Would you have picked an M11x again

Hey guys right now im debating whether to pick up an M11x or a MBA. Im actually very interested in the M11x given the lighting and raw brute power at this price however all this unreliability with optimus, hinge is scaring me...

The MBA on the other hand is zippy but i feel like im overpaying for a C2D...
This is not so much a which one you'd rather thread but im asking given a choice would you buy the alienware agai n?

 

I would not. They are fully a dell company now, and no longer what i remember the last time I had an Alienware.

I think from now on i'll prob go with Asus, or something.

Either way, we'll see. If they make a m13x or something that I can see will last longer in the long run, then i might consider it.

My answer might have been different if I would've grabbed the m11x R2, we'll see

 

Absolutely yes, I would buy it again over any other laptop. I wanted a mobile gaming machine. And the Alienware M11x is by far the most powerful gaming machine under 14".

The other options are the Macbook Air, or the Sony Vaio Z. Both have benefits over the Alienware M11x, but at the cost of pure gaming power (not to mention that the Sony Vaio Z is twice the price of an Alienware M11x).

The Alienware M11x has its drawbacks, but it is still by far the most powerful mobile gaming laptop under 14". Until something else can come close to the Alienware M11x in that area, it is a keeper.

 

If my laptop and warranty somehow ignited into a million pieces. I would have no doubt re buying my M11x R2.

True there's problems with Optimus - Punkbuster/hinge issues. But you can still play any game single player, the only downside is if your playing multi-player with PB enabled servers which is where the problems exists and it will kick you. But even so a fix is hopefully shortly on it's way. FPS wise, Black Ops runs perfectly on multi-player with Steam, so you have the number on FPS game working perfectly on the m11x.

I myself have had the hinge issue and the dodgy dell tech that made things worse. If your unhappy about your hinges, ring/email dell/alienware and they will help you out. They sent me new parts to fix it myself without even providing valid proof which is what I wanted. As long as you have warranty and extend it when it's up. It's all good- I'd rather pay an extra £200 after a year for a few more years warranty than not.

Since then I've had no problems with my laptop. It runs perfectly, and by far the best thing i've bought. The main game I intended to play on my R2 runs perfectly so I'm happy.

So I would highly recommend the M11x R2.

 

I really like my R1 a lot. It's the first laptop I've ever owned. It's not the most powerful gaming machine, or is it perfect. But I would say what I like most about it is it's versatile, portable, not too heavy, and it has cool glowy effects. I say this from an entirely professional standpoint. I think every man should own a glowy laptop at least once in his life lol

But seriously, I love it. Great little machine! If I could change one thing on it, I would have made the CPU and/or GPU upgradeable instead of ball-grid-array. I had heard on Dell's message boards one could insert a 260M card but figured there would be power and heating issues...

 

I would, my first Alienware and I've fallen in love with the AlienFX lighting and strong build quality. I haven't encountered any of the hinge issues but my screen does touch the keyboard. A screen protector and wiping it off every day keeps it looking the same as it did when first coming out of the box.

However I am a bit more forgiving of this laptop since it isn't my main computer. I have a desktop where I do most of my gaming but for my purposes it really is perfect. Long battery life, capable gaming, small portable size.

Also I'm fairly confident Dell will provide enough support that if I do have a hinge issue it will be taken care of.

The MBA has its own problems and I really have no interest in using OSX or paying an Apple tax. Vaio Z is really nice but it costs as much as my desktop and m11x combined.

 

No way.

Maybe its just me, but I prefer reliability.

 

honestly, no as much as I love the m11x all the little niggles add up, I kinda regret my purchase and I wish I'd went with the sony vaio or compal systems i was looking at instead.

 

i seriously love the m11x and if you read the specs you should mostly know what you're getting into before hand (i think a lot of people expect more than they see but idk)... as for the hinge issues, not every has it (both of my m11x r2's don't have it), and given enough hours with dell's CS i'm pretty confident that a fix is possible. optimus isn't optimal yet but the m11x is relatively new, and work arounds can be made if need be. and the prices of refurbs (mine looked brand spanking new when purchased, and runs very well), especially with a 20-25% off coupon are pretty low (got my i5, 4gb, 250 gb HDD *probably replacing with an ssd later*for around 750 with taxes). it's a beautiful machine. ***but not a desktop replacement if you are going to be running intensive programs regularly (just for surfing, moderate gaming, and other basic tasks it's fine though)***

 

I don't regret purchasing this laptop at all, it's exactly what I expected when I paid for it. I knew there was a chance of hinge issues and minor glitches elsewhere but 4 months in and no problems at all.

 

it's a great machine. If you travel its a dream.

 

I am very happy with my purchase, I ordered mine the first day they were available for pre-order, and got it in one of the first shipment. There have been issues, as with any laptop, but on the overall this is an amazing and unique machine. It has the battery life and power needed for use in my day to day college environment. It is light so I don't mind carrying it everywhere. But the best part, and what no other system matches, is when I have a some time to kill I can hit a switch and be playing SC2 or LoL or some other PC game.

Overall, I would NOT recommend the M11X as a main computer, but as a portable secondary computer it really is unmatched

 

Yeah, if you love wasting your time with their customer "service", then it's probably not a big deal (I have quite the opposite experience with their m1330 XPS that kept breaking down due to crap GPU). I just prefer to do other things with my time.

 

Happy with my m11x

 

I would re-purchase my M11x again if no other comparable device existed...which is the case right now.

I don't think the MBA should be considered in the same group as the M11x!
I would not consider the MBA a gaming rig and most games aren't written for OSX.

Do I think the MBA is cool looking and has the AWESOME factor? Yes. The MBA does not fit my needs.

 

Couldn't agree more. Exactly what I love about the system (R1 here)

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Agree 100% with this as well - change 'most' to 'nearly all' *LOL*

 

My exact feelings.
I bought this laptop mainly for its portability(and some gaming) and that has gone done the drain with this hinge issue. As a result, it sits on my desk always in the open position. I could have paid half the price for a different laptop if that's what I intended to use it for

Won't ever be buying a Dell laptop again if they don't come up with some sort of solution to this be it an extended warranty and/or a redesign of the faulty hinge.

Dell representatives, I know you are reading this

 

While i don't understand your choice coming down to the m11x or the MBA as they are very different, i will say that i wish i had have purchased something other than the m11x after owning one for 8 months or so.

Mine needed a screen replacement for a bad hinge, and the new one is starting to go as well. Also, the lid is really easily scratched, and the keyboard has a bad case of the shiny keys.

My biggest gripe with it though is the one i was worried about at the beginning. The screen is just too small for long term use, and on top of that it's not a very good quality screen either (bad black levels/viewing angles).

 

I would buy the m11x again but this time an r2 I got the r1 because I was short in money. I love gadgets that are small and work. I called them my ''toys''. Like a person above said this laptop is for gaming almost everywhere, I wanted what I bought.

 

Compared to what?

Is there a sub 30cm wide 'notebook' available, with a strong GPU (72+ core or equivalent AMD) that'll support two digital(DisplayPort & HDMI) monitors and long battery life?

Love it or loath it, it's still the only one bouncing off the walls in special ed class. It's different.

 

LOL! Now that made me laugh. Nice! +1

 

Sure would. When I get some money, I'm gonna pick up the Aurora next.

 

Absolutely NOT.

Unless the hinge issue was fixed completely, in which case I would consider it.

 

I would buy mine again also. mine's hinge is starting to get weak, so I called the number, was on hold for less than a minute, and was immediately told I would get a repair soon, after the tech received the parts.

 

absolutely not too

Unless they entirely fix the hinges issue and get keyboard keys and mouse pad a better finish "they got too toooo shiny after 3 weeks of use!!"

They agreed to send me a new LCD assembly "i live outside US" and i will fix it by myself and sell it right away and get a new sony vaio z when there is a good deal

 

price is about the same region and the mba can run games quite ok with the 320m... i dont know i feel its very light and handy...but i dont feel like im getting value

i like the m11x definitely value for money but i dont know if it'll fall apart. that uncertainty is a killer.

 

A highly mobile, competitively priced, lightweight, gaming machine with good/great stats - hell yeah.

It's played everything I've thrown at it - I also picked up a Razor Kabuto mousepad which doubles as a screen protector when I close the lid.

My perfect machine, especially considering I spend 6 months a year in hotels.

 

Oh yea, I love this laptop. I'd go with an m11x R2 over MBA without question.

The graphics card is very powerful, considering the size of the laptop. The MBA is an Apple netbook. The processor is powerful but the GPU is a joke.

 

Powerful CPU... errr... it's 1.4 GHz c2d in the basic spec. It's just fine for regular work, but nothing to brag about.

 

Well, the Alienware M11x was designed as a gaming machine. And you have the option of a Core 2 Duo CPU, or a Core i5/i7 ULV CPU. In either case, the CPU should be "good enough" for most applications, and is certainly good enough for games.

Almost every game these days relies heavily on the GPU, and not as much on the CPU. So I believe that Alienware's engineering decision to go with a powerful GPU and weaker CPU is 100% absolutely the correct thing to do.

 

I was referring to Macbook Air.

 

The Macbook Air looks beautiful and is incredibly portable (actually I'm a little worried about how sturdy it might be), but it's a completely different market.

m11x: Hardcore Gaming, possibly some semi-serious video/image editing thanks to the good processor and GPU. Will run pretty much anything you throw at it compared to other netbooks.

Macbook air: General purpose, but definitely not gaming except casual.

 

Yes of course I would!

If I had the extra money I'd go with the M15X model.

 

since no notebook or any machine for that matter is perfect, i would still pick the M11x. its relatively easy DIY feature is a plus for me

 

I have the R1 and would definitely buy it again. It plays every game I've put on it with no problems and I have no problem with Dell.

 

I love mine. Would I buy it again?

Well, if it was going to be my primary machine and gaming was the main purpose? No.

As a secondary travel computer that has great gaming performance and battery life for it's size? Absoulutely.

I would consider it as a primary gaming machine if it had:

A more powerful and/or DX11 ready GPU

A panel with much better picture quality, black levels, viewing angles, etc. and and more screen real estate instead of such a large bezel

Manual GPU switching - Sorry Optimus, it's been 6 months and there's
been too few driver fixes and too many black screen's of no return as you can't decide which GPU to use, and too many PB kickouts because your creators can't get it fixed soon enough. I'm a grown adult, I can choose which GPU to use, thank you very much.

The ability to update my own drivers without having to go through Dell or re-write INF files.

Hinges Fixed, No build quality defects

If all those issues get addressed for the R3, then I would recommend it as a sole or primary gaming machine. But I pre-ordered my R2 and when all was said and done I paid around $1500 with tax and California recycling fees. My G73JH-A1 was only about $150 more and while the machines shouldn't really be compared, one is a desktop replacement with less than 2 hours of battery life, while the other is a portable gaming netbook with great battery life - You arguably get way too many more features in the Asus G73 (Blu-Ray, 8gb Ram standard, beautiful 1080p panel, 5870m GPU) too not get that over an M11x if you don't travel or are often on the go. Though the Targus backpack that comes with the higher end configurations of the G73 is well made and makes hauling the G73 for short trips or non-daily travel not that cumbersome at all.

Admittedly, while I enjoy the increased performance of my G73, I often have more fun gaming on the M11x. Something about the slickness of the design and the form factor and the feeling of playing Beefy games that no home console could handle on such a small machine - it just makes it fun to game on.

So I feel a little conflicted when going by my actual purchase history. But I've seen some on here that have gotten an R2 refurb with an I7 and 4gb of ram for $975. And if you can land a deal like that, then I say buy one with no hesitation. Or even knowing an R1 new can be had for the same price as an IPad, then absolutely it's worth it.

But if one was seriously ready to buy one and $1500 like I paid for it new? With the current issues? I'd have to recommend a G73 instead.

As is, it is a great secondary/travel machine. And if you can get a good config for under $1000, then anyone should get one.

So I would buy it again, and am planning on getting an R3 depending on what the upgrades are and how much better the benchmarks perform compared to my R2.

Would I buy an R2 again?

In summation:

As a secondary/travel computer? Absolutely

As a primary gaming machine/computer with an I5 or I7 with 4gb of Ram, for under $1000? Absolutely.

As a primary gaming machine/computer for $1400+?
With the hinge issue, I'd have to shop around and see what I could in an Asus or see if I can get a 3 year extended accidental damage warranty with Dell included in that price.

I really like the machine. If the panel picture quality was consistent even among the same parts used, then degrading hinges that would always be repaired by a tech under warranty for at least 3 years, then I'd be recommending it to everyone.

But the fact that if your hinges break and after repair can end up with a new panel that has a worse picture quality still makes it a maybe for me as a single or primary gaming machine.

Yet I still recommend it without reservation as a secondary/travel machine and am still planning on getting an R3 if the performance justifies the price and the hinge issue is definitively resolved.

Good Times...

 

not my games, mmorpgs, plus other games that require a strong CPU to process netcoding.

 

this system can handle mmorpgs jeffreybaks. You would know this if you owned one. Regardless, the op has received feedback from owners. Thanks guys.