My m11x R2 will arrive soon, any tips to prevent hinge issue? Any other suggestions for a new m11x owner?

Hey guys, I finally found the laptop I was looking for in the m11x R2, I've of course researched it thoroughly and I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to PREVENT possible hinge issues before they happen?

I built my desktop computer and repaired a few laptops before so I have no hesitation to opening it up to get at those hinges. I know one tip is not to open it quickly or from the middle but are there any other long term solutions? Possibly putting some kind of adhesive on the hinges?

I'm also looking for any other tips or information that will improve my m11x in any way.

Few questions...

Are there any must have accessories for it? Recommended accessories? I'm thinking about getting one of those external laptop cooler trays, does anyone have any experience with a good one?

Any recommendations for a SSD? And another 4gb of ram I could put in?

 

Intel 120GB SSD is $195 with rebate right now. That's the SSD I'm using and get over 8.5 hours of light use with screen @ 30%, keyboard backlighting off, Intel graphics of course.

Doesn't it come with 2x2GB sticks of RAM? You can sell your existing RAM and buy 2x4GB sticks. I bought these when they were on sale for $80 for my regular laptop, costs $100 now. But newegg has a few for $85-90.

As far as hinge, I don't know. I have only owned mine a couple weeks yet and guess I will cross that bridge when it happens. Only thing that holds me back from loosening the hinges is I don't want to get any dust particle on the LCD or behind the glass. That kind of thing drives me insane. Wondering if I can just pull the glass back and loosen the hinges without removing the glass altogether.

 

Yes, it comes with 2x2gb sticks of ram but I want to upgrade to 8 but I sure as heck wasn't going to do it through Dell with their prices, same with the SSD. Thank you for that, it looks perfect.

Loosening the hinges will prevent them from breaking?

 

Based on what I've read it will reduce the stress on the plastic screw bosses, so it will at least delay it. I wouldn't bond the brackets together until yours has failed though. At least that way you've still got your warranty. If Dell finds it they may deny your warranty if they're fixing something else.

Instead of glue or other adhesive, I'm looking at making a custom washer and machine screws with a nut. But I'll cross that bridge when it happens.

 

To reduce damage to the hinges, open the lid up by holding the center (where the webcam is). It really helps balance out the wear on each hinge.

 

You can but from what I encountered its slightly hard to do because you would have to brace the cover up when the whole pane wants to swing back into place and you don't have a lot of flex there while you loosen the hinge nuts. I am living with the hinge covers no longer closing fully in the back after my preemptive strike, and am convinced they wont close right due to the misalignment of the hinge itself (but now they don't creak and feel right). It's a shame such a problem was allowed to mar what otherwise would have been awesome press for AW but its a liberating feeling to know you can deal with the problem and not JUST depend on Dellienware. I blew my warranty, but this is tiding me over till I pull the trigger on an R-2 (or R-3) or possibly an M13x if one should materialize.

Funny thing about the M11x, its nearly 1/3 of the power of the M17x but its so darn fun to use I find myself drawn to it a lot.

 

It's pretty powerful for its size. Very few have similar or even better performance, only ones I can think of is the Sony Vaio Z which costs twice as much, or the Acer 3820TG, but is difficult to get ahold of in the USA. I almost went with the Acer, until I got my M11x for $500 on Cyber Monday.

What I like most is the battery life, and actual ability to game on battery. No it can't play new games maxed out, but for me coming from an Intel IGP netbook, it's worlds better. I still game mainly on my Sager, but like the ability on my compact notebook.

 

I've been using my Alienware m11x R2 for three months now without any hinge issues.
Both left and right gap are now pretty even after changing the bottom base cover (I dropped my laptop and the fan opening broke..).
What I do is basically open it very slowly and keep the angle around 90~100 degrees.
I found users without any hinge issues after using it for 4~5 months and they all told me the same suggestions.
Hope it helps, I'm really satisfied with my m11x haha.

 

Opening and closing slowly is ok I guess, but 90-100 degrees is impossible considering the view angles on the screen are pretty poor, at least on mine they are, not to mention I stand up a lot when using it, so have to crank it back quite a ways.

 

I've had mine 8 months with no hinge issue and I open and close mine pretty fast. At the end of the day if it breaks it breaks. If it does you really want it to break within the first year so Dell can fix it for free, assuming you only have 1 years cover.

SSD is a must as it makes a big difference to loads times and how snappy the system is in general.

I would also recommend getting a decent back pack to carry it around with.

 

I do want an SSD but I'm not sure whether or not to wait until the summer when the 256g SSD will come down a bit? $500 for it seems a tad bit ridiculous and I'm accustomed to having larger HDDs. I'm too fussy about being on the bleeding edge. I know SSD's are growing and dropping in price fast. Probably in a year they'll be standard.

 

3 months here, still perfect, no sounds, no cracks, etc.

I open/close the screen around 3 times per day every day....

 

On the point of the hinges, I did notice that my system was one that was sitting in a Microcenter warehouse since the first release, the online system showed it was assembled, etc in like January or so of 2010. I have a good screen, so I am loathe to risk Dellienware replacing it over and over.

I will say my M17x-R2 is flawless in mechanical use, no hinge issues, misalignments, etc. and I have had it since February 2010 and toted it all around for months. The M11x, while I love it, is not on par to the rest of the line, hinges notwithstanding in terms of average build quality. Like cars, most are good, a few great examples and a few real lemons.

 

I'll have to keep my eyes out for the M17x-R2 but I think I'll be waiting to see what's revealed this CES.

 

They should be very nice if the initial reports are true.... 3dmark06 around 20K+ I think.... crazy....!

If you haven't seen this yet, check out this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...r3-sandybridge-benchmark-you-may-wanna-c.html

 

If you're like me then you should keep the felt that came between the screen and keyboard. Cuts down on oil on your screen.

 

Yes, it is well worth keeping up with and mine took a hike over Christmas. I think this thing is actually like a Swiffer sheet... keeps dust out, etc. I am being very careful with the screen until I can get something to replace it. I almost thought about getting some kind of pad to cut down to fit, just haven't found a *good* material yet if my original doesn't turn up.

 

Agreed. I started using it at first, tried a Kabuto (too thick) as well as a few other things. That got to be too much of a hassle for me and after about 6 weeks of going commando my screen has permanent scratches from the keys and the indicator strip.

Use something.