Alienware M11x R2: A Legend Reborn
by Jarred Walton on July 9, 2010 4:05 AM ESTGaming at Various Detail Settings
In contrast to previous reviews, we decided to list only results for 1366x768 minimum detail in our main charts (our standard for entry/midrange laptops). We want to find some "recommended" settings for comparing the M11x and the R2 release, but first let's look at what happens in the various titles as we increase the details, including PhysX and 4xAA where practical.
All of the games are easily playable at settings beyond the minimum, but some titles are still more strenuous. Batman can handle Very High Quality, and if you're willing to dip slightly below 30FPS at times you can even enable PhysX. Bad Company 2 and Crysis are not so kind, with scores that drop well below 30FPS once we go beyond Medium/Mainstream. All of the remaining games are able to handle high or very high detail settings while staying above 30FPS, though dropping a few settings down a notch might improve the minimum frame rates. Still, the M11x and R2 are definitely able to handle most gaming needs. You won't be maxing out Crysis—or most other games for that matter—but you can certainly enjoy gaming. It's just a shame that the display you end up looking at is so average when everything else about the M11x impresses.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
55 Comments
View All Comments
adonn78 - Sunday, July 11, 2010 - link
Same crappy video card. Just a slightly faster and more expensive CPU added. Its still not enough for today's games even at the low resolution of the monitor on this notebook. They need to shrink the die on the mobile video card to get a good heat and electricity level. That way it won;t sue up too much power and will be of decent speed.Jamezrp - Sunday, July 11, 2010 - link
I've been running my own benchmarks on the M11x R2, and besides having a hell of a time with a number of the games, Optimus just doesn't seem to be ready thus yet. My scores are similar to the ones posted (close enough to make them seem right), but Optimus just doesn't seem to activate the GPU at the right times.For instance, it'll play for a Youtube video at 360p. I don't need that, I don't need to waste battery life there when my netbook can handle 720p without a GPU at all. Then, of course, it'll run at 1080p, but not show that it's running for the new 4K videos available on Youtube.
I'm not impressed enough with the R2 to say it's worth a purchase, but if anything it's because of the software still being in beta, and games not supporting Optimus yet. Does this determination sound right?
jfmeister - Monday, July 12, 2010 - link
The most interresting part comes at end, where you mentioned the goodies we should have had. The 2 most well awaited upgrades from v1, the LCD monitor & DX11 GPU. I was really disapointed. Would having an Radeon would have killed the battery life that much vs GT335M?Now the part about the 13inch model sounds tasty. It would make more sense of getting all we need in there i.e.: better LCD & GPU. Dell/Alienware, it's time to redeem yourself and jumpover the 13inch bandwagon before competition grabs the market before you. I am pretty sure they are looking around taking notes on the M11x from users & reviews to finaly create the overall "suits you best machine".
Good point on cutting off the choices to drop down prices. On a large scale, it'll benefit the Dell & the customers.
buzznut - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - link
Hey, thanks for the great article. This addresses all my questions about my upcoming purchase. My choice is clear, I can see no reason to pay an extra $150 for optimus. Battery life is worse, and considering the CPU is faster, similar gaming performance is disappointing.I think I'll take my chances with the driver updates. perhaps I will invest in the return program they provide. At any rate, I'll save my 150 bucks and go with the original.
jaeyang9 - Sunday, July 25, 2010 - link
i decided to splurge and got the i7, 8gb, 256gb SSD... still waiting for it to arrive... but i came across this from tutorial video from dell/alienware regarding how to *properly* use optimus for gaming or gpu intensive applicationshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U874jC2blJQ