inside.

 

I have also read elsewhere that another individual on this forum was provided with a new keyboard component from Dell to fit himself.

Yiddo has received the email that was most likely emailed to the other person but in regards to a different part.

I fully intend on doing this should I have anymore faults.

 

If you read my post i stated the the keyboard is one of the components Dell allows you to change yourself. Keyboard, RAM, HDD, WiFi, BT, and there's possibly 1 more. But that's it. Anything else requires a technician. It's all in the manual too.

They won't send out a screen or system board or plastic chassis pieces (afaik) or anything major like that. I think the Dell tech who did my system board replacement also said that if you wanted just the rubber feet they send out the entire bottom panel or something... but i can't remember.

 

I put warranty as #1 when I make my purchases, even if I have to take a hit in performance.

You know how long MSI took to replace my keyboard? 5 weeks. I had to ship my laptop to their repair facility out of my own pocket too (Asus took 6 weeks to replace my panel emitter).

This is the type of "service" people would have to go through if dealing with a company that doesn't offer next-business day warranty services. I never want to deal with this again.

Alienware = 1-2 days
vs
Sager/MSI/Asus = 3-6 weeks

I know people with the above brands that have broken keys, speakers, touchpads, etc.

They want it fixed but they can't afford to be without a laptop for that long due to school. Good for the company; Bad for the customer.

 

it is true that Dell is super fast at warranty work, but their products are more susceptible to failure (my history with them) than clevo is.

BTW the $475 sager barebones is through sager themselves, but you have to be a dealer.

so for my interests the Sager will beat out the m11x (especially the R1 I have right now) and the performance will be way higher, but honestly I will wait for reviews before I pull the trigger, but its looking good so far.