**M11xR2 Discussion Thread

Nope~~~~....

 

I expect it to turn into a transformers when I press the right button!

 

I changed it a lot. Even going down to all low and 1024 x 768 and it was still chugging. Just moving an invasion force zerglings, hydras, a bunch of Overlords, and Mutas in one screen was really taxing the system. That's on all low. I also spread the creep in the entire map.

The best setting to have is physics and post-processing on low and shaders and the rest on medium, res at 1280 x 768. (If you're planning to play a long game.)

Shaders on low would make the game smoother unless you don't mind the units looking flat.

Physics on low would make a tiny explosion when marines die, instead of the standard bloody one. and the zerg death animations would be just blood poof.

Shadows can't be set to low.

This laptop is really an "on-the-go" laptop, playing quick 1v1 games..

YES, i hope the i7 and optimus will perform better, because the campaign will definitely use more CPU power.

 

damn was Boeing abused? My dad works for Boeing so this isn't a big deal. No wonder, I went on the Boeing EPP and said you have to use via phone and I was wondering what was up. Oh well I guess this will keep out non family members.

as for SC2, I've played several 4v4 maps vs people on b.net and it ran well on my machine. You do notice some hiccups once you're in battle with 2-3 of ppl's swarms or masses. Playing some Use map setting games you'll def notice slowdown once you get like the 400+ units on the map lol This was on mediums/highs setting native res.

 

Yeah I think it was. Someone posted a code that gave you 21% discount and stacked with everything else.

I tried it and it said it was for "Boeing family members, employees and retirees" or something like that.

 

damn them. But yeah I used a 21% discount on my original purchase back in Feb.. sucks that it was abused, making me go through hoops if I wanna do a future boeing order. That's why I never bothered posting the company discount I had used.. blah

 

Am I correct on the following?

1) The i7 doesn't have the intel gfx card with it because it has one built-in? And it'll use the optimus to throttle between the built-in card and the Nvidia?
Did someone verify this?

If they didn't, and just going by intel specs page, it also says the i5 comes with the built-in intel gfx, so why does the i5 list on Alienware that it has the other intel dedicated card?

2) And on Alienware's page, it states the i7 can do 8 hyperthreads. And i5 can't. But on intel's specs page, both the i5/i7 has 2 cores 4 threads. So shouldn't the i5 do the same?

Compare Intel® Products,

 

Well i would think because you have an SSD. SSDs take off a lot of stress from the CPU. I would also think that if you play with people it's less stressful than playing with your machine's AI.

I kinda like turtled my entire forces to test the limit.. You can play, on bnet with real players because you wont be ale to turtle that much. Sorry for not clarifying.

I tried a stress test. I don't know if i succeeded or not.

 

The I7 should support optimums switching because even though it carries the I7 name, its still an allendale core.

 

@Arklight
BTW, when it starts to choke up, do you find it just annoying or does it get in the way of gameplay.

Hmm, I wonder if the i7 and seagate momentus xt would be enough for smooth game play with a high number of units in the game.

 

I have ordered an M11x with the core i7-640um (EDD: 2nd of July) and am eager to find a review from someone who has already received theirs.

I was looking on the Alienware site and found this review:

Crysis at MAX settings with 29-50!?
Is this bloke dreaming or can someone with the M11xR2 qualify this.

 

Damn those are some good numbers. too good to be true imho lol

 

Don't know anything about the momentus yet,, AZN knows how SSDs work i would think maybe we could ask him. But in some reviews they said that it takes off 50 min. off batt life.. There's a thread here about it.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hardware-components-aftermarket-upgrades/484698-seagate-momentus-xt-hybrid-hdd-w-built-4gb-ssd-coming.html

It was really chugging, choppy.. Its only because I was playing with AI from my M11x. I would think that the gameplay would be better if 4 computers or 8 would be playing on network since their using each other's CPU. And for a game, usually you dont accumulate a lot of units.. I maxed out 200 with zerg, plus overlords and I massed zerglings. It would show that that's the limit of the M11x in StarCraft 2. if you're using 7 AI players.

I also played torchlight. All on high. vsync off. Pretty smooth. Did you order yours already?

 

wow really? M11x thread right???? i mean, does he know someone that works at dell that he got his R2 3 days after the refresh? To good to be true but we could keep our hopes up!

 

1. Kinda, it's not that i7 does or doesn't have integrated graphics into the CPU, it's the architecture of the i7. Say there is i7 for the desktop and notebook; even though both say i7, they both designed differently. The core i7 for the mobile will have a suffix ending w/ letter "M", so that would include QM, LM & UM also. So, in this case all the earlier version of core i7 didn't have integrated graphics only Arrandale does; and not just i7 Arrandale, but all Arrandale core series including i5 and i3. Looking at wiki page for the Intel Core i7, it will tell you which one have integrated GPU. And on the side note, the GPU that built into the Arrandle CPU are or atleast suppose to be better than the GMA 4500HD. Here is a quote from wikipedia:

2. The only core series that have 8 threads are basically quad-core w/ hyperthreaded. And I think all core-series have HT. I'm not sure about the desktop version of the core i-series, but for mobile CPU, I think all core i5 and i7 that start w/ 7xx and 8xx series are quad core.

 

I was using the momentus XT on my m11x r1 and I was booting in 26 seconds and opening games a lot faster than I did with the WD HDD black (320gb).

 

Not saying if the number is right or wrong, cuz I can't verify it, but the number is kinda in between M11xR1 and M15x w/ Core i7-720QM, GTX 260M, 4 GB RAM and 250GBHD. The numbers from M15x just checked from NoteBookCheck.

PS: His MW2 number seem to be in line w/ what Dell published also, a bit higher on the max side though.

 

Err so does that mean you're saying the CPU for the 11x (i7/i5) Both have intergrated GPUs? Just that Alienware decided to say the i5 had it, and just didn't mention it for the i7?

I'm all for getting the i7, if it rocks harder, yet still able to get good battery life while not gaming. But if it's really just gonna just shut down cores and leave the Nvidia 330 to do graphics chores, I can see the battery life being alot worse.

And err.. again. Are you saying that both the i5/i7 have 8HT paths, yet Alienware again desided to only mention that the i7 has it, but not the i5?

 

Ok, both i5-520UM and i7-640UM have integrated GPU on the CPU.

M11xR2 with either core will have Optimus, so nVidia GT335M will actually be turn off when you are not gaming, and under light load TurboMode would not be activated either, so the power usage should be very small. Basically both CPU & Optimus will help manage power more intelligently than M11xR1. I actually expect it to have better battery life on normal operation like web surfing and office application when compared to M11xR1. But that's just my thought base on how I think the technology works.

No, that's not what I'm saying. The core i7 in the M15x is i7-720QM which have quad-core 8 threads, while both core i5-520UM and i7-640UM in the M11xR2 only have 2 cores, 4 threads. Where exactly that you see core i7 have 8 threads? If that's not on M11xR2 page, then you obviously just assume that all core i7 have 8 threads.

 

was the momentus XT worth the price? im thinking about getting one but i dunno if its worth it

 

Has to be BS. Those numbers are waaaay too high. The best desktops would struggle with those DIRT2 scores with everything maxed. My own (modest) desktop (Q9550+GTX285) can't run Crysis on max at those framerates. Somebody is joking around with us...

 

I can't say I'm agree with you just yet, simply because most Desktop would try to run those games at the native LCD res, meaning it's likely to be higher than 1024x768 or 1366x768. If you are saying that's the resolution you run Crysis on your desktop, then you probably right, those number are fake or something wrong w/ your desktop. But if you look at my earlier post, the benchmark from M15x w/ i7-720QM & GTX260M does show a bit better average framerate running crysis at the same resolution.

 

Yes admittedly I run my desktop at 1680x1050 and usually with AA on 4x or 8x. But he says he's running Crysis on 'Highest' not 'High'. It depends where you are (in the game) of course, but if he's talking about Crysis (vanilla), DX10, Highest settings, native res... he will not have those framerates in general gameplay. The GPU just isn't up to it.

He is pulling our plonkers.

 

Hey i'm planning to get the same build but it's like $1250 total for me...can you please tell me how to get the 10% EEP off and the $100 coupon?

Thanks

 

The R2 would have zero chance of maxing out Crysis with a playable framerate.. both the CPU and GPU are far too weak to run the game fluidly. Even with the majority of options set to medium i'd still remain incredulous.

 

How, is the battery life? Many of us, wants to buy it, but are afraid that a lot of battery will be cut off!

 

Gday from Australia All! I find it funny every time someone i know gets a new computer, there is always someone else who asks Can It Run Crysis? My friend has a
C2d @2.13ghz and a GT 230m (which according to notebookcheck is slower than gt335) and he can run crysis @ 30+ frames in medium so especially with the cpu refresh in the M11x i would assume crysis would be fine @ medium.

 

Crysis runs well on the M11xR1 on medium settings across the board. The game essentially runs at 30fps locked, but it does dive down to around 20-25 when the action gets heavy. I have no complaints, it runs very smooth 90% of the time.

 

After discovering I qualify for the EPP and that $100 coupon on top of it I decided not to wait for benches and went ahead with the i7.

ETA: 7/6

Should be a bit more portable than my Sager 9850 lol.

Anything I have on Steam should be playable on both machines as long as I'm only signed in on one machine at a time, right?

 

That correct

 

Hey guys, is there any point at all to get 8GB Ram into the i7 unit?

 

Simple answer... no.

BTW, those that bought the momentus xt for their R1, how did it affect the battery life? thats really my only concern.

 

why do you say no, when it s offered at the dell shop malaysia!!!

Alienware M11x Laptop Details | Dell Malaysia

 

most of my 4v4 gameplay came right after b.net unlocked it and that was also around the same time with all the battle.net lag. I experienced more internet b.net lag than any gameplay lag. THAT is the annoying part, internet lag. When the system chugs it's not a stop/go type thing but rather scrolling the screen is done slower but units still move and do work. If you get what I mean. not sure the difference bt/ SSD vs standard HDD since I've only played on my m11x. I do notice I load up faster than most everyone when it comes to the load screen lol. I imagine the SSD helps when it comes to scrolling across the map quickly and loading units on screen.

An i7 can only benefit SC2 which scales proportionately with clockspeed at dual core up.

 

I find having more than 4GB is pointless, your not going to use it in many games and your day-to-day applications.

 

When your create your 11x, when selecting the CPU, look at the description on the left at the i7, it says 8 threads or 4 threads for HT.

 

It's a typo then. The ULV Core i5/i7 are dual-core 4 threads.

i7 640UM (Intel)Linky

i5 520UM (Intel) Linky

 

Check with your employer, school information office or other organization which you may be a member of (an example would be the American Automobile Association). Dell's Employee Purchase program is a group purchase program which many employers, schools and orgs participate in. This is the only way to access it.

If you do qualify for Dell's EPP via one of these groups, check with the group coordinator/benefits coordinator for access to the latest offers/discounts.

NBR Forum Rules do not permit posting information on how to access the program for non-members or posting coupon codes.

 

Hmm too bad the canadian coupons only work for the c2d. Will wait till they release the newer version. Anyone know of any canadian codes that work on the i7 version?

 

Yea, it's a mistake on Dell part, it simply show the synopsis for i7 from intel even when the it doesn't fit well. I guess, that give you a leeway if you intend to return the notebook later, since Dell misinform you. Although it's technically not a lie, since some core i7 do have 8 threads, just not in the M11xR2 model.

 

Ok, if this has been addressed ad nauseum just point me to the right post/thread and I'll STFU, but...

I'm really feeling an itch to sell my R1 and get the R2 with the core i7, however several things:
1. From all the years of benchmarking crap I've read the graphics card can be a reall bottleneck, especially since it is a 128bit memory bus,
2. The processor isn't really that much faster since MHz will matter more than technology of the chip. 1.73 vs 2.26 (I know 500MHz more but won't point one invalidate this?) and both have a 3MB L2 cache.

If in the end all I'm gonna see is a few more frames in say L4D2 and the ability of Optimus then I really don't want to go through the headache of selling off my first system.

 

^ that's basically what you'll get.

 

1. I'm not really a 3D gaming fan, but the GT335M is a decent 3D card, and that's ok w/ me. So I can't very make comment about what this GPU will do when coupling w/ better CPU. But from most review I read on M11xR1, they seem to agree that SU7300 is underpower for this GPU.
2. First, you get it wrong. 1.73Ghz on SU7300 is based on OCed CPU, 2.26Ghz on i7-640UM is based on TurboBoost mode, and un-OC. That said it's highest Ghz on a single core, on dual core mode, it's more like 1.8Ghz. Then there is a difference that core i5/i7 have HT, while SU7300 doesn't and lastly i7-640UM have 4MB of cache, not 3MB. Not to mention there are other architectural difference also. So, it's not as simple as comparing raw GHz.

 

These are the only two games I have loaded on my Envy 15, Dirt2 and SF4. Both do not require much CPU. How do I know? Because this #$!@%! Envy 15 when on battery will not ever go above 1.2GHz. These two games on battery (@1.2GHz) or on AC power (boosted to 2.5GHz while the games are running), I get the same fps. Both instances CPU utilization hovers between 30-50%.

I had the M11x (SU7300), XPS16 (T9600 2.8GHz and ATI4670), and my Envy 15 (i5 430m, ATI5850) side by side running the SF4 and Dirt2 benchmark, I wish I would have taken screen shot of CPU utilization on them. Everything on high, all 3 laptops on 1280x800 and AA off, the M11x was ~75fps, XPS16 ~83, Envy 15 ~95 (at the time with stock OS, now with my tweaked OS and new drivers it's ~105).

I'm very pretty light duty, far from hardcore gamer, but I haven't seen a game where the CPU holds back the GPU, at least not the laptops I sampled here.

No I don't know what this proves. Just posting what I saw myself.

 

I'm not getting rid of my Gen-1 M11X just because a newer processor came out. I feel that it's fine the way it is and that a few fps difference shouldn't matter on a system that's designed to be for 'gaming on the go'. (i.e, not a main system) A desktop (or desktop replacement) is designed for hardcore gaming and meant more for main use as opposed to the M11X's portability.

Truth be told, I view the M11X as an "ultra-portable on 'roids". It's great while I'm in my traveling status but I want a main system to handle the 'tough stuff' when I get home.

 

Source based games really need a decent cpu to keep minimum frames rates up. Also in general, the 640 will smoke the Core 2. I am glad I held off. R2 will be a much more balance notebook. Lets just hope that Dell fixes the fan issue.

 

Fan issue? My fan is working just fine.

 

Thanks for the input, guess I'll hold off and see, but for my use I'll be still more than happy with what I've got.

 

Quick question, are the cores in the Rx2 Westmere cores?

 

Yes, they're Westmere

Linky Here