Maxed out M11x

Hello everyone!

This is my first post here. I wish to let everyone know of my experience with the M11x when I get it, to help others decide if they wish to do the same as I have. I got maxed out specs, the i7 core, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, etc.. everything maxed out.

Expect to see a review video of it some time in July, (Estimated Shipping Date is July 6th, so I will probably make the review after a few weeks of usage.)

Thanks for reading!

 

How much did that run you?

 

See no reason in +4 gb of ram on such little lappy +256gb price is very high, think its better to buy m15

 

I personally dont think you need the 8gb ram and the ssd. You can buy a cheaper ssd that runs faster like intels. And the 8gb will not be fully utilized.

 

Well, it's already ordered.

@ YodaGoneMad: It costed $2,647.91 after tax. But I also got some other things with the laptop like a backpack and Laptop Sleeve, and the TactX Mouse, Headphones, and Keyboard so the total order was just a little under $3,000.

 

i've heard of cheaper SSD drives but i don't know where they are. On newegg they all seem to more expensive with the exception of one which is slightly cheaper.

 

$2,647.91 would get you a M15x with the same stats
Or therebouts

 

yeah but he obviously wants the MX11 because of size, he isn't trying to get the best laptop for the money... smaller laptops always cost more than larger ones.

with that said, wow $2650, I would have just bought the Sony Z at that point! same size (well its an inch longer width but an inch shorter depth, same height) weights over a pound less and has a larger screen, same battery life, stronger cpu, same gpu benchmarks... you know you can always cancel your Dell order, they aren't shipping for a month!

 

There are no cheaper ssds available (really) in the 256gb size range.

 

There are two huge problems with the M15x, which while I'm not the OP, is why I chose the M11x instead.

1. No HDMI. I guess you can use an adapter to get audio over the Displayport, but it's kludgey and I don't trust it. It also indicates to me that the M15x is overdue a big refresh. Unless you're Apple, you've been putting HDMI ports on your laptops for a year now.
2. Horrendous battery life. If I could live with a 90 minute battery life, I would just use my Studio 1747 instead.

That said, the 15" display would be super nice. But the battery life and no HDMI just killed the M15x for me.

 

I'm not canceling my order, why would I? I want the laptop for the build quality too, I've used several m11x's before and I was amazed at the build quality. I am also buying this for the size, looks, battery life, etc. Also, I believe that I will be using all of that RAM cause I do 3D work which requires lots and lots of RAM for population of environments, etc.

 

your mental health worries me, cause paying over 2,5k buck for something that you can achieve muuuuch cheaper is an example of abnormal behavior

 

Alright alright everyone knows the OP paid an extraordinary amount for an m11x but hes happy so we should be happy for him

 

Sounds like sour grapes a bit. If the larger units were as easy to carry and had the better battery life then they too would cost more. Of course its give and take.... not everything is better in smaller pkgs.

If the buyer is pleased then "yay" I say. Enjoy it!

 

I am willing to pay more for AW/Dell because of my past experiences with them. I am really happy with how long this laptop has lasted me (XPS M1330), and I have had a good time with Dell's warranties. I really like the "ask for it replaced, and it gets replaced" policy. I have had a few problems with this laptop (mainly retarded kids at my old school taking a pen to my screen) and I got them all replaced for free. I have also gotten the motherboard replaced, CD drive, keyboard and many other things replaced 100% free. I like the in-home support too. I had an Area-51 AW awhile ago and that had great build quality too. Basically I am saying that I am not looking for the "cheapest" way of doing this.

 

Did you order it online, or via phone?

I'm sure with those specs and that price,

the sales rep would be begging you to buy that even with couple of hundred bucks knocked off...

 

I don't think the GPU is the same at all.

Vaio Z has a 330m which is much weaker than 335m in the Alienware. Not only that, but the 330m is also downclocked a lot to save battery/less heat. According to Notebookcheck Vaio Z is around the area of a 325m. It's a couple of thousand points less in 3DMark 06.



Another thing is that playing games native on the Vaio Z screen is impossible as it has a high resolution. then you would have to drag resolution down.

Thats the good thing about M11x's native resolution, I think! you can play natively... dont have to drag it down often.

I heard that dragging down in-game resolution comes with a performance hit, as the computer has to recalculate the pixels, when the desktop resolution is not matching the in-game resolution.
Others here have also told me that screens looks considerble worse when they are not in their native resolution(highest).


Also he would never be able to upgrade his SSD if he wanted to with the Vaio.

 

I think it's awesome dude


If you take away the Ram and SSD, then it's a great price for what you get. Remember what ultraportables costed 5-7 years ago with 1/20 the time of the performance in this machine?

And if you need the Ram and SSD then that's good too. I think it's awesome.


Have you thought about accessories yet, like Bag, Headphones and so on? oh and did you buy the bluetooth module?

 

Nothing wrong with a maxed out M11x Although when I got my M17x, I paid $2,500 or so, but I have extra parts (8GB RAM), that I shift between laptops and a few extra SSDs. (2x Intel, 2x Samsung 256GB)

 

@ meraki1990: Yes, I did it by phone. I got like 100$ off the laptop and I got $50 off the backpack.

@ luffytubby: Yes I got the Blue-tooth enhancement thingy. I also got the TactX Mouse, Keyboard, and Headset. I also got the Orion Backpack and laptop sleeve.

EDIT: Wow! The keyboard, mouse, and backpack have already shipped.
EDIT2: Wow!! The external OD shipped, and the laptop sleeve too!

 

Okay, I normally wouldn't be posting much, as I vastly prefer lurking, but I'd like to knock a point into just about everyone's silly heads. Having a bigger screen in the same bezel or same laptop is always better (as long as the bigger display is a better technology, etc., you get the point). This is something I learned while heavily tweaking my games to run on my crappy Intel X3100. Incidentally, I stumbled upon it when running Starcraft.

So, yes, it is true that if you run an application at non-native resolution, your computer will have to scale the pixels up, generating a performance hit in terms of extra calculations. However, most people seem to have completely forgotten that it is entirely possible to run an application in full screen with black borders around it. For example, I play L4D2 on my crappy IGP with a good 25-45 FPS at 640x480, and it's just a smaller window framed all around by very massive black bars. If I don't have the black bars, I'm lucky to even get over 25 FPS staring at the floor.

Let's take a real world comparison here. The 15" Macbook Pro with Hi-Res and Regular Option. From what I understand, both displays fit in the same bezel, just one has a higher pixel density. Running [Insert Game Here] at 1680x1050 will be intensive. Running at 1440x900 is manageable. Running at 1440x900 on the Hi-Res screen won't improve much. Running at 1440x900 with black bars on all four sides? Yeah, the difference between the regular and Hi-Res options is basically indistinguishable performance wise, and you'll have black bars on the Hi-Res screen, with the overall appearance of the "viewable area" smaller.

I'm not too good at explaining it. Maybe someone else can do better? If I had a camera I'd give you guys a picture, but alas, I do not have a camera. If you'd like to try it yourself though, play with your aspect ratio/display scaling options. Under the Intel Driver Panel for my X3100, just find the Aspect Ratio options and select "Center Image". I'm pretty sure if you go to any application binary and go to the compatibility tab under properties, checking "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings" will accomplish the same thing (at least, I think it does. My driver handles it all though).


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On a more related note... I'm trying to decide whether to bargain with Dell for their 8GB option (I have no idea what latency or specs beyond 800MHz random OEM brand), or buy the CL7 G.Skill 2x4GB DDR3 option for $250 off NewEgg. Retail upgrade price is $350, but I've got EPP, and the EPP listed upgrade price online is $270. Thinking I'll bargain it down, but does anyone happen to know what latency the stock RAM is?