Alienware M11x R3: Portable Powerhouse
by Dustin Sklavos on July 22, 2011 1:15 AM ESTThe Screen Still Sucks, Though
While most of Jarred's wish list for the Alienware M11x R3 has come true—solid DirectX 11 graphics, USB 3.0 connectivity—the screen upgrade he was pulling for didn't come through. The panel isn't the exact same model as the previous two generations; it's actually even worse.
Eeesh, that's bad. The new panel's brighter than the old one, and that's about it. Alienware may have been gunning to make the god of all netbooks with the M11x, but they didn't have to share their same Achilles' Heel: low-quality, low-resolution TN panels. While the 1366x768 resolution of the M11x R3 is probably fine given the relatively small size of the screen, the dismal contrast and color quality is troubling.
Thankfully, the viewing angles are at least passable. It's a tiny screen so sharing it with a friend is going to be a little awkward (making the second headphone jack a nice idea but fuzzy in terms of practicality), but at least if someone's looking over your shoulder they'll be able to see what's going on clearly enough.
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Luke2.0 - Saturday, August 6, 2011 - link
I see, thank you for bringing up the cost issue as well.Now if anyone's still here... which one of these is the most expensive (or the least)?
1) 1600MHz, with 128-bit and 2 channels yielding 51.2 GB/s (AMD Llano)
2) 2000MHz, with 64-bit and 2 channels yielding 32 GB/s (Intel Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, with premium memory modules)
3) 1866MHz, with 128-bit and 2 channels yielding 59.7 GB/s (AMD Trinity, estimate)
Thank you
Death666Angel - Saturday, July 23, 2011 - link
Hey!Thanks for the review, just one thing: It would be nice to get the dimensions and weight figures in international units as well (cm/mm and kg). Anandtech has it in some articles and it's missing in others. :-)
frozentundra123456 - Saturday, July 23, 2011 - link
Impressive performance in such a small package, but I am not sure I would want to game on an 11 inch screen, no matter what the resolution. And the price just seems too high.I would prefer to get a 1000.00 gaming desktop and a 500.00 netbook, tablet, or small laptop.
I wonder what kind of performance a Llano chip could provide in a small form factor like this, if it would fit into the heat, power, and size envelope. Maybe you could get some sort of decent light gaming and save a lot of money.
rousseauhk - Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - link
Have seen a few reviews of this laptop, but for some reason none mention the battery performance under a gaming load. For a laptop thats a dedicated portable gaming machine, I'm astonished that none of the reviewers seem to think its important.Does anyone have any figures for this?
cheers
/rhk
Bolas - Monday, October 31, 2011 - link
Just bought a couple Alienware laptops, an m17x R3 and an m11x R3.I'm enjoying the m11x more than I thought I would. The portability is great!
I can put my m11x in the same backpack as the m17x so that I can game when I game. In other words, a guest comp for the "victim".