Need Help Deciding Between m11xR3, m14x, and possibly m17xR3

Hello. I've been reading up on these forums and elsewhere for several months with the idea of getting an Alienware laptop this summer to replace my very old (and recently sold) Dell XPS Gen2.

I was originally set on the m11xR3, but when the m14x came out at the same time I switched to that as my main option. However, there are plusses and minuses with each, as I percieve them:

m11xR3:
+ small, light
+ great battery life
- inferior display panel
- limited GPU horsepower

m14x:
+ powerful CPU and GPU for its size
+ 1600x900 screen option
+ decent battery life with optimus
- underpowered battery - cripples clock rates when on battery, much more so than would be reasonable
- sketchy SATA 6 GB/sec SSD support
- underwhelming display panel quality

m17xR3:
+ very powerful GPU
+ 1920x1080 display panel of decent quality
- expensive
- big, and somewhat heavy


I was dead set on pulling the trigger on an m14x until the battery and SATA issues became apparent. The battery issue especially, is a deal breaker. People are reporting that after the recent BIOS update the GPU down clocks so far that it performs roughly on par with the integrated graphics, and has issues even playing movies. They need to replace the battery pack with one capable of suplplying enough wattage to get at least 75% or so of GPU/CPU performance for at least 1.5-2 hours on battery. I don't see that happening, though, at least not for a while.

Any advice on what I should go for? How do the m11xR3 and m17xR3 do on battery power in terms of performance and longevity? Can any m14x owners chime in with input on the issues?

Thanks!

 

I just bought the m14x and I love it. The battery life isnt real too much of a issue. For general use im getting 4-5hrs and about 2hrs top while gaming, but then I have no need to game on the move, so im always plugged.

I would have liked a m17x as I have no need again to use the laptop on the move, but the extra money was too much IMO.

I never really wanted the m11x due to the size.

This might be no use to you what so ever, but atleast you have my opinion.

 

Just because I'm curious, have you tried playing a movie (DVD or file) on the m14x while on battery? Also, do you have a guesstimate of how long the battery would last doing movie playback? I assume it should be able to use the integrated graphics for video, right?

Thanks for the input.

 

I have 2 17xR1's and love them, the only other Alienware lappy I would consider is the 15x

 

The only problem with that, of course, is that the M15x is no longer a current product. It may come back someday, but I wouldn't buy one now.

I put it like this:

M11x: For those people who are ALWAYS on the go, and need ultra-portability. Unless you have an external monitor and keyboard to use with it, it's a bit small to use every day. Plus, there's no internal optical drive. That will be a hassle for most people.

M14x: A great every day laptop. Big enough to use every day, but small enough to travel with. For the size, it has all the power and style you really need from a laptop.

M17x: Really depends... R3 if you want a large screen at a reduced price, but I wouldn't really call it a gamer's laptop. R2 (with SLI/Xfire) if you're a gamer. Either way is really a desktop replacement though. While it can be portable, it's really too big and heavy to travel with all the time.

M18x: Pure gaming system. Way too big, and way way too heavy, to lug around everywhere, but best gaming laptop on the planet.

As for the battery issue on the M14x... It's small and light enough that carrying around the power cord with you isn't too much of a hassle. The battery problem probably won't affect you unless you're gaming, and for those times, simply plug it in. It's inconvenient, but if you're otherwise sold on the M14x, then I wouldn't let that one issue stop you. Eventually, Dell will fix the issue, and you'll be happy. Just get a good warranty with it, so that if the fix turns out to be physical (like a new battery or mainboard), you'll be ready, and can receive that fix at no charge.

 

dear me... you are in the EXACT same position as I am in. A quibble with the R2's battery life and IGP performance have left me in the upgrade walks


Now to shadow you...


Anyhow, I eventually figured the M14x with the i5 dual core option seems to be a nice balance between noise and performance, while also giving a theoretical battery life improvement

I dunno if that is an applicable improvement, however I need* my m11x R2's battery life for frequent cross country trips.


*much emphasis, since the frequent trips are close to the bane of my laptop selections (m11xr1 - bad drivers; dv2 - bad cooling system, poor CPU performance, bad battery life; m1210 - dying battery, GeForceGo 7400 killed itself).

 

ok so i decided i am going with alienware but im not sure which of these 2 models to get. an m17x with 6970m gpu, 2720qm processor, and 1080p screen is $2,109. or an m14x with 2720qm and 900p screen is $1,424. i am planning to play games like crysis 2 and the witcher 2 and i would like to know if the m14x would play those max settings at, at least around 30fps. i want to spend the least amount of money but still be able to max games like crysis 2. thanks for any help

 

14" screen to 17" is a wide gap . Any preference to size/portability/battery/screen size or just performance per price?

 

YouTube - ‪Witcher 2 PC Gameplay Sample Alienware M14x‬‏
YouTube - ‪Crysis 2 on the Alienware M14x‬‏

 

The m14x will have a hard time maxing The Witcher 2 @ 1600x900.

If you need portability get the m14x, if not, get the m17x.

 

idc about the portabality the most i would do is take it around the house or down the street to my friends and i have a 17' now that i do that which btw im leaning towards the m17x but was not sure as that is a lot of money

 

screen size also does not matter as long as it does not give headaches and is decent for gaming although i would like a bigger screen but not for like $600 more

 

At this point, I think you mostly need to decide what you want/need/are willing to pay for. The m17x will be able to max out more games than the m14x. The screen is bigger and higher resolution on the m17x. The m14x is more portable, but has a smaller screen. It will not be able to max out all games, but can run most on high. The m17x will probably have an easier time running high settings on future games.

You need to decide if the price difference is worth it to you.

 

Well, I think I may have decided on an m17xR3 by default. I would really like an m14x as it best fits my needs, but the crippling downclocking on battery and low-gamut display are dealbreakers for me.

I want to at least have the option of gaming on battery, even if the battery life is only 1-2 hours. I also need to have a display that is at least servicable for imaging work once calibrated.

Thus, it looks like it's gonna be an m17xR3 for me.

Thanks all.

 

M17x R3, all of the way, go with i7-2720, and the 6970, 1080 and the rest you can upgrade later.

Plus if you have access to AAFES army and air force store you can get an amazing deal on the m17x, I got mine for $1457, can not beat that anywhere!

 

Congrats on your decision. R3 is the beast among your choices.
Given the fact that you haven't experienced R2, you'll enjoy your experience with the R3

 

I have read about the legendary display on the R2, so unfortunately I will still be wishing for that.

Seriously though, how hard would it be to offer customers more high-quality display options on these so-called "high-end" or "boutique" laptops? Spending that much money to get a bargain-bin panel (in the case of the m11x or m14x) is silly.