*OFFICIAL* M11xR1 Owners Lounge - Part 4

Yes, and also they don't have platters to spin either (@ 7,200rpm, etc.).

 

Well, something is wrong with my M11x. Im only getting 4k in 06; which is definately not normal.

 

I've ordered my m11x with 500GB hard drive but will replace it with X25 SSD 160GB when I get it.

Do you know of any good enclosure for the 500GB which will be USB powered only?

Also if anyone knows - when booting from a USB is there a specific USB output I should use or will any of the USB outputs will do?

Thx

 

You in power saving mode?

 

No, I switched it to high performance; and it's still getting 4K.

Anyone tried the newest drivers for the 200m series? I wonder if they work.

Last thing I changed was the SSD. I cloned the old HDD; so I don't see why that would cause this performance drop.

 

KoukiFC2S, Are you still OCed? Is you battery cable plugged in? What has changed between your last few runs? Just the HDD? I know you were doing much better than that. Perhaps it's a driver issue. TRIM enabled? Working properly? I'm interested in this because then my M11X gets in I'm going to be swapping an SSD in

 

kouki - are you on high performance mode on power settings? Figured since all those vids you had you were fine on performance. I don't see how the HDD/SSD could mess with your readings though, but I read that cloning may not work perfectly well? Not sure if it's true though. Something about drive alignment. Read my last paragraph here too about drivers.

DR650SE - yup, no problem. Regarding battery life, supposedly it should although draws are near the same under load and idle, the difference comes from time it takes to access things since it takes longer for things to load, etc on a platter drive, you're using more power to do those jobs, while the SSD is in idle mode more often after loads etc.

I like my everyday functions to be fast, and it does quite the job. Loading any apps are super fast, and like I said reboot is just simply amazing. Once you try it out, you'll never really have to worry about when to reboot. I rebooted like 15 times in an hour just b/c I was changing settings, installing/uninstalling crap and it was just bam windows chime back up and ready to go - something you want in a laptop. In terms of gaming with it, I just tested out Dragon Age Origins and man that game REALLY benefits from the load speeds. It was noticeable right off the bat. Some games you can't tell or just see it loads up some what faster (Crysis) but DAO was just something else..

Also, when you get your Samsung SSD in, let me know or go ahead and shoot on over to the Alienware PM800 TRIM thread. Since Dell did the SSD install themselves, not sure what difference there will be, but make sure to use the MS standard drivers for your SSD and not the intel matrix storage manager ones (default installed for me). I did benchmarks using both drivers and the MS ones are faster, not to mention automatic TRIM.

 

I'm running on battery.

I'll plug it in and test it again. If that doesn't work; I'll reinstall the video drivers.

 

aznguyen316, Thanks I was poking around through there, but have yet to get the motivation to really do any productive reading in that thread. As soon as it gets in though, I'll check it out. My original plan was to clone the drive, and then work on the drivers. So just use the MS drivers? Do the intel drivers need to be yanked from the system then?

KoukiFC3S, I think that is your issue. Let us know what you find, but I think that should fix it.

 

it depends if you need to remove intel drivers since I'm guessing right now you do NOT have intel drivers on the system. So probably when you plug in the SSD and boots up, Win7 will auto install its standard drivers which are the ones you want. That's really all you need to know from that thread lol. the good stuff starts on pg11 really. You can check if you already have the "intel matrix storage manager" installed. That's fine for HDD since I believe it helps keep your HDD from being accessed too much and decreases temps but for SSD, you don't want it.

 

Thanks, really appreciate it

 

Yup, plugging it in worked. I thought this laptop didn't throttle?

 

maybe you have to change gpu settings and cpu settings under the battery of the high performance settings?

I'll run 3dmark06 on battery and see how it goes under my custom gaming setting.

 

Ok, thanks.

 

Every Laptop I've had has done that, both the M17X I had and my 1720 do it.

 

lol I got an even better score (6380) via battery than I did on same settings (CPU OC only) than I ever did with AC plugged in. Hope it's not Off topic though, uploaded image. So yeah, I'm using a custom power setting I made under AlienFX and had GPU at max performance under battery settings.

 

Niiiice. So it's just my settings or something.

Fixed it.

AlienFusion, High Performance Advanced Settings, Graphics Processor.

I changed the battery mode to max performance; and am now getting 6k in battery mode.

 

I took a screen cap of the ram from a video I shot earlier today:
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/the_uber_smurf/?action=view&current=cap.png

EVGA eleet reports the following details:

Anand endorsed this one:
http://anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3747&p=8

He's one of the most intelligent tech "bloggers" around.

The enclosure will perform on any of the three USB ports on the Alienware. I wouldn't recommend operating off a USB hub, however.

 

As before - I am still leaning towards CPU-Z being the culprit to the 1.6GHz mystery. 3DMark06 is reporting the CPU @ 1.73. Windows System Properties are reporting it @ 1.73. As I suggested in the other thread, CPU TrueSpeed also shows the CPU @ 1.73. According to the notes from the author of the tool:

From his latest revision notes:

Try it out. I am betting CPU-Z is not reading the actual speed correctly. This would not be the first time it was wrong. Perhaps the next update will resolve it.

http://www.geocities.com/izenkov/product-truespeed.htm

Download: http://www.geocities.com/izenkov/Zip/ts-1.8.zip

 

4 days away from this forum and 100 pages of updates.... Labour of love

Anyhow I'm interested in a set of 5.1 headphones to complement the sound card. They ideally need to be light and portable so any comments welcome.

 

Seriously what is the behemoth of the battery life for this little monster? Screen brightness just about down, on power saver, and very little wifi, this is what the su7300 is for right?

 

Anyone have installed Dox's drivers on their M11x?

How ?

 

These are the ones that i purchased and have been very happy with them so far. The build of them is top notch and they collapse easily as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC..._2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1267355849&sr=8-2

Doesn't say price until you put them in the cart but they are $120.71 w/free shipping (down from $229.95)

 

I agree about CPU-Z being wrong in the past, but I'm struggling to see CPU-Z reporting incorrectly this time. The reason why I'm struggling is due to this screenshot. This is from the Asus UL50VT; It's the same CPU, same chipset and same version of CPU-Z that everyone else is using to test the M11x.



Also, CPU-Z wasn't the only program to report 1.6GHz. Intel's own PIU and CoreTemp also reported the 1.6GHz speed. There are definite discrepancies throughout the programs which of course means that one of them has to be wrong. But with CPU-Z being regarded as the most reliable (used by overclockers religously), in addition to being backed up by a couple of programs, I just can't see it.

 

Thanks for testing it and posting your thoughts rpg. It is a mystery for now...

 

Thanks for the reply. These seem ok but I want a true 5.1 pair if possible. I've had a good look round but I'm a little confused so maybe you guys can straighten me out here. I already own some speedlink medusas which personally I think are very good, especially at the 5.1. However these have a whole gamut of connections as they basically attach to my creative soundcard on the front, back and sub connections so these are no good for the m11.

So there is a USB version now called the NX USB but my thinking here is that they will do all the 5.1 in the phones themselves and bypass the soundcard. Is this correct?

If so how are we supposed to connect headphones for 5.1 into one speakert jack and if so does anybody know of any?

I've looked at the Logitech G35 and discounted these so at the moment the medusa is looking favourite.

 

soooo, im thinking of cancelling my preorder because i can't seem to find anywhere if bluetooth is standard or optional (or even available) for canadian orders.....can anyone up here confirm if they came with bt as a standard option?

 

I have them installed. Read the notes on laptopvideo2go. Download the hybrid GPU fix as well and follow those instructions. I didn't try it without the fix, because figured I should use it since we have hybrid graphics. Anyway works great, only issue is Fn+F6 does not work, so I have to manually change via the taskbar green arrow icon thing from save power to performance and vice versa, works exactly the same way though as Fn+F6. Other than that, no other issues I found.

 

second day using this laptop, and i got blue screen of death

other than that, i love it ... but wasn't expecting a crash like that so early, i haven't overclocked anything, was just doing ordinary things too..

 

Could someone do me a favor? I would like to see the RAM timings of the memory included in the M11x. You can see this information in the "SPD" tab in CPU-Z. If you don't already have CPU-Z, you can download it here. Then just take a screenshot and post it up. I'd be very grateful.

 

Well i agree one of them has to be wrong since 3dmark 06 reads the processor speed as 1.73

 

I'll be honest, not sure what I'm looking at here =) but here ya go.

 

I think I remember reading that it was NOT included and you had to call and change the order. Canadian friends.. Is this accurate?

EDIT>>> I just checked the CA M11x config website and you still can't select it. You should at least call Dell to make sure you are getting what you want. I am guessing that you will need to cancel and reorder.

 

Anyone in the US get there M11x yet?

 

Yes. Many people have.

 

I ordered my m11x yesterday it's true Bluetooth is not standard and you have to call an agent or talk online for them to manually add it.

Also canadians don't try to bargin with Dell reps in Canada. They will never give you a discount. I would know I was on the phone for 2 hours with 6 different reps.

 

Thanks man, that's great. I was just checking the specs of the RAM offered as in the UK, it costs £80 ($120) to upgrade from 2GB to 4GB. So I think I'm just going to get the 2GB and either buy a 2nd stick of 2GB (same specification) or get a new set of 4GB (2x2GB). Even getting a new set of 2x2GB modules at retail will probably be cheaper than the £80 upgrade! Thanks again.

 

This single post belongs in the optimazation thread...going to get lost here on these ridiculously long owner lounge discussions.

 

I just took advantage of Best Buy's 10% Bing Cashback and bought a pair of Bose QuietComfort 15's. They sounds marvelous and everything around you audibly disappears. I can't wait to take these to work and tune out the office while banging out emails!

Regarding surround sound, you won't be able to do that over the headphone jacks on the m11x. Well, I don't know how you would. It has two stereo headphone jacks. I have a pair of Razer Barracuda 5.1 surround headphones. They can't do it on here. If you got a surround USB headset it would work. I don't know if you'll find a USB headset worth the price.

Call Dell. They are the only ones who can give you the answer.

In the US, it's an option. If they don't give you an option, I would assume it is built in. But don't assume. Call.

EDIT: After reading others responses, you have to call to add it. I wouldn't be too concerned about it. Honestly, the internal bluetooth isn't even capable of A2DP (stereo sound). Buy an itty bitty USB bluetooth dongle.

Yes, if you can afford a $1,400 drive, you can install a 2.5" 512gb SSD in your m11x. For an extra $500, I'll even install it for you.

256gb is still roughly $700. I recommend installing an SSD for your boot drive and leaving the current HDD in the m11x for games and music. A 64GB half mini PCI-e would be a VERY simple install and leave plenty of room available for Windows 7. (However, I have not yet heard of anyone doing it specifically on the m11x. You may want to let someone else take the first leap.) More details are available here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5950947&postcount=85

I didn't quite understand that, however it sounds like your m11x is taking a while to boot. Please go into the BIOS (While computer is booting press F2) and change Overclock to Enabled. Then save and exit the BIOS.

Probably $200 for a half mini PCI-e 64gb drive. $700 for a good 256gb 2.5" SSD. $1,400 for a 512gb 2.5" SSD.

The link to Anand is an external enclosure for a drive. It gives you the ability to use a 2.5" drive designed for internal use to be used outside of your computer. For example, if you replaced your HDD (hard disk drive / mechanical hard drive) with an SSD (solid state drive), you could buy that enclosure and use your old HDD as external, portable storage.

That's never a valid excuse.

I will copy/paste it there.

 

Although everything has already been covered, it's always nice to read reviews.

http://www.simhq.com/_technology2/technology_089a.html

Ps: it's not my review, credits go to Chuck "Magnum" Ankenbauer

 

That's mine, kingston RAM

 

Hi, I'm new to this forum and have just got my m11x. Its an awesome computer. Small form factor, fast at games (my favorite is the flight game HAWX). However, I'd like to know if there's a number pad function that's undocumented? Maybe by pressing the fn key in conjunction with another key on the keyboard? Or, is there a built in key remapping program that I can use to change some keys into number pad functions? Or, do I just need to buy a usb numpad? I've noticed that some laptops, even netbooks, have a numpad built in but you need to use a "function" key along with another key press to emulate a numpad key.
Hope this all makes sense and if anyone can help, thanks in advance!
This is a great board and I've found lots of useful info about the m11x here.

 

I don't buy new PC's very often (my current laptop is a 1.6 GHz Celeron) and I really want the M11x, but I'm torn between ordering it immediately or holding off long enough for Alienware to start offering an i5/i7 CPU option. I know the official answer is...

... but can anyone provide more info? For example, based on previous experience with the M15/M17, how often do the available components change? Am I crazy to wait for a processor upgrade, or does everyone pretty much expect that the i5/i7 will be available by this fall or sooner. This laptop is going to have to last me a good 3+ years, so I don't want to regret purchasing it too soon.

 

Nice! Thanks for that. Can you confirm what timings are you actually running at (memory tab)? The timings for the M11x's stock RAM running at 1066MHz are 7-7-7-20, and from looking at your timings table, you should be running lower timings than the stock RAM, which is nice...

 

Read the review and its nice to see him test some games nobody else has tested. But the reviewer didn't know how to change his gpu to the gt335m and didn't realize that it wasn't on initially which makes me wonder how reliable his benches are...

 

Always good to see a good review. Try and find more.

 

Need help front left speaker light is gone dim, anybody any suggestions as to how i can fix it, looks as if an LED or bulb is gone but there is still some light coming from it. Any ideas?

 

is it just one color, or all of them?

 

All of them, its really dull but it can change to every colour

 

What are the series of square holes on back end of the M11x? The picture shows a bunch of them next to the power connector.