M11x R3 or M14x...

I want to upgrade to m14x from my m11xr2. I see a few threads comparing m11xr3 to m14x (Which end up comparing the m14x to m17xr3, So not much help from those threads), but none comparing it with r2/r1

I have a few questions,
1)is it worth the upgrade (performance wise) or should I just stick with my r2? 2)Is it just slightly better?
3) Or should I upgrade to a different laptop?

 

I'd say yes. Both cpu and gfx are substantially better. Screen a million times better. Plus optical for some reason.

It is quite a bit heavier though and battery life is not as good as the m11x.............performance wise, it is certainly an upgrade.

 

Thanks, I dont mind the battery life as long as its longer than 3 hours and finally someone who answered me.

 

I have an M11x R2 which I bought in July of last year and an M14x which I bought in May of this year. The performance difference is IMMENSE, especially on CPU-heavy games like multiplayer in Starcraft 2 (which is my favorite game, so it was an important thing for me).

There's an obvious portability difference too, but the M14x is surprisingly portable. I'd expected a monster based on what I knew about Alienware computers, but it's actually really quite portable. Do I bring it to class or carry it around campus? No, I use my M11x when I need to do that. But I transport it between my apartment and my girlfriend's apartment quite often and it's not at all a burden. M11x is 4 lbs, M14x is 6 lbs, which means you can either look at it as a 33% increase in weight or only a 2 lb increase in weight.

You have to decide how important portability is to you, but man oh man, is the performance better. So much better.

 

You sir have sold me on m14x. Sc2 is my favorite game to on PC. So I am glad to hear that. Thanks

 

Glad to hear it! You will love it.

 

I upgraded from the m11xR2 to the M14x, and trust me you'll be amazed !
Totally worth it.

The screen is A LOT brighter, and the 900p is really a big improvement from the M11x.
Of course, gaming is a lot more confortable on the m14x.

The cons are the battery life, which is not as impressive but is still GREAT, and the heat. I remember the m11x being ice cold all the time, but the M14x does get hot when gaming.

 

For portability I would go i5, 900p screen rest stock.

 

i found these two alienware system, but dont seem to able know which one shud i get?
i'm not athletic guy indoor type, so i kind dingie on the weight of laptop, i heard 14x is like over 6lb. I buy these for colloege and some gameing, current play blackops and cryssis 2
help me decide. their price different by around $100
if you guy think 14x, then any backpack is fine right, or do i need to get special one*

My first AW

This is M11x
Processor & Memory:

Intel® Core™ i5-2537M (1.4GHz)
3MB Cache
8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333Mhz (2 DIMMs)
Drives:

750GB (7,200 RPM) SATA Hard Drive 3Gb/s
Graphics & Video:

11.6" High Definition (720p / 1366x768) with LED Backlight
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT540 Graphics
Communications:

Intel Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2 with WIDI Support
Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet WLAN
2MP HD Video and Picture Camera with Dual Digital Microphones
Audio:

Integrated High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Keyboard:

82 Keys with AlienFX Lighting Controls
Multi-color RGB
I/O Ports & Slots:

2x SuperSpeed USB 3.0
1x Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Port with PowerShare
1x RJ-45
1x HDMI 1.4 Audio/Video-out
1x IEEE 1304a (4-pin) Firewire Port
1x Display Port
1x 3-in-1 Memory Card Reader
2x Audio Out 1/8" ports
1x Audio-in/Microphone 1/8" port
1x Security Lock Port
Operating System:

Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Additional Software:

McAfee Platinum - 30 Day
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader
Power Supply:

8-cell Lithium Ion Battery
90 Watt AC Adapter
Additional Information:

Color: Stealth Black with Soft Touch
AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
Standard Nameplate
Alien Command Center
Dimensions: 11.25" W x 9.19" D x 1.29" H
Weight (Approximately): 4.4 lbs

M14x
Operating System:

Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Processor & Memory:

Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM Processor at 2GHz (2.9GHz Turbo Mode)
6MB cache
6GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
Drives:

750GB 7,200RPM SATA II Hard Drive
Slot-Load DVD±RW Dual Layer Drive
Graphics & Video:

14.0" High Def (720p / 1366x768) with LED Backlight
2MP HD Video and Picture Camera with Dual Digital Microphones
1.5GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M Graphics
Communications:

Intel Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2
Audio:

Integrated High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
I/O Ports & Slots:

2x SuperSpeed USB 3.0
1x Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port with PowerShare
1x 9-in-1 Memory Card Reader
1x VGA
1x HDMI 1.4 Audio/Video-out
1x Mini-Display port
2x Audio Out 1/8" ports
1x Audio-in/Microphone 1/8" port
1x Security Lock Port
Power Supply:

8-cell Battery
150 Watt AC Adapter
Additional Information:

Stealth Black with Soft Touch
AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
Standard Nameplate
Alien Command Center
Dimensions: W 13.27" x D 10.17" x H 1.49"
Weight (Approximately): 6.45 lbs

 

M14x with the 900p screen.

 

The M11x is close to being an ultraportable, at least in Alienware terms. Get that if you want to throw it in a backpack and be able to whip it out and use anywhere.

The M14x is a good compromise between a larger system and the smaller M11x. For $100 more I'd go with the M14x since it's still fairly small and will fit in most backpacks, but has a larger screen and more powerful specs for gaming.

 

when i check them, it in sandy bridge thing. can you tell me what different between sandy and old core. If best can you give me approx battery life in each chare when you normal and gameing

 

Dude/G i'm not sure if this help you but if you live in USA, check costco.com laptop section. 11x and 14x shud fit ur budget. I still checking to see which i want. if you decide give me ur decision, so i might buy same thing

 

I'm planning on getting an AW in the next month or two and have kinda narrowed my choice down to m11x or m14x. My heart is definitely set on an AW. I know other brands cost less and I'm okay with that.

I will be using the laptop for mainly one reason: Star Wars The Old Republic.

I want to be able to play this particular game maxed out and flawlessly. I understand that these types of games (MMO) are less demanding than say Call of Duty or something along those lines and SWTOR has pretty low minimum requirements as to accommodate more users.

Any ideas what choices to go with in regards to the processor or anything. I saw a lot of r2 with the i3 core. Would that be a good choice considering my intended use? If I go with the m11x, should I worry much if it's r1, r2 or r3?

My budget is around 2,000 USD or less but I don't want to spend a bunch of extra cash unnecessarily on bells and whistles that will be useless to me. I don't want to spend more than I really need to just to brag that the laptop is maxed out or whatever. I know very little about computers, so I come to you guys. The experts. Looking forward to your responses. Thanks for your time and help!

 

ummm, why not get the m17 or m18 since you care about maxxing out the game?

 

Best bang for buck in the M17x R3 would be:
-AMD 6990m.
-FHD screen.

Rest stock. Damage: about 2000 dollars. Should be able to get that for about 1800 dollars with the right coupons or hagling skills.

Some M17x R3 feature's:
-2 HDD bays, so you can buy a SSD for the OS and use the regular HDD for data.
-RAM upgradeable to 32GB, it has 4 RAM slots.
-Blu ray player option.
-HDMI INput.
-3D 120Hz screen, only with Nvidia GPU's. 1800 dollars for 3D system with Nvida 560m.
- Graphic switching for longer battery life. Not with 3D system.
-MXM slot so when a new and better GPU is offered you can buy it and install it yourself.

No maxed out M14x can compete with that. The XPS 17 has the same or better specs then the M14x. IMO the lights and design isnt worth the price difference.

Buy what you need not what you want!!

 

The XPS 17 has the same graphics card, but a weaker processor, than the M14x. It also has a higher resolution screen and is much larger, bulkier, and heavier. I think a lot of people would take that trade to avoid the larger laptop. I certainly did!

 

The topic is about m11x vs m14x and, as instantcold said before, we com back to compare m14x and m17x lol.

Back to topic, I think m14x is the right choice here because it is only 1kg heavier than m11x but the performance is way better. I think i will buy m14x in the near future myself

 

I bought the m14x last week, still use it and like it. Does any1 know how to clean the monitor best way and the out side of laptop, fingerprint magnet
PS you guy experience this yet for 10m my battery icon in taskbar say 23hr 58m as powersaver

 

Oh dear, Im going to order a machine for black Friday,but the problem is this thread has me thinking D: I mainly want the M11X for BF3 ,then I would connect it to my 40' TV.Just don't know if the m11x can do that.

 

i had the m14x. it was a good little machine but the gpu was sorta lacking. I felt like a new alienware should be stuggling on max overclock with current games if its new. Plus I wanted future upgradeability ( m14x has a soldered gpu). So i sold my m14x for the m17x

 

How much did you get for your M14x?

 

I had the m14x but couldnt get on with it so sold it for an m11x.

Now bear in mind, I bought this machine as a chuck in the backpack and take everywhere machine. I already have a m17x for gaming at home.

Reasons why I prefer the m11x for this role:
-The form factor, put up against the m14x the m11x really is a lot smaller and easier to throw in a bag.
- The weight, it may not sound like much extra but the 14 is 50% heavier than the 11 and I found the 14 difficult to just grab with one hand and throw around.
-Gaming on battery, the 14 is abysmal and will downclock on battery to an unplayable level. The m11x can game at full power for over an hour or I often cap the cpu and lower the gpu a little anf game for almost 2 hours.

Pros of the m14x over the 11x.
- The speakers are night and day better
- the 900p screen is great in res and quality
- Performs better with quad and 555m

In summary I would say if you already have a gaming desktop or gaming notebook then get the m11x as a travel companion. If this will be your only machine get the m14x but make sure you get the 900p screen and a quad.

Finally in answer to the BF3 question, it plays fine on the R3 at native res with medium/low settings (and by fine I mean 28-40fps on 32man server). I haven't found a game I cant play on it yet

 

Similar situation as you Ninja but now I'm eyeing up a HP envy 2nd Gen 17 inch.
Just can't find the right one...

 

What made you decide on an envy 17?

Have owned a few envys in the past, look lovely but they do get hot! The current envy 17 is scorching and has a downclocked 6850. Any idea whats in the new 17?
I like the look of the 15 if it has an IPS screen but the 6750 is a bit meh. I think I have been spoilt by the 6970 in my m17x

 

I'm in a similar boat. I really want to play SWTOR and at the same time want to switch back from console to PC gaming again. I have about $2k to spend.

My girlfriend has an M17x R3 and I love it. The screen is amazing. I was pricing those and the 18's out at first. The problem is I commute a lot on the train and I work and go to night school so I have pretty long days with lots of travel. On any given weekday I plan to do 1-2 hours of gaming during the week. I have been considering the M11x R3 and the M14x. Refurb I can get both for low 900's or high 900's respectively.

My plan now is to build a desktop (mostly because it's fun) for about $8-1100. I'm going to do a 2500k with a 560 or 570 card. I'll pair that up with my 23" Ultrasharp and have great home gaming. Since my condo is small (280 sq ft) I won't mind being tethered to a dek.

I figure with the rest of the money I might get a recertified M11x R3 i5. I might even come in under budget.

The upside for me is that the M11x has a lower res screen therefore it gets better battery life and can get by with a lower quality graphics card. Since it's lower res, you don't mind as much that it doesn't look great. I mean it's not like looking at the low-res M14x. (Just saw one at MicroCenter and it looked awful).
Also a big thing was that the M11x ran cooler and from what I can tell games better while on battery. Both important factors for me.

I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on the M11xR3 refurb tomorrow. I get access to SWTOR on Tuesday so I need to get into something quick.

Also, for every day school stuff (I'm a CIS student) I still have my 2009 MBP 15. I figure between the 3 computers I'd have all my bases covered. I love to be able to have one thing, but I feel like this might be the best solution for my situation.

Any thoughts? Anything think I should get the M14x instead of the M11x? Or just get a M17x and ditch the desktop idea?

Thanks.

 

As always, that bepends on what you're gonna use it for... reading your text i get the impression your mind is already made up and you want to buy the machine with confidence. i can only tell you from my experience (see my sig) and i can tell you: the m17x is not a real portable machine... so it comes down to the M14 ot M11, i can only tell you the m11 is a real nice machine, i can take it anywhere and game anywhere, the m14 does this too but it does it not as good as the M11. the M14, honestly i cannot tell you much about that...

 

Also check over the M14x forum and see what they think. That may help you decide.