**M11xR2 Discussion Thread

Intel® Core™ i5 520UM (3M Cache, 1.066 GHZ with 1.866 GHz Max Turbo Frequency) - Overclockable [subtract $150.00]

Intel Core-i7 Processor

Intel® Core™ i7 640UM (4M Cache, 1.2 GHZ with 2.266 GHz Max Turbo Frequency) - Overclockable [Included in Price]

Both are overclockable

 

After giving up on calling Dell for a 3rd time, the 2nd Dell Rep called me back and let me have the 10% discount + $100 off coupon.

So now I got the:
Alienware M11x, Soft Touch Stealth Black
Overclockable Intel Core i7 640UM
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 800MHz
160GB SATAII 5,400RPM (upgrade later)
Optional Bluetooth Module, 2.1+ EDR

For a total of 942.95 (after discounts) .
After tax and that enviro fee its 1,016.07

Don't know why, but they also threw in the following for free:
Go 420 Headphones
V220 Jet Black Cordless Optical USB Mouse - Designed for Dell

That made my day. Too bad I forgot about Next Day Shipping, Oh well can only press your luck so far!

 

-- Alienware M11x, Soft Touch Stealth Black

-- Intel® Core™ i7 640UM (4M Cache, 1.2 GHZ with 2.266 GHz Max Turbo Frequency) - Overclockable
-
-- Memory -- -- 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 800MHz

-- Hard Drive -- -- 320GB SATAII 7,200RPM

-- Operating System -- -- Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

-- Hardware Services -- -- 3 Year Basic Plan

-- Dell EPP Members save 10% off select Alieware systems!
- $142.30

-- Receive $100 off DellU systems $999 or more with coupon!
- $100.00

Subtotal: $1,180.70
IVA: $104.79
Shipping and Handling: $0.00

Import Fee: --

Total: $1,285.49

 

To get this clear, the 10% is EPP and the 100 off coupon is... automatic or is it an actual coupon. Sorry, at a price under 1000 before taxes, im happy with that. I want to try to get that order in ASAP as well before there will be no more coupons like what happened after the first wave when m11x first came out.

Regards,
K

 

The 10% EPP was automatic for me online. My total after the 10% was slightly over 1,000 and then I added the $100 off coupon.

 

Hmm...I can get a core i7 one with 4gb ram for 992 shipped...tough decisions ruining my life. I'm just wondering if the i7 will help games like BFBC2 perform better.

 

You already have a C2D version?

Will it perform better? Yes. Will it perform $1000 better? No.

Expect 3-6 FPS increase, maybe 10 FPS absolute max.

 

Regarding the possible overclock the manual says it can be overclocked from 133 mhz to "between 134-166 mhz"

 

Okay yeah the 10% EPP is automatic, and I know you can't post coupons here, but can you lead me to the direction of where to find it? Unless it's within the site. Thanks.

Regards,
K

 

You, sir, are my hero! Just sent in an order cancellation request and reordered another system with the 250GB hdd (going to put that into an enclosure).

Original price is $1,199.00, including i7 CPU, 4GB RAM, 250GB HDD. Now it's $979.10, with another $86.89 for sale tax, grand total $1066.99. So 70GB less storage saved me $76.69 (the actual price difference is $25, most of the saving is from getting the full 10% EPP discount instead the 6% I originally got).

All of the delivery options are free on the EPP site, so of course choose next day delivery!

@ kbc88: the EPP discount is automatic, you only need to be eligible for the EPP program itself. You have to input the code for the $100 coupon, it's very easy to find.

 

Thank you I found it already! I am a student at a University but the discount online is showing only for the R1's? Would it be better to talk to a customer rep?

EDIT: got it =)

 

SAME HERE. SO excited.. I will be ordering online tonight to make sure i get free NDA shipping!!

 

AGREED! Thank You... after seeing your post(s), I sent e-mail to my last Dell CSR who I called a few hours ago, and had him cancel the original order (and the one he tweaked to 2% EPP).

I went back into dell.com/EPP and picked up 10% off automatically, and was still able to add the $100 coupon, and got free Overnight shipping too... sweet!!

THANK YOU! Guys - you can do it... it might take some perseverence, but the EPP 10% should be automatic now, and the $100 coupon is findable... remember to select free Overnight shipping too.

My total savings was $247 after all this (plus the free shipping)... that's over a 17% savings for me (still had to add sales tax of course).
- Kirk200

 

Do you guys think its worth it to get the mobile broadband? I have ATT in which I can insert my simcard in to tether. Not sure if its worth the $112 though.

Regards,
K

 

FYI the hard to find hybrid seagates are back in stock at newegg for anyone getting one with a crap Hd so they can upgrade.

 

You guys think a Intel Core i7 640UM processor will be able to handle GTA IV?

If it's still choppy performance then the upgrade for me isnt worth it.

What you guys think?
I really want to see a pic of the WEI of a 640UM see what score it gets

 

We won't be seeing any benchmarks till July at the earliest. :/

 

It depends on what you use your m11x for. If you're mostly gaming off and online, you should be under wifi. and If you're just going to use the internet, I think its better to use your phone(Smartphone) or just get an alternative netbook. Also, I believe data on phone is different on notebooks. Correct me if im wrong, but def not worth 112.

 

The performance gains are much more noticeable with two cores vs. two cores with hyperthreading.

Bad Company 2's performance gains taper out after 4 real cores. There's a Core i3 530 benchmark that I can't find right now.

 

The 10% should be automatic, but its not reflected on the EPP site so you'll need to tell that to the Dell Rep. For the 100 off is an actual coupon. You should be able to google one.

 

online was cheaper. cancelled previous and got this price.

224-8847
1 Alienware M11x, Soft Touch Stealth Black

313-9774
1 Intel® Core™ i7 640UM (4M Cache, 1.2 GHZ with 2.266 GHz Max Turbo Frequency) - Overclockable

317-4706
1 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 800MHz

330-9945
1 Alienware M11x 90W A/C Adapter

320-1467
1 11.6-inch WideHD 1366x768 (720p) WLED

320-9857
1 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 335M

342-1322
1 250GB SATAII 7,200RPM

330-6106
330-9552
1 Personalized Nameplate

313-8791
421-3095
1 Mars Red

420-6436
420-9691
421-0092
421-1400
1 Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

313-9856
1 Integrated 10/100 Network Interface Card

410-1883
1 Adobe Acrobat Reader

313-9958
1 Internal High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)

430-3796
1 Alienware M11x a/b/g/n 2x2 MIMO Wireless

330-6348
1 Automatic Updates: On

330-8995
1 1.3MP Web Cam

421-1721
922-2597
929-5570
950-3337
950-9797
994-3730
1 1 Year Basic Plan

421-1360
1 Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed

421-2611
421-1573
421-1591
1 AlienGUIse Theme Manager with Breed Theme
Alienhead 3D

430-3773
1 No Internal WWAN Antenna Installed

430-8555
1 Bluetooth Module, 2.1+ Enhanced Data Rate

330-5090
1 Thank you for Purchasing Alienware


No interest on Studio XPS systems if paid in full within 12 months!
Dell EPP Members save 10% off select Alieware systems! - $121.90
Get $100 off any EPP or DellU Laptop or Desktop $999 or more with coupon! - $100.00
No interest on Studio XPS systems if paid in full within 12 months!
Order Subtotal: $997.10
Shipping and Handling Total: $0.00

Tax Total: $82.27
Total Amount: $1,079.37

 

Thanks, you've helped me decide. I won't get it. My only prob was tethering via USB cord, but it's not the biggest deal to me, so I will continue doing that.

I got my whole order total to be 979 before tax.

4 GB
250 7200RPM
i7 Core

This is without talking to a CS rep as every helpful post here said. You can do everything online and the EPP discount is instant and the code is somewhere within their website. The only thing I'm waiting on is being able to pay w/o interest within 12 months

Regards,
K

 

i7, 4 GB DDR-III, 320 GB HDD
$1084.23

 

More numbers. While I should say that people that said the new i7 640UM doesn't offer much advantage are in a way correct, but here are the problems.

Most of the benchmark I saw are pretty much comparing M11x w/ SU7300 OCed to 1.7 against another laptop w/ core i5 and weaker GPU. The problem is core i5/i7 in M11xR2 will be OCable. I just check the M11xR2 manual (page 50) and it does have the option in the BIOS to OC the bus clock from 133 to 134-166.

Since the GPU are the same, my prediction is you won't see much improvement in 3D gaming, maybe 10-30%.
What the benefits of the new R2 over R1 (that haven't been much discusses) should be the following:
non-3D gaming, this include number crunching and 2D games. If you do something like fraps, this should make a significant difference.
Overall battery life, thx to Alandlae architecture and Optimus technology.
Better Movie watching experience & battery life. Now that the new intel have improve some HD movie watching over the previous generation, nVidia GPU shouldn't be needed at all.
But we all should wait and see the real benchmar numbers.

 

I hear you there; i spent about an hour yesterday trying to talk down a rep on the online chat but he wouldn't budge from the 6% Student Discount. I told him to forget about it as the £953 figure for the one i wanted is just too much for that laptop... I don't know if i'd have any more luck on the phone but i guess it's worth a try.

 

I wonder if one could take the internals and swap, like the entire logic board lol

 

I am playing it right now (standard clock speed) at 1280 by 768 resolution with little to no choppiness. It's very playable to me and looks tons better than my PS3 version! The controls can be a little challenging when driving; however I switch to my 360 controller when on a driving mission.

 

Hmm... with all these coupons, the ssd option starts to look attractive.

now im wondering... whether to get core i7 and 7200 rpm drive, or to get the core i5 and the 256 gb ssd drive.

or... the su7300 and 256 gb ssd drive...

mainly interested in gaming here... any thoughts? is ssd worth it?

 

Most games are reliant on GPU, so it really doesn't matter. SSD would be the best bet here, so might as well get the i5 + SSD.

 

Does the SSD actually improve framerates? What realistic effect does it have on gameplay? Does it really improve the gameplay experience?

 

No. R2 doesnt have a VGA port, and some stuff got moved around. Ever considered selling it on eBay and getting an R2?

 

It improves loading time only really, but you can notice in games that need fast HD loads,like wow in a crowded area.

 

The SSD will murder the iX cores in performance gains, you are talking about like a few seconds with the iX cores, or like literally cutting loading times in half and eliminating stutters and such with the SSD.

 

sdd just improves loading times.

 

Load times will be considerably faster. With the i7, the CPU will give you marginal gains at best over the i5.

 

Just wanted to say this is not true, many games stream a lot of stuff from the HDD. An SSD will get you more FPS gains than the iX cores in addition to faster loading and less stuttering.

 

Oh grr... I can get the core i5 ssd for $300 (~$1300) more than the core i7 with 7200 rpm drive (~$1000).

Cannot decide, lol. At least I have a few days to decide... hopefully some reviewers get early models within the week or something...

 

lol people are still reviewing the first model

 

Best solution: Get a base i5, and wait a little for the next-gen Intel SSD to roll out in the next few months, and use an external HDD. If you have EPP, you can easily get an i5 for under $900. Haggle a little and you could get it down to $850.

 

What do you think the battery life will be in comparison to the SU7300? I was thinking of waiting out for R2... and I made it. But I'm a portability freak and still wonder how it compares. If it was like the UL30Jt compared to the UL30Vt from Asus, there might be a 2 hour drop in battery life.

 

im hoping that the i7 will make games like assassins creed 2 run at 40fps with maxed out settings as im getitng like 25-30 right now

 

Highly doubt that i7 overclocked will get you that kind of framerate.

 

hmm why do yo usay that? isnt the cpu making the framerate dip to 25? so shouldnt the new i7 processor push it up to about 35-40?

 

Yeah, i figure that if I'm waiting for an SSD upgrade later on, I think I'll just get the core i7 version right now, and buy the SSD around Christmas time when they might be getting some nice deals. I dunno. It seems that if I'm not getting the SSD, i might as well get the i7. That will make some difference for CPU-based games, even over i5.

 

The CPU is about 10% faster, that would be about a 50% increase. I'd say you'd be lucky to jump from 25fps to 30fps.

 

well Cdoan34 is running the su4100 not the su7300 so he may be experiencing a bit more of a bottleneck than users with the su7300

 

Think of the CPU as bottleneck, just because bottleneck get lifted, doesn't make the water flow faster than the bottle itself. GPU is a big factor in 3D gaming, CPU feed the data to GPU, if CPU is slow, then data cannot be feeded enough into GPU, thus your GPU are idle and just wait for data. Faster CPU solve that issue, but it still cannot overfeed data to GPU. This just mean you have more slack in CPU power, like leave things running in background. And BTW certain piece of gamine does rely on CPU like enemy AI, so overall you will get more framerate, but I wouldn't expect nearly double the performance with the same GPU.

You should think about upgrading HD/SSD yourself instead of buying dell HD upgrade option also. It can be cheaper and you can turn the solwer 160GB HD into USB storage. Not to mention normally retail HD usually have 3-5 years manufacturor warranty.

 

My biggest question on the R2 is why did Alienware upsize the power supply? Does the R2 consume more power (which will translate into heat, diminished battery life, and fan noise)? Anyone know the answer to this?

 

Eh I bit the bullet, gonna return my other one I got today...hell I only paid $60 more for this one, might as well:

224-8847
1 Alienware M11x, Soft Touch Stealth Black

313-9774
1 Intel® Core™ i7 640UM (4M Cache, 1.2 GHZ with 2.266 GHz Max Turbo Frequency) - Overclockable

317-4705
1 2GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 800MHz

330-9945
1 Alienware M11x 90W A/C Adapter

320-1467
1 11.6-inch WideHD 1366x768 (720p) WLED

320-9857
1 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 335M

342-1321
1 160GB SATAII 5,400RPM

330-6106
330-9552
1 Personalized Nameplate (Shinjitsu)

313-8792
421-3095
1 Quasar Blue

420-6436
420-9691
421-0092
421-1400
1 Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

313-9856
1 Integrated 10/100 Network Interface Card

410-1883
1 Adobe Acrobat Reader

313-9958
1 Internal High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)

430-3796
1 Alienware M11x a/b/g/n 2x2 MIMO Wireless

330-6348
1 Automatic Updates: On

330-8995
1 1.3MP Web Cam

421-1721
922-2597
929-5570
950-3337
950-9797
994-3730
1 1 Year Basic Plan

421-1360
1 Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed

421-2611
421-1585
421-1595
1 AlienGUIse Theme Manager with Breed Theme
Alien Schematic

430-3773
1 No Internal WWAN Antenna Installed

430-8555
1 Bluetooth Module, 2.1+ Enhanced Data Rate

330-5090
1 Thank you for Purchasing Alienware


Dell EPP Members save 10% off select Alieware systems! - $111.90
Get $100 off any EPP or DellU Laptop or Desktop $999 or more with coupon! - $100.00
Order Subtotal: $907.10
Shipping and Handling Total: $0.00
Environmental Disposal Fee: $8.00
Tax Total: $61.80 (sigh, damn you CA)
Total Amount: $976.90

Went with regular mem and HDD cause I can get them for MUCH cheaper at Frys over here heh.

 

must be lowest settings then?


I have not played it on ps3, but I think the game looked good on 360, even though it had framerate drops. I would say you had to switch the settings to a combo of medium and high, to have it look better than on 360...

I just wonder how you where able to achieve stable framerates. I have seen desktop dual cores with 8800 GTs getting killed by this game on low!