Alienware m11x

i believe all new alienware laptops have software that your able to adjust and turn off leds on keyboard n such. If they're always on it'd drive me crazy

You are right. there is a control center that comes pre-installed that allows you to configure the colors independantly, and even turn the lights off.
 
So for any of you that are undecided if they want the M11x and do not need it now, it may be offered in a re-launched version in about a half a year with the core i5 processory. But there are no confirmations on that, or it's details.

Yea I remember one of the reps on the thread over there saying that, think it was Darkhan? Now that would be nice, I never really understood why they released this with C2D when every other manufacturer has moved on to core i series.
 
Like most companies, Dell is out there to make money. It's a good way to move alot of older cpus.

Plus who knows if there will be a refresh this year. They are pushing this as an ultraportable and may not see the need to refresh for some time.

BTW my M11x should be here 2/23 or 2/24.
 
Yea I remember one of the reps on the thread over there saying that, think it was Darkhan? Now that would be nice, I never really understood why they released this with C2D when every other manufacturer has moved on to core i series.

There are several possible explanations (listed by order what i think is most likely):
- dell is close to intel (thats a known fact) and got a very good deal on those processors and thus tries to sell them
- providing core i5/i7 to such a small formfactor required more time to get it ready, but they wanted to sell a new product like this sooner (and selling something twice brings more money anyway)
- for some reason they could not produce such a system and still have enough battery power
- dell did not care and thought the c2d is enough
 
Yea it's possible being the SU7300 is basically EOL cycle with the mobile Core i's now in full production Intel probably wants to clear out all of their old stock so I could see them giving these to Dell for dirt cheap. It's also possible Dell had a ton of old stock on hand that they needed to get rid of so they throw them in the 11x in order to clear them out then will refresh with i5 once they are all gone.
 
Yea I remember one of the reps on the thread over there saying that, think it was Darkhan? Now that would be nice, I never really understood why they released this with C2D when every other manufacturer has moved on to core i series.

With larger laptops, yes, but I don't think I've seen a lot of other manufacturers release 11.6-13" CULV i5/i7 systems yet... Sony's actually ahead of the curve in that regard (and charging a premium for it). There's a ton of thin-n-light CULV C2D systems out there still selling for $500-800 (higher end ones having a dedicated GPU / hybrid setup), so they probably don't wanna cannibalize those sales. Those mobile i5 parts just came out a few months ago too, along with their motherboards, all the systems you're buying now were planned and designed several more months before that... Give it 4-6 months and I'm sure we'll start to see more light/thin laptops w/CULV i5's.

The concept of hybrid graphics itself has never been really popular but it seems to be picking up steam now, though it'll be interesting to see how they can work that out w/i5 parts and the IGP on the processor... Another reason why swapping an i5 in there isn't as simple as you might think.

As to the SSD used for the M11x: this is the samsung PB22-J 256gb - which is not as good as the intel ones, but for it's price still quite good - though the random access times are noticably worse. See the benchmarks of this review:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/256gb-samsung-ssd,2265-3.html

I think it's a quite reasonably good SSD, and I've chosen it. Hope this helps

$350 for a Samsung SSD is not worth it at all imo, regardless of capacity. You can get a 120GB Vertex for $50 less (or a 160GB X25-M for $50-70 more). I'd rather have a much faster drive w/better support, future firmware updates, guaranteed TRIM support, and more researched specs than an unknown quantity like that Samsung, but that's just me. I'm sure it's perfectly usable, otherwise there wouldn't be dozens of OEMs using Samsung drives, I just don't think it's worth the money.

AFAIK the firmware on a lot of Samsung drives (including that one) can't be updated, so you're stuck w/whatever shipped with it. Some of 'em have GC, some of the newer Samsung models even have TRIM, some don't. None of it it is as well published or covered as Indillix/Intel drives tho. Here's a somewhat relevant thread on that drive... Granted it's a 64GB version, so I won't even comment on the poor random write performance (even an Agility manages 12-13MB/s as opposed to 3MB/s...).
 
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Yeah, it does look better than Dell's renders (why do they do that anyway? post a render that doesn't even do it justice), still not my aesthetic of choice though. I trust Alienware's software at 'least lets you turn off the speaker/logo LEDs independent of the keyboard? Those would be annoying in certain situations imo...

yes.. and also lets you dim all the lights also. There is a "go dark" option in the alienhead that sits in the taskbar that will turn out all the lights out with the option on the power led if you want it on. All the lights can be turned to any color independently. You can also have it pulse but that would be ridiculous. There's even an option to turn a different color when on battery. The front vent looking things, the alienware name on the display (def turn this off as it's right in view), wifi icon, the alienhead power button, keyboard are the individual zones you can change.

does anyone know where to download alienware command center? It's not on dell's support site. I want to clean reinstall with ultimate but couldn't find it anywhere for download. Supposedly you have to create a hive account on alienware but it requires a alienware customer id. I tried all my dell #'s and none of them worked to create an account. Or would just copying the installation folder work?
 
I doubt that'd work, it must rely on some kind of driver to communicate w/the mobo no? Dunno, just call Dell and ask tho, you're paying for their support! :p
 
I doubt that'd work, it must rely on some kind of driver to communicate w/the mobo no? Dunno, just call Dell and ask tho, you're paying for their support! :p

I've never called support to download a driver... don't think I'll start now. :D No way I go through the 24 steps from hell before you get an answer.

I got ultimate installed w/out any !'s in device manager pretty easy.. I luckily used macrium before I started. I realized I couldn't change the lights because I couldn't find the command center to install.. that's when I reloaded the backup image. (last color combo it was in was some awful cyan/yellow combo so I had no choice but to go back.)
 
With larger laptops, yes, but I don't think I've seen a lot of other manufacturers release 12-14" CULV i5/i7 systems yet... Sony's actually ahead of the curve in that regard (and charging a premium for it). There's a ton of thin-n-light CULV C2D systems out there still selling for $500-800 (higher end ones having a dedicated GPU / hybrid setup), so they probably don't wanna cannibalize those sales. Those mobile i5 parts just came out a few months ago too, along with their motherboards, all the systems you're buying now were planned and designed several more months before that... Give it 4-6 months and I'm sure we'll start to see more light/thin laptops w/CULV i5's.

.

Sony's already got the CW's out with 330m and i5, Samsung has theirs out as well with i5 and 330m, HP Envy's started shipping in January think those are i5 with ATI GPU's though. Asus is pushing out the UL30JT next month with i5 but I think it only has Nvidia 310m pretty much all of them either already are available or will be next month. Some stores are still selling the older C2D versions of course trying to clear out old stock but if you go to the manufacturers sites pretty much everything will be Core i next month except for the netbooks of course with Atom etc.. Even the Macbook Pro's are supposed to be refreshed any day now with Core i5. Seriously, C2D will be a thing of the past after next month.
 
I've never called support to download a driver... don't think I'll start now. :D No way I go through the 24 steps from hell before you get an answer.

I got ultimate installed w/out any !'s in device manager pretty easy.. I luckily used macrium before I started. I realized I couldn't change the lights because I couldn't find the command center to install.. that's when I reloaded the backup image. (last color combo it was in was some awful cyan/yellow combo so I had no choice but to go back.)

Well, I figured being an Alienware system they had a more direct tech support line than the usual hell the put regular customers thru... So you haven't found a solution?
 
Those are all smaller companies, and the Sony/HP Envy are pretty premium systems... So they get the newest tech first. Where's the HP, Dell, Acer, etc. equivalents? It takes time for those processors to migrate into every model, obviously. The vast majority of laptops being sold (in general, not just thin/light systems) are still C2D, and there's still like half a dozen CULV C2D systems out there for every one of those 4 or 5 you mentioned. :p

I seriously doubt C2D is gonna disappear within a month, hell I doubt it'll be completely gone in 6 months even. Hasn't disappeared from desktops yet and i5/i7 arrived there much earlier (and the transition requires less work on the OEM's part). Edit: I'm not trying to argue against i5/i7, I'm just saying you're vastly overestimating how fast all the OEMs can make that transition thru all their models.
 
Those are all smaller companies, and the Sony/HP Envy are pretty premium systems... So they get the newest tech first. Where's the HP, Dell, Acer, etc. equivalents? It takes time for those processors to migrate into every model, obviously. The vast majority of laptops being sold (in general, not just thin/light systems) are still C2D, and there's still like half a dozen CULV C2D systems out there for every one of those 4 or 5 you mentioned. :p

I seriously doubt C2D is gonna disappear within a month, hell I doubt it'll be completely gone in 6 months even. Hasn't disappeared from desktops yet and i5/i7 arrived there much earlier (and the transition requires less work on the OEM's part). Edit: I'm not trying to argue against i5/i7, I'm just saying you're vastly overestimating how fast all the OEMs can make that transition thru all their models.

HP, Sony, Samsung, Asus, Apple are smaller companies? Sorry I don't follow maybe I am misunderstanding you?

Point is the move to i5/i7 is already happening companies won't continue to manufacture C2D in any respectable laptop because noone will buy a C2D when they can get the same laptop from a competitor with Core i series. That's just the nature of the beast mate.
 
Not sure where to download the Alien Command Center magnetik... I'll look around if I see it stored on my M11x.

Sony's already got the CW's out with 330m and i5, Samsung has theirs out as well with i5 and 330m, HP Envy's started shipping in January think those are i5 with ATI GPU's though. Asus is pushing out the UL30JT next month with i5 but I think it only has Nvidia 310m pretty much all of them either already are available or will be next month. Some stores are still selling the older C2D versions of course trying to clear out old stock but if you go to the manufacturers sites pretty much everything will be Core i next month except for the netbooks of course with Atom etc.. Even the Macbook Pro's are supposed to be refreshed any day now with Core i5. Seriously, C2D will be a thing of the past after next month.

The CW and Envy are using regular i5 mobiles and the UL30JT is still coming out late. And yes, they only come with a G310M, which is a rebadged G210M, which is a rebadged 9400M, etc.

And I think you're seriously selling the C2D short. Clock for clock it might not match the i5/i7, but it's still an incredibly fast processor for general purpose + gaming. And if you're transcoding things, find something that uses CUDA/the GPU and the CPU is irrelevant. Otherwise, if you're looking to do really CPU intensive things, you're probably in the wrong market for the type of notebook...

And who knows what kind of problems they might have encountered if they went for the i5/i7 UM models which have an integrated IGP already in the system. The i5/i7 switchable graphics aren't prevalent even in the regular i5/i7 mobility notebooks, so it's hard to imagine they'd have an easier solution ready to release when no one else does
 
HP, Sony, Samsung, Asus, Apple are smaller companies? Sorry I don't follow maybe I am misunderstanding you?

Point is the move to i5/i7 is already happening companies won't continue to manufacture C2D in any respectable laptop because noone will buy a C2D when they can get the same laptop from a competitor with Core i series. That's just the nature of the beast mate.

No, when I said small companies I was referring more to Samsung, Sony, and even Apple or ASUS. Yes, compared to Dell, HP, Acer, etc they're small, they move way less volume and they have more freedom to turn in new models in quick order compared to the larger OEMs. The HP Envy is a pretty niche product, I'd expect they'd put in extra work to put the newest tech into such a premium/costly model (same w/most of Sony's lineup, etc.). AFAIK none of the models you mentioned are using CULV i5 parts either, so they burn more battery. You're taking what I said out of context regardless... And ignoring half of it.

You mentioned four of five models that are shipping now or will be shipping soon, that's great, but for all those models there's dozens and dozens of C2D laptops still out there that were engineered, designed, and tested long before i5 parts were released... So it's gonna take a while for a full transition to happen and for us to get our choice of models with the newest tech, and plenty of people will continue to buy C2D laptops regardless... Either because they don't know better or because they want something cheaper. Intel hasn't even stopped producing C2D parts yet...

i5/i7 are great, they're the future, obviously... But not everyone needs that much speed yet, not even close, and plenty of people will continue to pay for Atom and C2D systems. I understand you were in the market for more of a desktop replacement, good for ya, but laptops (and even processors) are not once-size-fits-all. Mate.
 
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Point is the move to i5/i7 is already happening companies won't continue to manufacture C2D in any respectable laptop because noone will buy a C2D when they can get the same laptop from a competitor with Core i series. That's just the nature of the beast mate.

We are also missing something to replace the ultra-long battery life offered by the Core 2 Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) parts. True, Intel has some low voltage 18W TDP parts running at 1.06GHz to 1.20GHz stock (Turbo up to 1.86GHz to 2.26GHz depending on the model), but the current results suggest that CULV + GS45 is still going to be far more compelling for those interested in battery life while maintaining some level of performance, or you can go with Pine Trail/Pineview (Atom N450) for extreme battery life at the cost of performance. It looks like Arrandale needs some further tweaking before we see an heir to the CULV throne.

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3705&p=5

For a device like my tm2 tablet the C2D CULV is still a compelling platform due to the battery life and thermal performance.

Even at only 1.6GHz the Nehalem based C2D delivers a lot of performance especially when coupled with a discreate GPU.

Sure its not as fast as an i5/i7 system. And for most daily tasks its not an issue. This tm2 is very peppy and it dosen't lag at anything and it even plays most modern games with a dedicated GPU. Not too shabby for a device that gets 5 to 7 hours of battery life while running nice and quiet and cool.
 
Speaking strictly from my personal pov and needs, I wouldn't buy any of the models being discussed unless I knew I could get 8+ hours of battery life out of it. (a full work/study day) Gaming just isn't a priority for me, if I can spend an extra $100-200 for a hybrid GPU so my next laptop is a more capable gaming machine great, but it's not my top priority... So I'm waiting for true CULV i5 laptops w/8-cell batteries or better.

If I had to buy something right now I'd probably just get the standard ASUS UL30Vt or maybe even an 11.6" Acer without a dedicated GPU... Which is what the vast majority of the market actually buys y'know, dedicated GPUs themselves make up a pretty small portion of the market (just like i5/i7 will for a while 'till costs come down, models are updated, etc etc.).

None of this is neither here nor there, I'm just pointing out there's plenty of reasons for why someone wouldn't opt for the fastest tech possible, looking even beyond the logistic reasons for why it hasn't been implemented in every laptop model under the sun yet (nor will it be for a while). There's larger market & cost issues that go far beyond simply being the fastest/coolest/shiniest.

I don't need to replace my netbook just yet tho, so I'm hoping by the time I do I can get gen3-like hybrid graphics (what is NV calling it, Optimus?) with a CULV i5 and an 8-cell battery in a 11-12" package for $1,000 or less. :D Hell I haven't even jumped on i5/i7 w/my desktop and I built it in May (i5 wasn't out, would've cost $200 more to go i7 and the money was better spent on a SSD imo).
 
Not sure where to download the Alien Command Center magnetik... I'll look around if I see it stored on my M11x.



The CW and Envy are using regular i5 mobiles and the UL30JT is still coming out late. And yes, they only come with a G310M, which is a rebadged G210M, which is a rebadged 9400M, etc.

And I think you're seriously selling the C2D short. Clock for clock it might not match the i5/i7, but it's still an incredibly fast processor for general purpose + gaming. And if you're transcoding things, find something that uses CUDA/the GPU and the CPU is irrelevant. Otherwise, if you're looking to do really CPU intensive things, you're probably in the wrong market for the type of notebook...

And who knows what kind of problems they might have encountered if they went for the i5/i7 UM models which have an integrated IGP already in the system. The i5/i7 switchable graphics aren't prevalent even in the regular i5/i7 mobility notebooks, so it's hard to imagine they'd have an easier solution ready to release when no one else does


ULV C2D is anything but incredibly fast, especially [email protected] LOL The only thing slower currently in production would be the Atom processors they use in netbooks.
 
Speaking strictly from my personal pov and needs, I wouldn't buy any of the models being discussed unless I knew I could get 8+ hours of battery life out of it. (a full work/study day) Gaming just isn't a priority for me, if I can spend an extra $100-200 for a hybrid GPU so my next laptop is a more capable gaming machine great, but it's not my top priority... So I'm waiting for true CULV i5 laptops w/8-cell batteries or better.

If I had to buy something right now I'd probably just get the standard ASUS UL30Vt or maybe even an 11.6" Acer without a dedicated GPU... Which is what the vast majority of the market actually buys y'know, dedicated GPUs themselves make up a pretty small portion of the market (just like i5/i7 will for a while 'till costs come down, models are updated, etc etc.).

None of this is neither here nor there, I'm just pointing out there's plenty of reasons for why someone wouldn't opt for the fastest tech possible, looking even beyond the logistic reasons for why it hasn't been implemented in every laptop model under the sun yet (nor will it be for a while). There's larger market & cost issues that go far beyond simply being the fastest/coolest/shiniest.

I don't need to replace my netbook just yet tho, so I'm hoping by the time I do I can get gen3-like hybrid graphics (what is NV calling it, Optimus?) with a CULV i5 and an 8-cell battery in a 11-12" package for $1,000 or less. :D Hell I haven't even jumped on i5/i7 w/my desktop and I built it in May (i5 wasn't out, would've cost $200 more to go i7 and the money was better spent on a SSD imo).

If your gonna get the Asus wait, it gets updated next month to Core i5 ULV, do a search for UL30JT

Edit: Actually looks like i'm mistaken it's coming with ULV i7 640um/620um even better!
 
ULV C2D is anything but incredibly fast, especially [email protected] LOL The only thing slower currently in production would be the Atom processors they use in netbooks.

I don't think he was saying a CULV C2D is incredibly fast at anything... :rolleyes: He was saying it's "fast enough" for 90% of what 90% of people out there do. :p Yes I'm pulling the numbers out of my ass but you get the gist of it. I did see you mention the UL30JT before, it piqued my interest, thanks for that. Like I said, I'm waiting for more i5 models w/better battery life before I jump in (that being one of my priorities over gaming). I'll probably try and wait 'till I can get something w/USB 3.0 built in while I'm at it...

Anyone have a clue when USB 3.0 will be built into Intel's mobile chipsets? I know ASUS already has a couple laptops out there w/USB 3.0 but I think they used the NEC chip (not that I care one way or another, but I'm guessing it adds to the cost).
 
We are also missing something to replace the ultra-long battery life offered by the Core 2 Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) parts. True, Intel has some low voltage 18W TDP parts running at 1.06GHz to 1.20GHz stock (Turbo up to 1.86GHz to 2.26GHz depending on the model), but the current results suggest that CULV + GS45 is still going to be far more compelling for those interested in battery life while maintaining some level of performance, or you can go with Pine Trail/Pineview (Atom N450) for extreme battery life at the cost of performance. It looks like Arrandale needs some further tweaking before we see an heir to the CULV throne.

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3705&p=5

That's an old article talking about the standard voltage mobile i5's "Intel Arrandale: 32nm for Notebooks, Core i5 540M Reviewed" The M stand for mobile the U stands for ULV or Ultra Low Voltage. The ULV chips are labled as i520UM, standard voltage i5 540M.

Personally i'd rather have the standard voltage seeing as they are much more powerful and the battery life is not that bad 6hours for Sony Z with a 13" screen and 540M is a few minutes longer battery life than the 11x with su7300 and only 11" screen by comparison.

The ULV i series will probably offer even longer battery life than the old C2D's because of everything being run internally in the processor whereas the external chipset required to run the C2D's actually draws quite a bit of power. I think that is why Sony Z get similiar battery life to the 11x even though it is not even using a ULV i5.

Anyways it's been a fun discussion! Heading out for a bit catch you all later.
 
Well, the m11x actually gets pretty average battery life if it only gets 6 hours imo... Considering the ASUS UL series gets nearly 10 hours w/larger screens (granted they have a larger 8-cell battery) and the Acer Timeline series gets 8+ hours (granted there's no dedicated GPU in 'em), it's somewhat surprising that in a smaller package w/the same hardware the M11x gets less battery life, even if it only has a 6-cell (like Acer Timelines), dunno. Either way the ULV i5s do look promising...
 
Personally i'd rather have the standard voltage seeing as they are much more powerful and the battery life is not that bad 6hours for Sony Z with a 13" screen and 540M is a few minutes longer battery life than the 11x with su7300 and only 11" screen by comparison.

The Z is a nice rig no doubt about it, but the tm2 has a bit different requirements that also need to keep heat to a minimum. The CULVs are cooler running as they take less power at only 10W. Heat is a MUCH bigger deal for a tablet than even a laptop as holding the tablet from the bottom is actually a normal holding position for a tablet.

At any rate, I would like to see something a Z with a swivel screen on day. A Z tablet would be AWESOME! It would also have an awesome price. But I would buy it even if I had to eat oodles of noodles for a year.
 
By awesome price, you mean absurd, right? Sony Z is expensive enough. I can imagine Sony jumping into the whole tablet craze and being higher cost then Ipads.

Also, I believe all the Samsung SSD drives in the M11x are shipped Trim enabled. And I believe the battery was stated to be an 8 cell.
 
^^^^ an 8 cell for the Alienware? Are you serious? That is going to increase the weight of the 11?
 
The Z is a nice rig no doubt about it, but the tm2 has a bit different requirements that also need to keep heat to a minimum. The CULVs are cooler running as they take less power at only 10W. Heat is a MUCH bigger deal for a tablet than even a laptop as holding the tablet from the bottom is actually a normal holding position for a tablet.

At any rate, I would like to see something a Z with a swivel screen on day. A Z tablet would be AWESOME! It would also have an awesome price. But I would buy it even if I had to eat oodles of noodles for a year.

Yea, i'm not too familiar with the tablets. Always wanted one but never really had a need for it so couldn't justify the purchase they are pretty neat though.
 
Honestly, bluehaze013, check up your facts and numbers before you start throwing them around to argue, otherwise I think you're just here with an agenda

ULV C2D is anything but incredibly fast, especially [email protected] LOL The only thing slower currently in production would be the Atom processors they use in netbooks.

First of all, just because Atom is the next slowest thing from Intel, doesn't mean that this is "barely" faster than an Atom - it's already significantly faster than Atom, and lots of people get by with it. The difference between this and using my Acer netbook is night and day

Second, at 1.6 GHz, it's extremely snappy and useable for your general purposes goods under Windows 7. Sorry, not all of us buy notebooks to do video encoding and decoding :rolleyes:

It is pretty heavy by 11" standards it is close to 5lbs. 4.7 I think?

It's 4.39 lbs. That actually surprises me, since it doesn't feel 2lbs heavier than my netbook, then again it's got a larger footprint so the weight is more distributed so it won't feel as dense

^^^^ an 8 cell for the Alienware? Are you serious? That is going to increase the weight of the 11?

It is an 8 Cell Prismatic (64 whr)

Personally i'd rather have the standard voltage seeing as they are much more powerful and the battery life is not that bad 6hours for Sony Z with a 13" screen and 540M is a few minutes longer battery life than the 11x with su7300 and only 11" screen by comparison.

Again, quit pulling numbers out of no where and using it in your arguments. The M11x on battery with the discrete GPU gets ~4 hours, with the IGP its at least 7 hours. Less of course you if you leave lights, wi-fi and bluetooth, etc. on.

Oh and where are you pulling the Sony Z numbers from? From what Sony advertises?

Or maybe if you were pulling 6 hours from the Hardware Heaven review, take a look at some of the real world numbers from the Sony Z...

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/sony-vaio-vpcz116gx-s/4505-3121_7-33976156-2.html?tag=txt;page

Faster than the ULV's, but definitely sucking up more energy (twice the annual power consumption cost of the lower end ULV pc's).

Well, the m11x actually gets pretty average battery life if it only gets 6 hours imo... Considering the ASUS UL series gets nearly 10 hours w/larger screens (granted they have a larger 8-cell battery) and the Acer Timeline series gets 8+ hours (granted there's no dedicated GPU in 'em), it's somewhat surprising that in a smaller package w/the same hardware the M11x gets less battery life, even if it only has a 6-cell (like Acer Timelines), dunno. Either way the ULV i5s do look promising...

Are you looking at the advertised figures or the real world figures of those other notebooks? Dell advertises 8.5 on the IGP for the m11x.

Of course, the m11x has a better cooling system so I'm sure that factors in as well + a 7,200rpm HDD to feed

Honestly, bluehaze, I don't mind if you're arguing the merits of the notebooks - hey, it's your money, feel free to spend it on what you wish and what you need. But don't come in and spread some numbers that aren't even checked up and using those to argue your point. You reek of having an agenda
 
Discrete GPU at 4 hours when you are doing anything but gaming. I believe people said they were getting above 2 hours when gaming with the 335m enabled.
 
Honestly, bluehaze013, check up your facts and numbers before you start throwing them around to argue, otherwise I think you're just here with an agenda

Mate if one of us has an agenda it's certainly not me! Theres plenty of links there to backup the info, that is where I get the info from afterall...

First of all, just because Atom is the next slowest thing from Intel, doesn't mean that this is "barely" faster than an Atom - it's already significantly faster than Atom, and lots of people get by with it. The difference between this and using my Acer netbook is night and day

Your overclocked SU7300 scores a 4.1 on WEI, you know this because you posted it in your review over on notebookreview, need a link to that? by comparison my stock (not overclocked) netbook with Atom 330 scores a 3.3 that doesn't seem very significant to me. http://hothardware.com/Articles/Asus-IonPowered-Eee-PC-1201N-Review/?page=4

If you want to see significant look at the i5 in the Sony Z that scores a 6.9 now that I would consider significant!


Again, quit pulling numbers out of no where and using it in your arguments. The M11x on battery with the discrete GPU gets ~4 hours, with the IGP its at least 7 hours. Less of course you if you leave lights, wi-fi and bluetooth, etc. on.

Oh and where are you pulling the Sony Z numbers from? From what Sony advertises?

Or maybe if you were pulling 6 hours from the Hardware Heaven review, take a look at some of the real world numbers from the Sony Z...

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/sony-vaio-vpcz116gx-s/4505-3121_7-33976156-2.html?tag=txt;page

Faster than the ULV's, but definitely sucking up more energy (twice the annual power consumption cost of the lower end ULV pc's).

Are you looking at the advertised figures or the real world figures of those other notebooks? Dell advertises 8.5 on the IGP for the m11x

Annual power consumption costs? Are you for real? :rolleyes: If you go back and read the posts I gave links for my info from real world tests both to the engadget review and to the HH review of the m11x you even acknowledge it above. If anyone is pulling anything out of nowhere it is you and your "annual power consumption costs" LOL

Here's another link to the Engadget review for your convenience! http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/11/sony-vaio-z-series-vpcz114gx-s-review/ and of course another link to the HH review of m11x which states 5h 46 mins general use with igp, 3h48m videoplayback with discrete, and 2h05m gaming with discrete. http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews.php?reviewid=924&pageid=17


Honestly, bluehaze, I don't mind if you're arguing the merits of the notebooks - hey, it's your money, feel free to spend it on what you wish and what you need. But don't come in and spread some numbers that aren't even checked up and using those to argue your point. You reek of having an agenda

Umm? LOL? The links are right there in the posts mate...the only one I see spreading erroneous information is yourself...perhaps you are the one with the agenda?
 
Your overclocked SU7300 scores a 4.1 on WEI, you know this because you posted it in your review over on notebookreview, need a link to that? by comparison my stock (not overclocked) netbook with Atom 330 scores a 3.3 that doesn't seem very significant to me. http://hothardware.com/Articles/Asus-IonPowered-Eee-PC-1201N-Review/?page=4

If you want to see significant look at the i5 in the Sony Z that scores a 6.9 now that I would consider significant!

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3735&p=6

Yes, I think most would consider that significant.
 
It is rather funny seeing the debate. People on both the for and against both look like rabid fanboys/antifanboys. In reality, this laptop is just so new some of what everyone is saying is off in someway. Everyone really needs to give this laptop a week or 2 at the least for more concrete user reviews and not people talking out of their butts who do not phsically have the laptop in their hands.

As to bluehaze, it is no question that the Sony Z is a better computer when looking at the stats minus the graphics which is in favor to the M11x. But for most people, it is not worth a $1000 premium.

Alienware M11x is catering to one audience alone and that is to gamers unlike the Sony Z which is aiming for business/editors. Maybe the Sony Z will perform just as well or possibly better, who knows as neither of us have that or the M11x in our hands atm.

What I can tell you is that the M11x will perform great for the audience it is targeting and at a really great price for those who got in with all the stacking coupons early on. I am also sure when you have your Sony Z in hand, it will perform just as you expected it. I sure hope so for a total of $1800+ US.
 
http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3735&p=6

Yes, I think most would consider that significant.

All depends on your definition of significant I suppose,

Even the Atom 330 is still a big drop in PCMark Vantage, where it's 35% slower than the EC5409u. PCMark05 shows a smaller difference of around 17%, but PCMark05 is relatively outdated now (as the 2005 year indicates).

That's an 1857 for PCMark Vantage for the Atom 330 as compared to 2389 stock and 3084 overclocked for SU7300 (In Zera's m11x review) to 10,000 for i5. Realtively speaking one does not seem very significant by comparison to the other :p
 
It is rather funny seeing the debate. People on both the for and against both look like rabid fanboys/antifanboys. In reality, this laptop is just so new some of what everyone is saying is off in someway. Everyone really needs to give this laptop a week or 2 at the least for more concrete user reviews and not people talking out of their butts who do not phsically have the laptop in their hands.

As to bluehaze, it is no question that the Sony Z is a better computer when looking at the stats minus the graphics which is in favor to the M11x. But for most people, it is not worth a $1000 premium.

Alienware M11x is catering to one audience alone and that is to gamers unlike the Sony Z which is aiming for business/editors. Maybe the Sony Z will perform just as well or possibly better, who knows as neither of us have that or the M11x in our hands atm.

What I can tell you is that the M11x will perform great for the audience it is targeting and at a really great price for those who got in with all the stacking coupons early on. I am also sure when you have your Sony Z in hand, it will perform just as you expected it. I sure hope so for a total of $1800+ US.

It's hard not to seem like anti-fanboy when your discussing this with a fanboy LOL It's funny I was thinking about this last night, this thing seems to have an apple'esque can do no wrong type of following. Any time you point out any of it's flaws you are attacked from all sides. Apparently we all must agree it is the greatest laptop ever created or else we have an agenda LOL I've said several times I think it's the best netbook ever...I think that's a rather accurate description. It's just rather mediocre compared to other ultraportables and laptops coming with i5/i7. Dell should have put i5,or i7 then they would have had a nice machine on their hands.
 
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people in notebookreview banned me again,

when i pointed out the m11x with 335 only get 25 average fps when at 1024*768 lowest graphic setting
and my core i5 with 330m get around 10-20 high in average fps ( two run using fraps)
when using 1366*768 med setting

whatever,
I thought about the m11x and asus ul30vt before getting my samsung r480

when i play games , i will always plug the AC in
so battery life is not that important to me at all.

the m11x is like 4.4lb?
it just too heavy for a 11.6"
when the ul30vt is 13.3" and 3.7lb

i just couldn't get over that and
i got myself a 5lb samsung r480
i picked it as it was 0.3lb lighter then the song cw
lol
for a regular 14" 5lb is kind of light already
after running some benchmark,
i glad i picked up this spec...
as in games like
L4D/2
battlefield BC2
GTA4
TF2

the core i5 really helps,
or i should say
The gpu is not bottlenecked
by cpu

Yes m11x 's 335m is 72 steamprocessor
and 330m is only 48steamprocessor,
which looks like the 335m is much much faster,,
but the 335m ran at 450mhz core 1080 shader 790memory
330m ran at 575 core 1265 shader 790 memory

after adding those , the 335m will only be at max 18% faster then 330m

In many games benchmark that i saw,
like RE5
and L4D2
m11x will get both HIGHER max FPS( because of high gpu power)
but also get LOWER min FPS ( because of the low power of the cpu)

M11x can get to 10-15 fps when the hordes are rushing
while system with core i5 +330m never dip down below 25 in my rig
 
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M11x can get to 10-15 fps when the hordes are rushing
while system with core i5 never dip down below 25 in my rig

Yea, people don't understand how big a bottleneck the cpu really is. I mean L4D is not a demanding game at all yet the m11x struggles when all the zombies come in multiplayer FPS drop to the low teens which is not playable by my standards.

This was from Alienware's own video of them playing the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1BdWINKHuk

The funniest part is the cameraman panning the camera to hide the FPS when ever they are dropping down into the low teens LOL Did they really think people wouldn't notice this? And then when nothing is happening they point to the FPS and go "oh look 40fps! LOL I am surprised they have not taken that video down yet.
 
I ordered an M11x, but originally had a CW27FX on order.

@Blue, seems unless you have the money to burn (may do, which is cool), that your better bet would be the CW27FX. 14" screen, 330m, i5-530, 500gb and Blu ray and weighs 5.4 pounds. Costs almost half the Z and will run a LOT cooler due to form factor and copper cooling system.

Heck, you could buy the CW27FX as your main lappy AND an M11x for increased mobility for the same price as a Z ;)

I actually ordered the CW from Best Buy, but canceled for the M11x, since I already have a loaded desktop. If I did not have my desktop, I would have kept the CW, since perfect combination of size, power and cost. Nothing ATM touches it (in regards to combination of size, power and cost).

I do not expect the M11x to come close to the CW27FX, but I do not expect it to. The key here is form factor, cost, portability and gaming. Based on reviews and forum reports, the M11x lasts at least twice as long as the CW. Another issue is you can not dial the CW's CPU down or turn off the GPU. M11x is a better portable system IMO.

BTW, I tried MAME out and tested 3D games like NFL Blitz, Cruisin USA and Dead or Alive. All played very smooth with sound on the SU7300- at 1.3ghz (UL50 display at Best Buy). MAME is the ultimate litmus test for what CPU chops a chipset has, since 3D games are mainly rendered though the CPU. My HP 2010 with a duron X2 2ghz dual core played those game like slide shows. Also, the Best Buy unit has a ton of security and demo junk running in the background and the SU7300 STILL played complex MAME games smoothly.
 
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people in notebookreview banned me again,

when i pointed out the m11x with 335 only get 25 average fps when at 1024*768 lowest graphic setting
and my core i5 with 330m get around 10-20 high in average fps ( two run using fraps)
when using 1366*768 med setting

whatever,
I thought about the m11x and asus ul30vt before getting my samsung r480

when i play games , i will always plug the AC in
so battery life is not that important to me at all.

the m11x is like 4.4lb?
it just too heavy for a 11.6"
when the ul30vt is 13.3" and 3.7lb

i just couldn't get over that and
i got myself a 5lb samsung r480
i picked it as it was 0.3lb lighter then the song cw
lol
for a regular 14" 5lb is kind of light already
after running some benchmark,
i glad i picked up this spec...
as in games like
L4D/2
battlefield BC2
GTA4
TF2

the core i5 really helps,
or i should say
The gpu is not bottlenecked
by cpu

Yes m11x 's 335m is 72 steamprocessor
and 330m is only 48steamprocessor,
which looks like the 335m is much much faster,,
but the 335m ran at 450mhz core 1080 shader 790memory
330m ran at 575 core 1265 shader 790 memory

after adding those , the 335m will only be at max 18% faster then 330m

In many games benchmark that i saw,
like RE5
and L4D2
m11x will get both HIGHER max FPS( because of high gpu power)
but also get LOWER min FPS ( because of the low power of the cpu)

M11x can get to 10-15 fps when the hordes are rushing
while system with core i5 +330m never dip down below 25 in my rig

Your neglecting two large things:
1. Battery life. The m11x smokes both. Hell, it humiliates them.
2. Screen quality. The Sony CW has a terrible screen imo, some of the worse vertical viewing angles I have ever seen.

Out of curiosity where did you order the R480? Ive wanted to try it out, didn't realize you could buy it.
 
It really is not worth having 2 laptops unless one is a desktop replacement with the intention of leaving it mostly at home.

Edit: Really should look at real use battery life and not the battery life the companies say.
 
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