considering M11x vs XPS 1530

I am considering selling my current laptop (specs in sig) and getting an Alienware M11x:

Core2Duo SU7300 1.3GHz (3MB Cache)
4GB DDR3 800MHz
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M


How would the gaming experience change for me (besides screen size)?

I would be going for a worse processor, but better GPU. What's the net change? upgrade or downgrade?

Thanks.

 

My previous system was very similar to your, see sig for specs. I got used to the smaller screen, the CPU is fine for what I do and the GPU kicks A__ ... Much smaller than the M1530 and it runs tremendously cooler.

Of course it only took 4 orders to get a system in good condition...

 

I dont understand, what do you mean?

so would you consider my trade an upgrade in terms of FPS and gaming performance?

 

My current M11x I received last night is the 4th one Dell ships me. The 3 previous ones were defective.

Yes the M11x is an upgrade in terms of FPS and gaming performance IMO.

 

ahh ok, I'm sorry, I didn't get what you meant by "4 orders".

I hope I can get more opinions as to whehter its an significant upgrade or not.

 

Consider the size and weight. Also think about wether you will be unplugged for long lengths of time. Will you be using the laptop in cattle class in a barbie jet?

Belive me you will want to use a wireless mouse while playing Rise of Nations on the tray table. You can't do that with a 15" lappy.

I would consider going to a M11x a upgrade however I would strongly recomend getting a portable cd burner.

 

I think the most important consideration when it comes to whether to buy the m11x is portability. There are better laptops for the same price as the m11x but these are all monster desktop replacement machines each weighing the same as a rhino.

Of course the battery life was also a determining factor for me.

Im not trying to under sell the m11x but dont think that it will play every game on high. But as the one reviewer mentioned the m11x wont play all the games out there however it is the only small scale laptop that can play most of the new games.

Honestly it depends on what you as a user want the laptop for. So define what your needs are in a laptop, ranking them according to what is the most important to you, and then see if the m11x meets those needs.

 

thanks for your replies.

yes, I was considering getting a nice slot-load ext DVD drive (maybe even a Bluray one).

I am looking for something more portable, I'm tired of carrying this XPS around.

I can use an external monitor when using it at home, so screen size is not an issue.

My only doubt/concern is gaming performance. I will have to put quite a few dollars on top of the selling price of my XPS, so I don't want to find out later that I'll get a new laptop with the same or less gaming power.

 

The GT335M is much more powerful than the 8600m GT. The CPU does affect some games, but manages most pretty darn well. Of course it depends on the game.

Also, if you're using an external monitor, expect to reduce the resolution to 1280x720 or 1366x768 for newer games to get decent performance. Although some games still do well at 1920x1080, like Half-Life 2. Either way you'd have to do the same with the 8600m GT.

I would say if you don't have to do a lot of CPU intensive tasks like video encoding, and biggest concern is gaming, I'd go for the M11x. Even then, the SU7300 @ 1.73 GHz isn't much behind the T7500.

Check out the notebookcheck.net, noting that this shows SU7300 @ stock 1.3GHz not the factory OC of 1.73GHz

 

The CPU is really the systems weakest link. A 1.3GHz C2D just does not really cut it anymore. Especially for newer games which are starting to require at minimum quad-core chips for max performance. The least you would want would be a reasonably fast C2D, and at 1.3GHz, the SU7300 is not that CPU. Dell should really try fitting an i5 in the M11x. C2D's are outdated now. It would be awesome if Dell increased the M11x size to 12.1 or 13.3 with i5 or i7 chips are better graphics. I think it would still be possible to make it relatively light yet extraordinarily powerful.

I think performance will be very similar to your current system. I would just hate for you to buy this system and then be disappointed in less than a years time with gaming performance.

 

it all depends what you mean by portable. there are sub 15 inch laptops that will play games fine, which are not gaming monsters, but neither is the m11x. I had the M11x, it wasnt as portable as I thought it would be because of the weight; eventually I had to RMA it. So get a M11x if you want the "smallest" gamer laptop, but if your just looking for portability and gaming, there are better options.

 

To me, the M11x is not even really a gaming notebook but rather more of a performance netbook. In other words, it's not really adequate for modern games. Especially with the aging Core 2 Duo chip currently installed. It's just not adequate enough for modern games.

The GT 335M is enough to scratch by on at lower resolutions, but it's not exactly a high performance part either.

 

Bottom line, if you went with the M11x you could expect same if not better performance than your current laptop for most games released now and earlier. Probably even do well with games through this year.

You'll be hard pressed to find a machine 14" and under with a GPU any better than the GT335M. Also consider battery life of the M11x if that's important to you. It can get 6 hours plus with Intel graphics, and I've even gotten over 2 hours with nVidia graphics gaming on battery.

I wouldn't say that exactly. Very few 14" and smaller can be found with decent enough gaming power, mainly with GPU power especially for the price. I wouldn't quite dog the SU7300. It plays Bad Company 2 very well at 1366x768 with low settings. Heck I have to drop settings to low on my GTX 260m to get decent performance.

I've had success with playing pretty much any currently released game out there.

That being said, there are 14" options like the upcoming Asus N82 that would be a better option granted larger and heavier but not by a whole lot. Otherwise, trust me I've looked for a 13" and smaller with equivalent performance to the M11x, especially for the price, and nothing else exists. So really if you want small and powerful, the M11x is it! There always seems to be the tradeoff of powerful CPU with weaker GPU or weaker CPU with powerful GPU.

 

great, thanks for the input!

Lately I've been travelling a lot, and I am putting batterry life, size and weight on a much more important position than before, so the M11x looks good for me.

 

it's more of a sidegrade than upgrade.

 

Once the novelty factor wears of and after you get to where ever you travel, you have to ask yourself whether the increased portability of the M11x was worth the many compromises you would have make in performance Vs something like a W860CU.

I might struggle slightly more taking my W860CU with me but once I am stationary, it is all worth while. You may struggle less with the M11x but once you reach your destination, you have a smaller screen to contend with, under powered and outdated CPU and a GPU that is nothing compared to a GTX 285M or an ATI 5870. Sure you can hook up to a big screen but that's not really the point. The M11x does have excellent battery time due to its switchable graphics solution though. It can also play games on battery without slow downs according to reports.

I have carried my 15'' laptop in a rucksack along with my other heavy bags when traveling away from home and during the journey I thought it was quite a big effort but all of that was quickly forgotten when I was able to play all of my games on a 15'' screen, native resolution maxed out in a hotel room.

 

Not really. I'd say it's an upgrade as far as a whole package is concerned. I have a 15" Vostro 1500 with 8600m GT and 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo. The M11x performs much better than the Vostro with most games.

Regarding LaptopNut's comments, bottom line it's what you want to do with it. A 15" or larger will give you much more powerful components with the tradeoff being size and weight. If you just need to transport the laptop from A to B periodically, a larger laptopis probably the way to go. But if you need something to take with you on a daily basis and need extended battery life, M11x makes more sense.

 

it sure is a performance netbook - i maxed out mass effect 2 on mine with constant fps ~50 frames. also, i play global agenda on it with everything low and i'm averaging ~30-40 fps, which is quite impressive for a UT3 online FPS game.

my M11x replaced my Asus 1005-HA... it was a tremendous upgrade!

 

outdated? the M11x is not outdated compared to XPS m1530. Sure, the CPU might be a bit weaker, but the GPU is much better. If you're into gaming, I'd go for the M11x, since most games rely on GPU more, and is more portable. Most games rely on GPU, and as newer games come out, they will more likely be more taxing on your GPU than your CPU. Therefore, the M11x will be probably be able to handle newer games than your M1530. It's only outdated compared to your W860CU.

The portability is great. I feel so uncomfortable carrying around my 15.4" laptop, let alone gaming with it. Now if I had a m11x, that'd be a different story. Sure the screen is smaller, but if you don't mind that, the m11x is great. In my opinion, if you travel a lot, anything bigger than 14" is too much of a hassle.

 

I agree. If there were a better alternative to the M11x I would consider it. But there isn't. Also, I'd rather take my M11x with me when I travel than my 15" because the M11x cost half as much as my 15". My problem is that the M11x is so nice, I'm nervous taking it places that I wouldn't think twice about with a regular netbook.

 

Yeah I used to live in a city, and now that I think about it, there's no way I would take a m11x or any laptop on a subway or a bus. For longer distance traveling such as trains, I'd bring it though.

In a college environment, I'd be happy taking the m11x anywhere though.

 

Why would people even bother comparing a 11" and a 15" is beyond me.

 

What we're comparing is if the M11x is comparable or better for gaming than the OP's existing notebook, which is what he asked. IMHO, the simple answer is YES!

 

in all actuallity, people nit-pick at the pains of 'dragging' a 15'' notebook along - i don't think it's so much of a weight issue as it is a size issue.

when you're comparing portability to performance, these are the comparisons you do:

for around the same price as an M11x, you could already purchase a better performing 15" notebook, though, you're not going to see the same results in battery life and physical mobility - IE the 11.6 inch screen will be much more suitable on a desk in a classroom than a 15 inch gaming notebook for reasons such as efficient use of desk space.

when paired with a physicall spiral notebook, pencil, and laptop, you're already running out of room for most classroom desks with a 15" notebook.

same thing when you're traveling - the M11x is lighter, thus, it could fit and stay stable much easier on a plane TV tray compared to a heavier laptop.

the flipside to this is obviously performance. a 15" notebook for obvious reasons can produce a better performing computing experience. if you're into performance notebooks, then you have an issue to settle.

you need to figure out if mobility or performance matters.

that's where the whole comparison between the size exists.

 

The M11x isn't portable ??! Apparently you have not lugged around the M17x or the Malx, as I did for years (do). I just got the M11x and I love it because of it's portability. So I guess it is just your perception hmm?

Does anyone else think that the M11x is not portable?

 

I always hear that the M11x is portable in terms of its size but not its weight. Some suggest that it weighs close to much bigger laptops.

 

In my personal experience the money is not well spent on the M11x. I mean, sure its not bad, and its definitely smaller than a 15 inch laptop...but jeez...that CPU sucks! I mean, for older games, itll get the job done for sure, but I mean, look at games today. With all the physics, AI, sound processing, running back ground apps, that CPU in the M11x just is NOT going to cut it. I see a lot of people here saying "I can play games well at low settings"...what they fail to notice is that they have to play at low settings due to the CPU's limitations and not so much the GPU. The same GPU in something with a better CPU is going to perform FAR more better. The M11x CPU is a bottleneck to the whole damn system. But hey, its your choice...if $1000 for a even now under-performing faster netbook is what you want go for it.

I just fail to see how carrying around a 15 inch laptop on a few hour long trip is worth sacrificing the speed and performance you can get from a 15 inch form factor over an 11 inch one...

 

My M11x plays games much better than my old M1530. The main reason I wanted it was because of how good the battery life is. I would never recommend it as a primary system, but it is useful.

As for people saying it's overpriced, it really isn't. Compare it to other ultraportables, but also take build quality into account.

I see this whole analysis as being weighted far too much on size and weight, while I see battery life as being the primary reason to purchase an M11x.

 

I have both, a big 17" high performance and the m11x. They each serve different purposes for me, and love both, but honestly, the m11x goes with me everywhere, and the G73 stays on my desk. I play with the m11x on the couch, bed, truck, jobsite, etc all the time, and am amazed at what it can do, especially on battery.

So, I guess my only question would be if you'd prefer the most performance for the money or a smaller, lighter, portable package that plays great on battery, yet still packs a decent performance punch. Depending on the game, it should be anywhere from quite a bit faster than what you have now to atleast comparable.

As others have said, I consider it a major upgrade package wise, both in size, battery performance, and portability. But, if pure gaming power is your goal, then you could get a faster machine for the money.. but it'll be another 15: or 17" size.

 

I despise comments like this from people who do not own or have not used an M11x extensively. I am not a fanboy, I don't care if someone else owns one or not. I just say the truth from my experience.

First of all, just because the i3/i5/i7 CPU's are released doesn't make a previous version CPU worthless or crappy.

Secondly, I was very skeptical myself at first but have been very pleasantly surprised at its performance. I also own a fairly powerful 15" notebook with Core 2 Quad Q9200 @ 2.4GHz (is that crap because it's a Core 2 as well?) and GTX 260M (replaced by 360m, so it must be crap too). I do prefer to run on a larger screen with better FPS, so I choose my Sager over the M11x at home, but on the road, the M11x is more than adequate.

Lastly, everyone thinks the M11x has to perform top notch for the latest games. Alienware have crammed the performance of a mid-high level 15" laptop from two years ago into a 12" chassis, has crazy battery life, and can game on battery for over two hours with no degredation in performance. If you must game with highest detail then no, the M11x is NOT for you. But if you're looking for ability to play legacy to current released games, even with a sacrifice in detail, in a compact package with long battery life, then the M11x is it. There is literally nothing 13" and smaller that has the performance of the M11x, and anything close (like the Vaio Z) can't match cost. $900 at Best Buy is all you need.

So buy a 15" if you think it's better, but the M11x fills a void of a compact gaming laptop that didn't exist before. Things may change in the next six months or so, but until then, game on!

 

No...I said the CPU is crap because it is. Is has nothing to do with it not being a i3/i5/i7 core CPU. ALL my computers a Core2 CPUs from a Quad2Quad (desktop and notebook) to a Core2Duo (HTPC and my other notebook). I said the CPU is crap because a 1.3ghz (even overclockable to 1.7ghz which isnt always guaranteed) with a 800mhz FSB and 3MB of cache is NOT suitable for more recent current games and DEFINITELY not suitable for future games in the least.

I also said NOTHING negative about the GPU, on of my notebooks has the GTX260m and it performs admirably for what it is.

I dont care how big the notebook/netbook is, that doesnt mean that just because theyve been able to put a C2D line CPU in there that its all of suddenly awesome or even a good computer for that matter. And I dont think it needs to perform top-notch as you put it, but having to run games at lower-lowest settings to play them DUE TO THE CPU makes it pretty bad in my opinion.

So is it a nice notebook? Sure, but that doesnt mean its a FAST notebook...its still is and will always remain a high-end netbook in my eyes and anyone elses that sees it for what it truly is.

CPU is slow and makes the rest of the system slow, almost to the point of having current games be unplayable on them...theres no way to argue this, it is indeed fact.

 

Android - I disagree with you. I have installed over 15 games on this notebook and only 4 are unplayable. I have even posted benchmarks gaming off an external hard drive. Now the cpu is weak, but most games play just fine. There is a whole thread about gaming and benchmarks so I wont bother listing them all. BW, StevenX

 

So roughly 1/3 of the games you installed couldnt be played? What settings were you playing the games at that came out in the past 6 months before you got the laptop? How much better do think those game settings would have been if the GPU wasnt help back so badly? Thank you for helping me prove my point. Can the M11x play games? Sure...can it play them good? Ehhh...

 

I'm running the following on an m11x at 1366x768 or 1360x768 (or 1280x720 when the previous two resolutions aren't supported), options typically maxed except that I disable AA, and they're all running at playable speed (30+ FPS):

The Witcher
Drakensang
Oblivion
Mass Effect 2
Half-Life 2 and the two follow-on episodes
Left 4 Dead 2
Rainbow 6: Vegas 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (1 not 2)
Jericho
Street Fighter 4
Resident Evil 5
Lost Planet
Prototype
Star Wars: Force Unleashed (intro level runs slow for some reason)
Heroes of Might and Magic 5
Civilization 4 and Colonization
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Trine

And mame...

I played ME2 last night for over two hours on the battery (not on a plane, not on a train, not on a bus, it was fun with no fuss).

I absolutely love my $900 toy, and I actually carry it with my m1710 whenever I go somewhere (so I'm not sure where that leaves me in the portability argument)...usually play ME2 or Oblivion on the m11x but I love the m1710 too much to leave it behind...

To the OP: If you're going to play games, the m11x is definitely a step up from the 8600 in your 1530...whether it's the right laptop or not for you depends...I love the design of the m11x and it still amazes me that something this small plays games so well and runs much cooler than my m1710...but I consider it a toy...my son's Nintendo DSi XL was $190...my m11x was under $900...I think I got the better deal...my only issue with the m11x is the keyboard is a bit awkward (I'm typing on it now) due to large hands (6'6" tall with hands that are more or less size proportionate) and screen contrast in a bright room...

 

If you want to not like it then that's your prerogative. You say "almost to the point of having current games unplayable on them." Do you own one? Is this from first hand experience or speculation? If I saw lots of negative reviews saying it sucked at gaming I would be inclined to say ok. The only game that has been unplayable has been Shattered Horizons, and that taxes even higher end machines.

Tell me which games are unplayable? Anything that is almost unplayable is most likely taxing on most other notebooks too. Show me reviews that say that it's not a good machine for gaming. Everything I've read gives it rave reviews, mainly because they recognize it is top end for its kind, and at a very affordable price.

Look at IWantMyMTV's game list and tell me that it can't game with current games. Again, you sound like you're spouting off from speculation and have no idea what you're talking about from reality. If it was so horrible I don't think it would be as successful as it is.

 

That CPU is fine, it can be overclocked to 1.73 Ghz can it not? I had a T5550 which was 1.67Ghz and it was pretty fast, it was not noticeably slower than my desktop system at home that had a Q6600. The Core 2 architecture is what is important, it is still enough for most tasks and games, which are GPU dependent anyways.

Still pretty phenomenal for an 11 inch notebook.

 

Android, the games that are unplayable require expensive systems on any level.. whether they be desktop or notebook. . ARMA 2 is one of the most system intense games on the market. Period! Shattered Horizon plays but bogs down with 30 people on the map. The last is a very bad port. The rest of my games, new ones included all play and look very good. Supreme Commander 2, (highest with 2-4aa), COD MW2 (highest with 4aa), BFBC2 Low but looks great even at low), Sins of solar empire (highest), Empire Total War (highest), Just Cause 2 (med/high).

I purposely wanted to install the most system intense games to get the true capability.

I dont know the intention behind your post... I can say the m11x is a very nice portable gaming notebook.. I play blu-rays and they look fantastic.

I dont have a problem with folks disagreeing with others and you have stated your point... I think most will not agree with you. Especially those that own a M11x or an Alienware for that matter.

I am curious.. have you ever owned an Alienware? A m11x?

StevenX

 

To directly answer the OP, just wait a month, and pick up the new M11x with Core i3/i5/i7 CULV processors.

 

In a month? yeah of course...

Everybody LISTEN: there is nothing like the m11x just yet!, there is something called marketing and there are many market behaviors.

They DONT need to update the laptop just yet because they are still selling them like bread, the people are happy there is nothing like the m11x (no competition). Also the ULV core i3/i5/i7 are good but they wont make this laptop "alot faster" not a "good" reason to make a new revision. 15%( i3)-30%(i7) better performance? More heat? bigger price tag? less battery life? early adopters ANGRY? etc etc?.

They WONT realease the new revision at least untill fall because the new ULVs are still pricey and the m11x would approach to the m15x price tag, now my dear mates that would be a huge marketing mistake/problem.

God bless...

 

I know, people act like the i3/i5/i7 will be a savior and the M11x will all of a sudden be this powerhouse gaming laptop. Not the case. Will it help a bit, of course. The new Intel Core i CPU's are a good new architecture, but especially with CULV's it won't be a marked improvement, especially not for the same cost.

Now if you don't need a laptop right now, it can't hurt to wait, because newer tech won't hurt anything. But I wouldn't expect miracles. Although I would expect at least a $100 price hike with the new release M11x

 

According to Dell's Head of Consumer, Middle East, yes, in a month. Video and discussion here.

 

The problem is that only ULV Core i5's are available. Apparently ULV Core i3 (the new Celeron) and i7 won't be available until Q3 2010.

 

Well, mine got right the very first time, as it was with the first Alienware (a M15x) I've ordered 5 months ago. Of course, your experience could difer.

 

True, unless you're travelling in business/first class domestic, anything with a larger footprint than a netbook (11-inch) would be pretty much unusable. Anyhow, I would be afraid the guy in front of me would recline his seat and break my screen. Bottom line, the M11x is a very capable laptop in a quite manageable format whenever travelling. Among the laptops I own, the M11x is my favorite one on the go. I'm currently writing this post from it, for my weekend getaway.

So, go ahead and pull the trigger. You won't be disappointed. Just make sure you have 4 GB of RAM and a large HDD (500 GB).

Cheers,

 

It seems like you even don't own one. So, how can you claim that the M11x is "not adequate enough for modern games". Based on the fact is has a CULV C2D processor? Although it's not competing with much heavier laptops in the like of the M17x, it's able to run pretty much anything you throw at it. Sure, you sometimes have to make a few compromises, but it's very enjoyable.

 

Look bud, I've been playing PC games for years with varying degrees of hardware. I've gamed on extremely crappy systems, mid-range systems and high-end rigs. I don't actually need to own a PC before I can make accurate assumptions regarding performace.

A CULV C2D is going to be quite slow, especially since quad-cores are now really entering the mainstream and replacing C2D's. A highly clocked C2D on desktops is no longer enough for performance gaming. So I doubt a lowly clocked laptop C2D (and CULV) chip is going to be even equal to a desktop C2D.

Wait a month and you will be able to get Core i5/i7 on the M11x. Now that is what you really want at this point.

Source

 

The problem is that those are the CULV versions of the i3/i5/i7, not the mobile version, so not quite the powerhouses you'd expect. The i5 should be a welcome addition at slightly better performance than the SU7300, but the i3 will most likely be reduced performance. i7 on the other hand will be nice, except it'll probably crank the price of the M11x up an additional $200 or so from existing pricing. Plus I doubt the i3 will arrive at all since it hasn't even shown as in production by Intel. Bottom line is these ULV chips won't be the significant improvement people would expect. Sure the i5 might garner an extra fps or two in a game, but it won't all of a sudden double your framerates in Bad Company 2 or anything.

That being said, I can vouch from first hand experience that the SU7300 is more than adequate for this type of platform. Would I like something faster? Sure, we all would. But at what price? Again, this is not a high end laptop. It's equivalent to any mid-range 14 or 15" gaming notebook. If the i5 shows to be significantly better, then I may sell my existing M11x, and pay the price premium difference for the new one. But from the Asus UL30VT(su7300) vs JT (i5-520um), it seems there's little real world performance difference.

 

I'm about your height too, and a 15'' keyboard seems to fit me perfectly... I have a friend who owns a 10'', so I think I'll play around with his netbook to see if I feel comfortable with it.

I'll do some research to see if it is worth the wait or not...

I've learned my lesson from my 160 GB HDD, I wont get anything of less than 0.5 TB. And 4 GB RAM is the minimum possible to get on alienwares, right?.


Bottomline: I am determined to sell my 1530, but I am still deciding on trading it for the M11x, or forgetting about mobility, putting an extra bucks and getting a M15x.

It depends on how much I can get for my 1530...

 

well the m11x starts out at 2gb of ram with a $50 upgrade to 4gb and the hdd starts out at 160gb HDD and upgradable with i think 75$ to a 500gb 720rpm HDD.
i think thats about 899. but if you have coupons it should bring it down a bit. i got mine down to 774 with an employee's discount.

personally as a student i use the mobility so im a bit biased. but i used to have a 15 inch, and thought i could handle a 17 inch and while they have nice screen real estate i like my 13 inch screen its perfect and i saw the m11x in the store the other day and the keyboard isnt really cramped, just a bit smaller keys but i got used to in within 5 mins of using it. and the screen size wasnt such a big factor at least to me. it was decent size.

if you want a system that can play most every game on the market at decent (medium - high) (not maxxed out ultra) then you should go with the m11x.
if you want an all out gaming machine get the m15x. this will be the system that will play most any game at high-ultra. although iv heard the area-51 m15x has shoddy build. so i dunno. dont quote me as i dont own one. just saw it in the alienware forums (title)

 

C2D+335M runs almost all modern games at decent settings (Just Cause 2, L4D2, etc.). i5 ULV on Asus UL30 doesn't look too good. So I don't see where you're going with your "prophecies"... GPU matters more for games anyway.

@OP: Yeah 15" is more comfortable to work on. Depends what you plan on doing with the laptop. 10" is not a good comparison, 11.6" is a bit bigger - I suggest trying to find something of that size. m15x is heavier, less portable but also more powerful, less battery life, etc.