*OFFICIAL* Alienware M11x Owners Lounge - Part 2

No. The Core iX series requires a different socket and chipset than the Core 2 Duo series.

Besides, looking on the Intel product page for the two processors in the M11x, the socket is listed as "BGA" - ball grid array, which means it's going to be soldered into place.

 

Hey so I never got an answer to the whole loading windows 7 on an SDHC card and booting from there since I will be putting a 500GB HDD from my other laptop in the M11X. Any thoughts? I don't want to buy an external DVD drive just to load Windows onto it... I'd rather spend the money on more RAM.

 

Fun to see Ceolwulf calling the m11x awesome. I have a brother in arms now One whole day off the thread and its back in business. Wooots.

@wing = who knows just keep ringin em ay!

 

Here is a good tutorial on how to install Windows 7 (or Windows Vista) on a computer using a USB flash drive: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/how_to_install_windows_7_beta_a_usb_key

 

@tapioca = you can install win7 via a usb thumbstick. No reason why you can't do that with an sdhc card.

EDIT = kyo beat me to the punch. Proves that the thread is well and alive again.

 

You're missing the point entirely...

 

<ding> We have a winner!

 

I think the average framerate curve on the 330 / i5 will be much better than the 335 / SU7300 -But different device premise for them. Not apple to apple comparison.

Not long to find out. We will have our M11x's to compare to other devices in a few weeks

BTW, the CW27FX display is fine, unless you plan on using it with others to watch a movie. Tight view angles due to tech of display. Still looks fine when not sharing due to angles.

 

@nuke: My Dell mini 9 could not boot from the SD card slot, so I couldn't install Windows using that. However, that's not the case in all Dell laptops, so we'll have to wait and find out!

 

I'll know later today.. mine's on the truck for delivery. I already have a Logitech VX Nano for my work lappy and, while it took some getting used to, it's an awesome mouse. Add to that - I have very large hands -

I'm expecting the Orochi to be around the same size..

 

I wonder if I can play Red faction Guerrilla properly if I overclock the CPU? Surely the physics will weigh on the CPU a bit, no?

 

Do you consider the DeathAdder a full size mouse? I used three different mice before the DA and use a "claw" sort of grip. I love the DA tremendously as it fits my hand well. I have medium sized asian hands lol so not very big and love the DA and going to the Orochi, at first I noticed the size. The back of the DA sits on the palm of my hand, while the Orochi is short of reaching it. It took some getting used to, especially in terms of grabbing the mouse and lifting if needed and the thumb buttons are smaller too so I had to learn to reposition my thumb. To finally answer your question, after about a couple hours of MW2 gaming sessions I got used to it and it feels great. I use my DA at work as a regular mouse now and I miss the feel of it to be honest. I have no complaints about the Orochi though in terms of size b/c that's what I like about it, smaller form factor = easier to store and use on the go. Overall I feel the DA to be a better gaming mouse in terms of feel on the hand and thumb button location, but the Orochi will kick any other portable mouse's , that's for sure. If the mamba didn't have that big dongle I would opt for that over the Orochi, but the BT connectivity is invaluable to me, as is the 3ft cord vs the 7ft cord on the DA lol. Too much tangle in my bag!

 

Looks cool - Question is - do *you* like it? a 16" lappy is waaaaaay to big for my tastes.

 

Dang, I have small - medium sized asian hands and the VX Nano is still kinda hard to use IMO. I switched to the VX revolution for now although no nano receiver... overall a much better mouse IMO. However, I do miss switching the scroll wheel setting with the scroll click on the nano

 

I'll have to take your word on that, perhaps they changed the screen since the previous CW model which was evaluated in December by notebookcheck as:

Maximum: 226 cd/m²
Average: 202.2 cd/m²
Illumination: 80 %
Black: 1.57 cd/m²
Contrast: 144:1


With the exception of my Asus G51J (which has the worst screen i've ever seen) you can't get a much worse screen than this.

 

That's the thing - I wanted that nano receiver as I loathe big USB mouse dongles. With the M11X - I'll have Bluetooth for the Orochi (work lappy doesn't have bluetooth). The VX takes quite awhile to get used to. At first I wasn't sure I'd like it - however - I've been using it for well over 6 months know and it's second nature to use. I don't really even notice that much of a difference now.

 

Yea, I've had it for about 2 months, since early christmas and I've been alternating between SteelSeries Ikari [desktop] and Vx Nano/Vx Revo for laptop and work. Vx Nano seems so always get pushed aside Poor kid

 

You can extract an iso image or cd To a USB drive (4gb or more) and then make the USB drive bootable by copying the nt60 mbr to it using a tool on the windows 7 cd.

Google 'install windows 7 from USB.'. I just built an atx desktop and I didn't even bother getting a DVD/CDROM drive for it. Might get a blueray player to share between the two machines but it's very low on the wish list.
Hope this is helpful.

 

I just talk to a rep and he told me that we should expect the m11x with the i3 in " a couple of months" and he confirmed that the performance will be "very noticeable" ohh well I guess I have to cancel, I can wait a couple of months later for a kick computer

 

If the price range is similar I'll just grab another one. Wife's laptop is getting old, she can take the c2d one. I don't believe it will be in anyones hands until fall or so, even if true.

 

"Couple of Months" means what? 2? 4? 6?

 

I dont have a clue, I guess 6 months timeframe to be sure but he said that hyperthreading will make the most difference in the cpu, I asked him about the i5 and he said it that this processor will not be an option because of the watts, so I guess he knew what he was talking about.

 

the thing here is that computers are already fast for everyday things, but will we notice the "real difference", I mean will it be like when apple unveiled the iphone and its kick speed vs those brick cell phones? lol

All the experts say that this processors are one of the biggest leaps since who knows who

 

I seriously question the reliability of that information. for one, we have already heard from a fairly reliable source that the refresh will occur between august and october of this year. also that it will be an update to the Ci5um or possibly the Ci7um and the Ci3 is most certinly not going to be an option as its TDP is to high (35w) compaired to the Ci5/7 um processors (18w)

 

i3 or i7, it would be beyond stupid for the people who got the M11x for $800ish with the stackable coupons to cancel.

For $830, I can resell mine in 3-6 months and not lose too much money to buy the i5/i7.

If you bought viva -$150 coupon and EPP, man the line, do not cancel guys.

 

If I decide to sell my m11x in a year or so, will Alienware make a new name plate with a different name? Even if for a fee?

 

new video



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaUlXxQEGM4&feature=channel

 

Yes that's very helpful to me... I appreciate the post. I want to avoid having to dish out the $50 for the external DVD player. So an SDHC card should work then since I have a 16GB one lying around I will try it on the M11X. Someone was saying something about not being able to on another laptop on a previous post so that made me kind of wonder about it.

 

Almost exactly the same reasoning for me ordering the M11x.

However you are not completely right about the core i5 battery life I believe. Yes, the TDP is higher than the SU7300 (18 vs 10) - almost double. However, the chipset used for the new core i series use much less power:

ULV C2D (10W) + GS45 Chipset; MCH (12W), ICH (2.5W) = 24.5W
ULV i5/i7 (18W) + HM/PM55 Chipset (3.5W) = 21.5W

So at least in theory - or potentially, they should be able to get more battery life out of the core i5/i7 ulv versions compared to c2d ulv.
Since we do not know exactly which model alienware/dell would use for the M11x (I assume either the i5-520UM or i7-640UM) and I could not find real benchmarks on those we can only estimate or speculate on how much faster they would be. I think they will be somewhat faster, assuming clockspeed between 1,06 and 1,2 ghz, they will only be a little faster than the SU7300 at 1,3 ghz. Maybe 10, max 20%.

My guesses on why dell/alienware as not used those in the first place already:
- if they deliver a line of M11x with c2d now, they make profit. if they re-release it later with core iX, they will make people buy them again (or make more people buy them now it's re-released)
- i have read rumors about shipment problems of the new core iX ulv cpus, maybe they are not ready yet
- there are virtually only 3 real manufacturers or notebook motherboards and manufacturers of laptops order customized motherboards to the needs of the laptops they manufacture from such companies. Since laptop motherboards with core iX chipset on them are rather new anyway, they may not even gotten around to produce such motherboards in the small form-factor the M11x needs.

So on the bottomline:
- would a M11x with core i5 or i7 be better? Yes, likely both in battery life and in performance.
- is the difference large enough to wait another half a year (thats my estimate that it will take to re-release the M11x), or even purchase the M11x again at that time? Probably not.

Time, and mostly reviews and benchmarks will tell

 

I do not think they will use this cpu on a re-relase of the M11x.
It's more likely to be the 18W TDP cpus: i5-520UM or i7-640UM

See: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Intel-Core-i-Prozessoren#Mobil

 

Minus a miraculous miracle in battery technology, I don't think they will crank out an i3 standard voltage processor in a netbook formed alienware. Maybe if they released a 13" version perhaps, but for a m11x revision, 99% it will be an i5/i7 ulv. Probably the i7 asus ul30jt will use.

Not to mention, the i7's turbo to about 2.33ghz right?

 

I was looking for a 11-13 inch netbook/laptop for attending class, and this thing really looks nice (just watched all the vids). I just fear i'd look too childish with it @ the university class rofl
When you customize one @dell.be (belgium store), with 3 years of premium warranty, 500 gigs of hard drive and the su 7300, it costs +-1330€.

Its gonna take a while before I can decide between this m11 (small but powerfull) and sony's y serie (not powerfull but cheaper). I hate making decisions....

 

That's still 18w vs 10w TDP for the CPU though. Unless Intel greatly improves the thermal efficiency and power usage for the i5/i7 chips I don't know that you'll see them in something like the M11x.

 

Yay i got dubbed a winner!

 

That makes sense - I'd expect that it'll be awhile before Alienware could integrate a Core i5 in this form that would have an "acceptable" battery performance. I'd also expect that Intel would come out first with a lower TDP version of the Core i3 in the near future that would address the performance/battery before even attempting an i5 variant.

And yes - these newer processors are a *significant* improvement over the C2D processors. If it's a 1-2 month wait - that's one thing - if it's later this year.. not really worth the wait...

 

Like someone mentioned before, the 18w includes the on die IGP. And therefore overall, the i7 ulv still has 2-3 watts less than the c2d ulv

 

@Student@Antwerp2009: You should be able to get it a lot cheaper. The specs you want should be 850 EUR (excluding warranty) if you call and haggle a bit.

I didn't get extra warranty (just the standard one year). Basically by getting extra warranty you are paying for something you already have. Even with my one year of warranty, I have the right to have a working laptop for its reasonable lifetime (3 years). If it breaks after my warranty has expired I am still entitled to a free repair/replacement by law.

 

Ye i'm a bit confused aswell, dell offers 1 year of standard warranty, while the minimum is 2 years of warranty in Belgium...

 

Please be a ware that the TDP = termal design power which means this is the maximum amount of watt the cpu was designed to draw.
When the cpu is not fully used, it will be MUCH less.
When we are talking about battery life I assume we are talking usual use, like browsing the web, not playing hard-core games. (As reviews have shown: casual use: almost 6 hours, power-gaming: just about 2 hours):

Also, do not forget how much the chipset can draw: the core 2 duo chipset: up to 14,5 watt. The core i5/i7 chipset: 3.5 watt.

The important thing to note about the new core i5/i7 notebook cpus compared to older core 2 duo cpus is that they have integrated both the memory controller and the integrated graphics into the cpu.
This is the explanation why the TDP of the cpu is higher, and the TDP of the chipset is lower.

Plus you should keep in mind that (at least that is what I think) the chipset is used all the time, so it does not have as much an idle mode in my understanding as cpus have. So in the whole the total draw of a core i5/i7 system is lower.

You can nicely compare this to what's happened with the atom cpus and chipset which are used in cheap netbooks:
Old atom cpus (like the N280) used 2.5 watt max. The new atom N450 uses max 5.5 watts (because the graphics and memory controller is integrated). But in whole these new atom netbooks give noticable more battery life - i'd say about 25-40% - because the chipset uses less power. With old netbooks you'd get typically 5-7 hours, with the new atom ones you'll get 8-10 hours.

 

Ok so I was wondering about the hard drive on this thing. Mine currently is a 500GB Seagate 5400rpm drive but the one that is included in the base M11x
I believe is a 160GB 7200rpm drive. Is there that much difference in load times? I mean, should I really go maybe for a SSD instead or just run with the current 500GB 5400rpm drive and put that in?

 

........... what??

 

He clearly has no idea what he's talking about... The i3 mobile processors are 35W. The ULV i5's and i7's are 18W. There is not a chance in hell a 35W CPU will be put into a 11" notebook. With no mention or speculation of a ULV i3 coming (and frankly no need for one either - i5/i7's are sufficient for the market), I can guarantee you the M11x will not have an i3 CPU.

 

its a 160 gb 5,400 rpm harddrive.
you will definitely notice a difference between a 5,400, 7,200, and an ssd.
i really recommend a 7,200 hard drive, only $50 more for a significant increase in speed, but if your loaded get an intel ssd off newegg and install it yourself. the one dell offers isnt as good.

 

In the EU law 2 years of warranty have to be given per standard. Furthermore, the law states that the buyer has the right to a working machine for as long as it's reasonable to expect a machine will last. For laptops this is considered to be three years. Not many people know this.

This has also recently been reported in our (Dutch) leading consumer rights tv programme, who had a lawyer explain all. He was quite clear, saying that laptop producers "deny buyers their legal rights" and that "they make people pay for rights (warranty) they already possess". He even made a 'warranty claim letter' people can use when they claim warranty after their official warranty has expired.

 

after warranty they dont have to give u anymore service....

only if its under warranty will they need to do free replacement and repair...

 

EDIT: WOw it double posted -_-

 

@exiled: I don't know about this case in the US. However, in the EU Dell has to abide to the law and my statements are correct.

 

@pbure

that is frickin sweet why doesnt america have that?

 

lol I still get pulled in even when I'm asleep. And I've always called the M11x awesome!

Same things we already know, pretty much. But thanks for the new vid.

 

@abusedbunny: No idea, actually in the EU most people don't know and either pay for extra warranty or think they lose their rights because the standard 1 year warranty has expired.

Word is getting out though. I have had multiple succesfull warranty claims (full replacement) on laptops almost 3 years old with only one year of 'standard' warranty.