I started searching for a gaming laptop a few months ago and quickly discovered that there isn't a great deal to choose from. Even worse those that do exist are not cheap. Well this was a problem for me because I am cheap. I was determined to find a gaming machine under 1k dollars which I finally did. In the end after long research I decided to go with the Alienware m11x. So far I have been very happy with this small powerhouse. For $799 I didn’t expect it do as well as it has. My biggest concern was how it would run World of Warcraft and FPS’s. I was happy to see very decent frame rates at Ultra settings in WoW. At worst I’ll get 22fps in SW on a busy night and even that doesn’t last long after the area fully loads. I also installed the Modern Warfare 2 demo and it ran great at medium settings. I didn’t crank it up to see how far I could go before I started lagging but I’m sure it would have pushed much further with decent frame rates.
I purchased the Core 2 duo version of the m11x from Best Buy. There is now a second generation of the m11x available now with both i5 and i7 processors. However, you won’t be getting either of those models for $799 yet. Besides the processor change, the VGA port has been removed on the 2nd gens to add room for the faster processors. This isn’t really a big deal; however, if you’re planning to connect it to two external monitors this may pose a problem. I’m not sure if you can run HDMI and Dell’s display port at the same time but if you can you may still be able to run your dual monitors. I haven’t tried multiple displays on mine yet but I have read that it can be done. I’m guessing however, that using the HDMI port will restrict the monitor connected to this port to a maximum of 1366x768. I may be totally wrong about this however. If anyone has tried this please post a comment below.
The m11x has two video cards which can be changed at any time by pressing FN + F6. This a cool feature because if you like to run on battery a lot you can flip over to the crappy Intel card to save battery life which is very good I might add. The other card is an NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M. The keyboard is illuminated and it’s much better than others I’ve seen. The colors can be changed and even set to pulse or morph slowly into multiple colors if you like. There are many options for color effects. I will point out that the color of the alien on the outside of the display cannot be change for the light comes from the backlight of the display unlike the 15 and 17 inches models which can be changed. There is also no illuminated ring around the track pad like that which is available on the larger models. Lastly the m11x has no optical drive but you can connect an external drive via USB.
Overall I have been very happy with this machine for the price. With 4GB of RAM and the 335M video card I’m able to play all the new games at medium settings or higher. I actually like the small size of the laptop which is a deal breaker for most people but if you don’t mind the 11.6 inch screen and being stuck with the 1366x768 resolution then I think you’ll be happy with it as well. You can always connect it to an external monitor if the screen starts to get to you. Remember though that a larger monitor will give you higher resolutions but your frame rates will suffer as you increase it. I haven’t purchased a monitor for it yet so I’m curious how it performs at higher resolutions so again if anyone has tried this please post it in the comments below. Also, if you are considering the m11x you may want to check amazon.com. When I bought mine they had it for the same price I paid for mine after tax at Best Buy with a larger HD. My impatience’s is what drove me to buy it at that store.
Available specs from Dell
Specs from Best Buy (The machine I purchased)
Specs from Amazon
I think this may be a better deal because it has a larger HD and free shipping. Remember that Best Buy will hit you with tax which you may not have to pay on Amazon making it about the same price but with 320GB HD instead of the 250 you get from BB.
CNET review: http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/alienware-m11x/4505-3121_7-33954404.html
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