My honest opinion of AW M11's

Well first off I know that I am going to get flamed for this article. I am bored at work and wanted to give my opinion of owning an M11x R2. This was my first laptop for PC gaming, I have always been a console guy. I decided to start shopping around and being an "elitest" with all of my hardware I immediatly settled on an Alienware. I settled on the M11x because of its price point, not really wanting to spend over $1000, and had high expections for my new investment.
Upon recieving it I was impressed with the looks of the machine. I fired it up and loaded a few games onto it. (BF:BC2, Fallout New Vegas). I was pretty letdown with the color scheme on the screen, and how easily it attracted fingerprints. I was really looking forward to BF3, and like everyone else on this forum was worried it may not run on my M11. I honestly got tired of worrying if games will run before they come out, and tired of optimizing games to force them to work. I was pretty bummed about the performance I recieved from the $800 I spent on the M11.
I ultimately ended up putting my M11x on Ebay, and surprisingly sold it for near what I payed for it after owning it for 10 months. I have since then invested my money into a PC that I built myself. I thought about doing this originally but was kinda intimidated by the building process....well after doing it I can say its not all that bad. Just watch youtube videos, and you can walk yourself through it. Now I dont have a "top of the line" gaming computer (core i5 2500k, paired with a EVGA 560ti GPU), but I know that my rig is going to run any and every game to come out over the next 24 months. I dont have to worry about game performance, my hinges going out, or smudges on my screen....and it feels great. All of this and I spent about the same as the M11 cost me...maybe a tad bit more.
I'm not writing this article to flame all of you guys that have M11's, but rather to tell those who are on the fence about buying one that you really need to consider what you are buying. You are paying a premium to have a compact gaming laptop, that WILL NOT provide top performance in newer video games. Well thats my 2 cents anyway, you live and you learn.

 

because its gt335...you can't expect too much...

btw m18x is kinda future proof , unless you worry about the weight/size.

PS : I dislike 1st generation i5/i7 too.

 

+1 the 335M GT is a Class 3 GPU you should have done your homework it sits with my old 8700M GT SLI which was awful so you cannot expect much, but people always seem to forget netbooks this size do not have the ability to cool high end what it puts out is exceptional when you compare it to other netbooks.

Why did you not go for the R3? The boost over the R3 is significant on the GPU and CPU not to mention you move upto turbo boost technology 2.0, higher power saving all round and DirectX11. The 540M GT is a good enough boost.

I actually adore my new little ULV I5 for what it can do in such a small model but again the R3 models come with much higher turbo boost, if you want slow take a look at the top of the range Atom CPU which is in most laptops this size and you see how good it is.

P.S Iphantom what is with your posts? what are you like Yoda's age or something?

 

OP has a very valid opinion, but the question is - why did you expect an 11inch laptop to be the best gaming machine ever? I'm not flaming, just asking out of curiosity... the first generation i5 ULV plus mediocre GPU should have indicated the poor performance for gaming of the M11x, as well as the experience of gaming on a very small laptop with all the lack of screen estate, heat management problems and so on that laptops have.

Your i5-2500k is a Sandy Bridge part that is widely recognised as the best CPU out there in terms of overclocking performance, whereas the M11x R2 came with an Arrandale i5, specifically the ULV version with limited clock speed, turbo, cache, etc. The GPUs cannot be compared, as they are also different generations, and also mobile vs desktop. The mobo is also a generation newer for SB, and being desktop has better bus speeds, and probably a faster HDD connector with the higher resultant throughput. And lastly, the whole package, being a tower, can be cooled adequately to allow the components to run optimally, compared to the cramped cooling flow that an ultraportable chassis allows, especially with the monitor being physically connected (screens pump out heat, lots of heat).

However, you cannot carry your homebuilt, hot potato tower in a little backpack and use it on a train, a plane, in a hotel room, on the lawn... you get my drift.

Gaming laptops are a very specialist area - some will be excellent and give even the most modern games a good run for their money, machines like the M18x, the big Clevo rebadged as Sager, Novatech, Eurocom, etc., the Asus G74 or whatever the newest big one is, the MSIs. But none of them can match a proper desktop unit, homebuilt or specialist - for example, your desktop won't be able to play as well as, for example, a new, top line Firepower desktop from Yoyotech, or the biggest, baddest Alienware desktop. And all of the above will beat an M11x R2 easily, but none of them are as portable as an M11x... nothing that can game decently is. It is the specialist unit of a specialised breed that fills a small role for people who need portability AND gaming.

 

In the end I made a bad purchase for me specifically. I didn't consider the ratio of my home/away usage....I may have used my laptop twice "on the go", one being on an airplane which was extremely annoying . Also using it on your lawn is impossible considering the screen glare.

You are right though, gaming netbooks are for a very small consumer group. I just wanted to post an article that would make those who are researching M11's think about their circumstances. In my case, I was extremely frustrated with the product and was very fortunate to get my money back.

As for me "researching my product more", I said I was a novice pc gamer, and was new to the scene. The AW website makes these laptops look like they are ultimate gaming machines, which I found out they are not. Also I didn't go R3 because they hadn't been released yet when I was in the market.

 

That's a shame that your first experience of PCs was so poor - at least building your own gives you a good grounding in the components and opens up that world of looking at upgrades and acquiring more bits, and so forth... slippery slide!! Plus you know not to believe marketing hype any more

Personally, my thinking was that I needed a gaming machine for away from home, but couldn't take my normal gaming laptop as it was too big to carry alongside my work laptop, so the M11x was the ideal answer. The R3 had just come out then, but the R2 was still in the shops and probably would've done the trick. I ended up choosing an R3 because I wanted to try out a Sandy Bridge machine, with the Nvidia Optimus switching from the built-in graphical core in the die, as well as the advantages of the more modern motherboard, such as SATA3 so that I could plug in one of the newer SSDs out at the time.

No argument about the screen glare from me - and the worst bit is that since it is plastic, the reflection isn't flat but skewed so is extremely distracting as well! I am not a fan of edge-to-edge... at least with a (small!) bezel you can avoid the fingerprints...

 

Everyone has different expectations, I came from a 10 year old computer that couldn't run much except Soldier Front or Sudden Attack at low fps. So when I first used my M11X I was stunned, so I'm happy.

On the downside, as it gets older (1 year now) I'm able to fewer of the games that come out. Playable fps for me is 40+, skyrim etc. I can't bear to play.

 

I have a 10 year old (this September) laptop that I still game on occasionally, but older games, like Fable, Space Rangers, and other older games. The machine is still in good condition, runs well, but was replaced by something much more powerful as my main gaming laptop. The M11x probably can't match the newer machine despite being significantly more modern, but I know that I can drop the settings a little to game when on the little one. I know it can't do all the things a bigger, more capable modern gaming laptop can do, but I know for something I can take anywhere with me, I won't be able to find a much better one.

 

How does the screen "attract fingerprints" without someone absentmindedly touching the screen?

 

Evidently their marketing strategy is successful. The Alienware business model is founded on uninformed consumers (less so in their notebook range). I challenge you to find any moderately tech savvy person who would be willing to purchase an Alienware desktop.

In the end, yes, you pay more for an Alienware. However, there are benefits like on-site service, decent warranty support, and a large modding community. Additionally, until a few weeks ago the m11x was the only sub 13" gaming notebook and really the only sub 14" in most countries.

 

i would rather compare apples to apples

where else can you get an 11" gaming lappy like the m11x

if i want hardcore gaming, then i should settle for a desktop

the m11 suits me just fine

 

Goodness. None of that opinion had anything to do with BRAND. He would have been just as disappointed with a Sony, Apple, HP or ?? product.

Also there is no such thing as 2 year future proof on games if your expectations are high. It is always possible the next poorly ported game will not run well at high/max settings. To say otherwise is a contradiction to complaining about the laptops.

M11x can run games often two years out if your settings are lowered. But its always possible that drivers will limit your options - just like a desktop.

 

Again like I keep saying 20watt more power consumption, no backlit keyboard and less battery life that is why people want the M11x because it hits the nail on the head in every way and the battery in these are amazing.

I love Clevo, I have a Clevo! But I would not have a small Clevo they are desktop replacements IMO.

A bit factory is always the warranty as well and Dell vs Clevo/Sager there is no contest.

 

Again, it's 20W more *MAX* TDP. It can sip power on battery. People seem to assume that the TDP rating means the CPU consumes that much power all the time. It doesn't. Just means it is a faster performer on demand. 65WHr battery, probably consume 10-12W with basic use ~ 5-6 hours.

 

When you are gaming on battery which is what this model is made for it will make a massive difference, if we only get 2-2.5 hours when it is flat out at the moment consider 1.5 hours tops on the clevo/sager no different to a desktop replacement.

The M11x also consumes more than 10-12watts at basic use when everything is turned off and down so the clevo will certainly consume more than that, around 20 minimum and more if you are going to put in a 35watt CPU.

I can see it being very noisy and hot as well with that much power in such a small space with only one small fan.

Biggest factor, no backlit keyboard. Fail. Most usage in bed at night while mrs is asleep or watching tele with light off. Its a must have.

 

It's just a must have for your specific needs. Natural computer users know where every key is without needing to look except for the occasional obscure function key. A backlit keyboard is far from an essential component to the system to attract a high percent of potential buyers, but it's nice that it's a practical feature for some. I couldn't care less about the backlit keyboard at all and would in fact disable it to conserve power.

 

Sounds like DELL heard you and now they've canned the M11x!!!

Ah yes, I can hear murmuring within the huddled masses.... it's him, it's him..

Just kidding, but interesting timing... waited a bit longer and you may have got an even better price now they're almost collectors items.

Two years on and I'm still buzzed by my blue glow at night. Each to there own I guess.

 

A backlit keyboard should be a requirement on a gaming laptop if you did a survey the vast majority will say yes it is better to have one and turn it off than not have it at all. For Sager/Clevo to compete they should have done their research as it is one of the reasons Alienware get so much business and charge stupid prices and people pay it.

I love my Clevo but not having a backlit keyboard is a big thing for me and others who are even considering switching from the HM to the PEM because of it.

 

I love my R1 and it's not even as good as the newer ones. I love it though because I knew what I was getting when I bought it. I had a Thinkpad t43p with a dead battery that I was using. I would bring it with me to work to use in my spare time, but other than browsing the internet it wasn't really good for anything.

I needed a small laptop that was portable enough to carry around with me frequently and not be too big or heavy, but I didn't want a crappy netbook, I needed a real computer. I found this website while searching for laptops and was reading/looking into the asus laptops, but they were just too big and heavy for me and what I needed and too expensive. I happened to browse through the Alienwares for kicks because I've always dreamed of having one, lo and behold I find that they have an 11inch "gaming laptop" that is very reasonably priced for what it is (some of the other models can get a little ridiculously over priced, especially if you get AW upgrades). A good friend of mine had a small Thinkpad x41 I believe that was 12"s. I had seen him using it in his car, getting hours and hours of battery life and I knew that was something I could live with in terms of screen size and power as my portable laptop.

I began browsing the BTS section of notebookreview for m11xs and found that the R1s were surprisingly cheap compared to what I had seen on ebay. I just kept an eye out on that section and eventually found a used one being sold for $450. Used but in like new condition, fresh install of windows, box in perfect condition. I mean you couldn't beat it. For what it is, it handles everything extremely, extremely well. At this point the r1 is pretty out dated and sure, some games I would like to play struggle or are unplayable, but other games are almost perfect. Sure you can't really play the new battlefield games, but those are pretty intensive games to run, especially on the CPU, but at the same time, something like Skyrim and Dead Island run better than I could have even hoped for. There's a trade off but you cannot beat what you get in the m11x package for the price. Yes, you can get that Clevo one now but as far as I know that wasn't out previously when I was looking at m11xs, or didn't compare at the time. Even so, I cannot use a laptop/keyboard if it doesn't have backlights anymore.

TLDR I think before people jump into buying a serious laptop/gaming laptop, they should do a lot of research before hand on every laptop out there for what they are looking at. Not neccesarilly just the AW website, or Asus or HP or Dell, I mean actual forums like this with quality reviews, members who understand what they are talking about and can give good information about them. Also before hoping into buying one new, look at market sections of a website like this one where people are trying to sell their older laptops for whatever reason. It's a laptop forum, from what I've seen in the for sale section is a lot of people who have been members here for a while who "take their laptops seriously" I guess, usually in very good condition and have usually sold other things on here before and are reliable. I think you tend to find much better prices than on ebay or the dell outlet or brand new.

 

Lunatics has hit the nail on the head - the M11x is a niche product and over the last 3 years has been the only laptop of choice for really small, really portable gaming computers. While the Clevo comes with good specs, and looks good on paper, it is still vapourware over here in the UK, and Clevo/Sager machines have suffered over here from a lack of suppliers, and the stability of those suppliers (Rock Xtreme anyone?) for ongoing support.

I personally think that the ultrabook will soon expand to make 13" machines with gaming potential, like the unobtainable LG P330 is right now. The 10-12" machine seems to have been phased out across the board, not really surprising as they make so much more money with the higher spec 13" models.

 

It has nothing to do with that at all. I've been an avid PC user since i was maybe 6 years of age, and have been typing ever since yet i still don't know the keyboard layout for my M11x or my G73. When you use multiple machines each with different keyboards, knowing how to touch-type simply isn't enough to navigate your way around the keyboard with shortcuts and everything in the dark.

Not to mention trying to play WoW in the dark and trying to use hotkeys rather than clicking your spells is impossible if you can't see your keyboard.

Don't just pass it off as personal preference, it is still a legitimately useful feature to have, even more so than an SD card slot or an optical drive. People would be happier to have it and be able to turn it off, than they would not having it at all.

 

Of course people would be happier to have any option and turn it off than not have it at all. That's just simple nature. Even I would admit to being preferable to having a backlit keyboard as opposed to not, but I would not say that it would ever be the reason I'd pay a premium on a laptop or go out of my intended model range. SD card slots or optical drives at least have external solutions, and thus are also not essential to a computer build that I would buy. I can certainly live without a backlit keyboard as it is nonessential to me, unlike hardware omissions that forcibly bottleneck how I can use the machine, like a lack of USB3.0 support, specifically no 2x USB 3.0 ports. No 2x USB 3.0 = no Blackmagic Shuttle and huge data transfers not finishing in time. With those limits I literally cannot use the machine for my line of work. No backlit keyboard = an inconvenience at worst.

Now, I've gamed in the dark, and played WoW for years on my current laptop without a backlit keyboard. If you're really serious about the game and thus efficient hotkeys, a multi-buttoned gaming mouse would better suit your needs than any backlit keyboard would. This kind of mouse is more efficient at getting the most out of all your fingers without needing to avert your gaze from what's happening onscreen. The buttons are tight enough to feel your way around without ever needing to look at it. Any attention diverted from what's onscreen during serious encounters is a cause for reevaluation of your current setup. Backlit keyboard or not, having to refer to your keyboard to quickly find an important key is not an optimal situation, as the serious WoW players will tell you. Aside from that, ambient light from the monitor itself does a fine job of finding that occasional awkward key if they are printed in white as a standard.

Case in point, I find it very strange that you scoff at my passing off a backlit keyboard as personal preference when personal preferences are exactly that. A non-backlit keyboard has never stopped me from being proficient in playing games or general computer usage, so why would I want to go out of my way for it now? I have already admitted it's a practical feature for some users, but my apprehension is based on the use of the word "fail" to describe the omission of a backlit keyboard to a build as if it's some essential component to be applied to all notebooks lest they be rendered useless (a must have). Such opinions don't transfer with them immunity to criticism or opposing opinions. As someone who frequently travels with my computer I highly value matte screens and loathe glossy, there already have been people who have tried telling me that glossy screens are the best things ever, which clearly conveys that they are not using their computers in the same manner as I am. I'm not about to say that they're using their 11" laptop incorrectly.

 

I use my laptop in much he same way you do, and have no aversion to the glossy screen. In full sunlight i can't see any less than i would a matte screen which would be equally as useless. I think a matte screen would have made it look and feel extremely cheap. The flush screen face is what makes the entire lid a single unit which just completes the look.

I also play on my bed with a Logitech Anywhere MX mouse, with display on my 42" plasma. So i have no light -AT ALL- coming from my screen, nor do i have mouse buttons for macros, so yes a keyboard backlight is an absolute necessity. For that single reason alone, regardless of any of the specs or features, i simply would not buy the Clevo because it does not meet my criteria.

I cannot be the only person who regards a backlit keyboard as being a necessity in a laptop, and as such by not including it they are losing a chunk of the market which they could otherwise be catering to by simply including it. By omitting that single feature, they have omitted their own laptop from the consideration lists of potential buyers. Regardless of what anyone has to say about it, that was a crucial mistake on their part.

 

As someone who is photosensitive I find glare downright unbearable on glossy screens. Forget full sunlight, even overhead lights in the buildings I go to are an annoyance. I would surmise that the lack of an anti-glare finish option for their screens also deterred potential buyers. Everyone has their own individual specifications and the lack of a matte screen ultimately led me to not consider an Alienware for myself. At the same time, I see no value in a backlit keyboard for my applications. No one is wrong of course, but I genuinely find backlit keyboards a complete nonfactor in my laptop selection process.

I would also highly recommend a Razer Naga gaming mouse. It changed how I played WoW with all those new mousehand buttons. It also has blue lighting.

 

Sorry, this just made my morning. +1 for this comment.

 

I bought an M11x (two now, actually) because I needed the most powerful LAPtop that I could afford for video editing. Am hosting a down-and-out relative in my small flat so can't have a desktop any more, it makes me cry. I presume that we buy small laptops cos that's what we need.

However, I wouldn't have missed the M11x keyboard* for the world - not just the backlighting, but the feeeel of it under my very light touch-typist's fingernails. And I can't bear the thought of a thin ultrabook, which Dell suggested I needed.


*What's this about you can't remove a key to get crumbs out? OK, a question for another thread.

 

Yiddo, glad to see someone values my deep, insightful, and concise input!

 

It used to be an expensive add-on but I think over time will become the default. When my R1 was new there were few models to choose from and they all came at extra cost - NOT for the lights alone but because the kb was bundled with premium systems. This will change.

Once you have them and use them it is a feature you look for. If you never had USB3 or dedicated video those too might feel unnecessary. Hard to go back once you have a taste though.

As for what the masses think, I say look at what Apple did - lit kb's for years and years. While I'm no fanboy I think they have a pretty good sense for what folks like.

There will be some that do NOT require a backlit kb so its pointless to convince them otherwise. I find it a feature that I like and look for now that I have had one.

 

This is the sort of review we need: honest opinions, positive and negative, for the people like me who check this site out before buying a machine. So they know exactly what they are getting.

I have been working on a review for about 10 months.

 

If I really, really needed light on my keyboard as a theoretical, I would consider an overhead USB clip on. If I were using the machine as a medium to an HDTV to play games, I would be using a full size backlit USB keyboard in addition to a mouse for increased comfort. With USB 3.0 support or dedicated graphics you can't exactly work around those limitations if the build did not have them to begin with.

 

I am an alienware guy, and I always have been. My first laptop was an M9700... but even in saying that, I understand your frustration with the M11x (and I especially understand the frustation with R1 owners)

The issue here is that Alienware is expanding into the casual gaming market, and many people didn't quite follow the transition. People see the word "Alienware" and equate that with "top of the line performance" ... Especially among people, like yourself, who admittedly don't do much PC gaming or understand PC hardware.

There is no such thing as a top of the line Alienware for under 1000 bucks. You can get a mid-range Alienware for about that much, but if you're into heavier gaming you're gonna have to drop a few hundred bucks more. That's kinda the nature of the Alienware-beast.

 

agreed. there are only top-end options for a given model in a given time frame but not compared to each other