*OFFICIAL* Alienware M11x Owners Lounge - Part 2

For the M11x, you sure you got 7%

Subtotal: $999
Subtotal after EPP 5%: $949.05
Shipping and Handling: $0.00
Environmental Disposal Fee: $2.14
GST/HST: $47.56
PST: $76.10
Total Price w/Discounts: $1,074.85

Please let me know THANKS

By the way mine is a University EPP

 

I actually registered for the forums so I have a place to be excited with. I can't wait to mine, ETA March 09 with one day shipping ordered on February 3rd.

Upgraded everything, but did not get built in cell wireless card (tether with my iPhone) and did not get SSD instead opted for 500gb final price was $1,295.63 after all discounts, taxes, and shipping costs. Used Gamestop EPP code, and an old EPP discount code I had in my email inbox from my last desktop purchase from a year ago (somehow it still worked)

1 224-9555 Alienware M11x, Cosmic Black
1 313-9589 Intel Core2 Duo SU7300 1.3GHz (3MB Cache, 800MHz FSB)
1 317-8952 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
1 342-8744 500GB SATAII 7,200RPM

 

So when signing up for the EPP deal, it was kind of weird that it asked me where I worked as opposed to asking me where I was a student? I was ready to give a student ID, but...are they gonna audit me later maybe?

 

Well, you have a reason to yell at someone to pass the time instead of just refreshing the page... But that shouldn't happen.

 

We've been bouncing around the idea of doing an in-depth RAM comparison on NBR for a while, but based on what we've seen in the lab our general recommendation is 4GB is plenty for a notebook ... for now.

One important thing to keep in mind with RAM is that all the RAM has to be powered at all times while the system is running, so if you've got 8GB of system RAM all 8GB are sucking wattage from your battery. Unless you're running Photoshop CS4, Adobe Premiere, FireFox, and other memory-hungry applications AT THE SAME TIME you don't "need" more than 4GB of system memory on a notebook at this time.

Also, considering the weak CULV processors used in the M11x, you won't want to try to run all those applications at the same time anyway. Since it's very unlikely most consumers will be using more than 4GB of system memory with this particular system you would just be wasting power from the battery running the extra RAM (in addition to the extra cost).

Granted, the difference in power consumption between a system with 4GB and an identical system with 8GB isn't huge ... but when you're talking about a notebook any additional battery life is additional battery life.

I'd still recommend 4GB over 2GB simply because Windows 7 and some applications (like Photoshop or Firefox when it gets memory hungry) will eat more than 2GB of system memory.

If you know for a FACT that you're going to be multitasking with memory hungry applications and money isn't an option then 8GB makes sense ... but for everyone else 4GB will be more than enough.

When it comes to gaming 4GB of system RAM is also plenty and the 1GB GPU helps there.

 

Yes, at checkout they will ask for your student ID and what school you go to.

Is the cooler necessary? I heard this thing is awesome at dissipating heat.

 

Quote Capt Price : Stay frosty. Cooler is better, no pun intended.

 

they never check, you are safe

 

coolers are a waste *edit* on laptops that have good built-in cooling systems (Alienware & Sager). Get the Orochi and Kabuto combo. Highly recommended especially if you plan on gaming portably haha.

 

I have a question, i was looking at the requirements that are for Bioshock 2...and here they are

* OS: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
* Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz or better, Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0Ghz Processor or better
* Memory: 2GB
* Graphics: NVIDIA 7800GT 256MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon X1900 256MB graphics card or better
* DirectX®: DirectX 9.0c
* Hard Drive: 11GB
* Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0C compliant sound card or onboard sound

I see the processor on the M11X seems to not be able to run that high even overclocked...mind u i dont know much about hardware...so basically will i be able to play bioshock 2 on my M11x?

 

even on laptops with good cooling a cooler can further help

I always use my M17x with a Cryo, it has made as much of a difference as 20c from on my lap to on the Cryo

 

Logan, yes we should be able to play it. Keep in mind those specs are for SINGLE CORE 3.0Ghz Pentiums. Our systems are dual (2x) core. Extra core helps a ton.

 

I'm currently running a CD2 2.0GHz processor with a 4MB L2 cache and 2GB of RAM on OSX, so it's a little different, but do you think an overclocked SU7300 (1.73GHz) and 4GB RAM would compare? I've got Photoshop, X-Chat Aqua (IRC), iTunes (currently playing music), Adium (AIM/MSN/Yahoo client), Coda (code editor, kind of a hog at times) and 11 tabs open in Firefox and it's barely hitting 20% CPU at the moment so I figure the M11x should be able to handle roughly the same load.

Firefox is notorious for its CPU hogging in OSX so Windows should be better and I can always pick up Photoshop Lite.

Edit: thanks for the cooler responses. I'll order my Orochi and Kabuto combo now. ;D

 

@kawzer
I think that is why. The student EPP is only 5% from 2 accounts that I've seen and the business one is 7%. Kind of sad IMO, students are the ones with less money! Thankfully I'm going to steal my sister's EPP from her work instead of my student EPP. But I won't be buying till probably late march or April so hopefully something better comes out by then [alienware or not] OR some Canadian coupons come out between now and then

 

Okay good I started to play the first bioshock and my 360 took a crap and i tried to fix it myself but it did not work...have yet to take it to gamestop so havent been able to finish....WISH I COULD GOT THE BIOSHOCK 1 & 2 FOR $35 COMBO

 

Sorry if you guys answered this already but i'm really debating about getting the 8gb of ram or 4gb of ram and i intend to mainly play high end games on this beast and nothing else beside basic school work. I was wondering that wont 8gb of ram increase fps? Wouldn't 8gb of ram increase the gaming performance? thanks

 

For the amount that you would be paying for the upgrade from 4g to 8g it's not worth it....use that extra money to go buy an SSD off of Ebay.

 

It might just be me, but I would not buy something that can fail easily and cost ALOT off ebay where there is virtually no buyer protection

 

Early reports say that going with 8gb does increase the size of the ego, but that's about it. If you want to get into technical terms then there is plenty of info on the internet, as a matter of fact someone just answered that question on previous page.

 

Do you know what the difference in gaming performance would be between the 4gb and 8gb of ram?

 

LOL @KLAS, thanks man

 

there is NO difference in gaming between 4gb and 8gb unless you have a ton of background programs running while you game (be hard to do on a laptop like this anyway)

 

@scook that was just a suggestion. Basically save the money and go get a SSD from somewhere. Better? haha!

 

It's hard to give a definitive answer since we don't have an M11x in the lab yet, but based on other CULV notebooks I've used I would say you can do "basic" multitasking (running a web browser, image editor, and mp3 player at the same time) without any obvious performance issues. However, if you try to do much more than that at the same time you will start seeing the performance limitations from the CPU (lag when switching between applications, pauses in applications as multiple apps attempt to use CPU resources, etc.).

The limitations of the CPU can be overcome to some extent by the GPU's ability to run CUDA applications, but if you're multitasking (running 3+ apps at the same time) with extremely CPU-hungry apps then you'll end up wishing for a higher-end CPU.

Again, this probably won't be a problem for most people (a little CPU lag never killed a PC user) ... but it's something for serious multitaskers to keep in mind.

 

@nuke/ceol

Is there a vendor that will give you a discount for a combo deal on the orochi/kabuto? Newegg has a small % off and I could always lurk ebay. Was wondering if yall know a good website.

 

That's like a five year old CPU and is single core. They usually base specs on original Pentium 4 power. The SU7300 can run circles around that chip. The P4 there is a Prescott 90nm CPU, the SU7300 is a 45nm CPU based on Core 2 Duo technology.

 

A33a33in = Sorry mate I only get discounts cause I'm a staff member at a small tech store. (Boss is an BTW, he just told a customer that a lazer mouse works on glass -_-''')

 

Thanks for your answer. I guess I'll just have to see how the M11x's setup helps and hinders multitasking.

@The_A33a33in I'm going to get it from Amazon because it'll give me triple points on my credit card, but if you find it cheaper on eBay then go ahead. Amazon has Orochi for $70 and free shipping and I think the Kabuto is like $15 or $20

 

I have a Logitech Anywhere MX mouse, which has their new Darkfield laser tracking engine, and I can mouse on my window, no problem.

 

Its a standard laser... From one of those cheapskate aftermarket brands.

 

@ceolwulf, I'm a huge amazoner but don't have their card. What's the points thing? Is it sort of a rewards type of thing? What do the points get you? I spend so much money on amazon thanks to prime and no tax.

a33a33in, I got my Orochi + Kabuto from Amazon for $90 shipped.

 

Lames, the best I could do from newegg for the orochi and kabuto was 96 shipped. I'll probably go through newegg but they also have a deal on the sphex mouse pad and you can get the mouse with the pad for 81$, but the pad is too big for the computer i think.

 

Positive do the math yourself. I don't think theres a difference between University and RBC epp there all the same. But im positive its 7% but what i want to know is why they told me 5% for the m15x

 

the kabuto is perfect for the M11x as the dimensions in width is just perfect for coverage for the screen/keys. And it's made to go in between keys/screen, so yeah, I'd opt for that over whatever a sphex pad is haha

 

Are there any other coupon deals available? I want to buy a base model, or a base model with an upgraded processor and that's it. I don't want the EPP model.

 

It's their Amazon Chase rewards card. It's just like a standard credit card from Chase Bank but you get triple reward points for purchases on Amazon.com, double reward points for food/gas, and normal points for everything else. $1 spent = 1 point. Since I practically live off of Amazon, I got this as my first credit card two years ago and I've used it religiously. The customer support has been really nice for me, too. It's 24 hour phone support and they always help me out.

I'll PM you the list of rewards so you can check them out.

 

Now to find a deal on the kabuto/orochi kombo...

 

amazon is around $90 for both, thats probably the best deal youll find. 20 for the mat, 70 for the mouse.

edit: a little offtopic but I heard SC2 beta is starting tomorrow Perfect for my new m11x!

 

Eggs you sure do love changing your avatar...well i applied for the visa card for amazon to order my combo mouse/mouse pad...yay denied by yet another company! grrr

 

Where did you get this news? LINK PLEASE

 

Sorry Logan and Eggs... what is this SC2 you seem to be speaking of?

 

i got blue-tooth on my alienware so i am going to tether my iphone via bluetooth as well as get a magic mouse ( i love the feel and look of that thing!)

 

3,000 posts in 8 days . . . that might be a record, or at the very least, some of the highest activity we have seen from a single thread. Can't complain.

It's hard to believe the M11x is smaller than my notebook but has a beastly 72 shader GPU inside . . . I am looking forward to reading first impressions.

 

What can we say? Were just excited

 

So why would we need a mouse pad for the mouse? Just asking because my G500 works perfectly fine without a mouse pad lol.

 

I guess the idea was to use it as a screen protector and place it in between the keyboard and screen when you shut the lid. Never had any issues with previous laptops though? I dunnos.

 

I don't think id spend 20$ for that reason alone lol.

 

The mouse pad is particularly good according to reviews and can also be used to protect the screen from the keyboard keys. Not bad for $20.

And charles now you got me having stage fright when I am clearly gonna be the first guy (*fingers crossed*) to get one and I do all my benches!

 

So, since the processor factors into all of those background programs too anyways the 8GB is basically there to put money in AW pocket and it wont help out gaming wise? I really want to make the right decision here. I can afford it, but if it'd be a waste then I could get a mouse.

 

Man i can't believe how quickly these pages get filed up too. Also why is it when i go to dell epp the prices start off at 1,000 dollars and most of it is stocked already?