Alienware M11x R3 Ultraportable Gaming Laptop

 

Blurring the Lines:

A while ago I wrote the article “The PC Industry is a Vampire Living off Apple Blood” in which I criticized the PC industry for releasing unimaginative products that lacked refinement, R&D, and ultimately costing them consumers. The industry has remained largely unchanged except that it seems awareness of consumers desire for a usable, refined, and good performance PC has increased.

Recently I have begun to see the release of hardware that held the promise both power and portability. I became hopeful that laptop manufacturers would release a notebook that included this kind of hardware integrated into a good looking and functional chassis.

Alienware has heard the call of the mobile road warrior and released the M11x. This laptop delivers both portability and uncompromising power. The version we are looking at today is the R3 of the M11x revisions. The R1 and R2 versions of the M11x each delivered the next level of power to this platform. The basic differences between the revisions were CPU bound:

• R1: Based around the Intel ULV Core 2 Duo Processor with the SU7300 and a Geforce GT 335M
• R2: Moved the M11x to the Core i series of processor starting with the i3 and a Geforce GT 335M
• R3: Brings Sandy Bridge to the M11x and starts with the i5 2537M and a Geforce GT 540M

Sandy Bridge really does bring game changing performance to the table for the M11x as it offers integrated graphics, much better processing power, and higher energy efficiency. What consumers can expect is a laptop that looks good, is very small, and offers performance much closer an average desktop or laptop. While the M11x retains its 11 inch form factor and relatively light weight it is not to be confused with a netbook. The M11x will likely blow the doors off average laptops and is a world apart from any netbook on the market. A simple check of its specs reveals a beast within a small shell.

 

Specifications

While I am not a big fan of long listed specifications for a product, the listing below does help understand the potential configurations of the M11x r3. The one we have reviewed here is the baseline model with the addition of a Bluetooth 3.0 adapter. The baseline model retails for $999 if you don’t use any of the specials or coupon codes readily available online.

Processor

• Intel^® Core^TM i5 2537M (1.4GHz/3MB cache)
• Intel^® Core^TM i7 2617M (2.6GHz/4MB cache)

Operating System

• Genuine Windows^® 7 Ultimate 64-Bit
• Genuine Windows^® 7 Professional 64-Bit
• Genuine Windows^® 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Memory

• 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
• 6GB DDR3 at 1333MHz
• 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
• 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz

Chipset

• Mobile Intel^® GS45 Chipset

Display

• 11.6 inch display (1366×768)

Audio and Speakers

• Internal High-Definition 5.1 Performance Audio with WavesMAXX Audio (Standard) Internal High-Definition 5.1 Performance Audio with SoundBlaster X-Fi Audio (Optional) Audio Powered by Klipsch^® 7.1 Digtial Audio out using HDMI connection

Hard Drive

• Up to 750GB SATA hard drive (7200RPM)
• Up to 256GB Solid State Drive SATA hard drive

Camera

• 2.0 Megapixel HD Video and Picture Camera with dual digital microphones

Wireless

• Networking and Wi-Fi All Intel^® Wi-Fi options include Intel® Wireless Display (Wi-Di) technology support. Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet NIC (Standard) Intel^® Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1×2 (Standard) Intel^® Advanced-N WiFi Link 6205 a/g/n 2×2 MIMO Technology (Optional) Intel^® Ultimate N WiFi Link 6250 a/g/n 2×2 MIMO Technology with WiMax (Optional)

• Bluetooth Internal Bluetooth^® 3.0 (Optional) 
• Wireless WAN AT&T 3G Mobile Internet (Optional) Verizon 3G Mobile Internet (Optional)

Ports, Slots & Chassis

• System Dimensions Height: 32.7mm (1.29 inches) Depth: 233.3mm (9.19 inches) Width: 285.7mm (11.25 inches) Starting at Weight: 2.0 kg (4.4lbs)
• External Chassis Connections (1x) IEEE 1304a (4-pin) Firewire Port (1x) RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet (2x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Ports (1x) Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Port with PowerShare technology (1x) Display Port (1x) HDMI 1.4 Audio and Video Output (1x) 3-in-1 Media Card Reader (2x) Audio Out 1/8″ Ports (1x) Audio In / Microphone 1/8″ Port (retaskable for 5.1 audio) (1x) Security Lock port
• Battery Details High Capacity 8-cell Lithium Ion (63whr)  
• Color Options Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish Nebula Red with Soft Touch Finish
• Keyboard Multi-color RGB, 82 key keyboard with AlienFX lighting controls

Analysis:

So what do all these specifications combined mean? Well for starters the 11 inch frame of the M11x is capable of housing up to the new Sandy Bridge i7 and comes default with the i5 which is no slouch either. Screen resolution is 1366 x 768 which is just fine for the screen size, any larger would lead to lots of squinting. Backlit keyboard means you can type while on a plane, in meetings, and anywhere else its dimply lit. Like say for instance while LAN Gaming. A 2.0 MP webcam is a slight upgrade from the 1.3 or even worse 0.3 MP cams found on other portable models and means you wont look like a collection of Lego blocks when chatting with someone online. HDMI, Display Port, 1394, PowerShare USB as well as USB 3.0 ports mean your connectivity options are covered for nearly any accessory you could want. To further your options Alienware has integrated a 3-in-1 Media Card Reader which to be honest should be a standard these days.

The M11x chassis comes with what Alienware has called a “Soft Touch Finish” which is a rubberized coating. This is a very nice feeling surface but it also has the tendency to be easily scratched. Alienware ships the M11x in a nice felt sleeve but as a consumer you should really consider purchasing a neoprene sleeve to protect a laptop this nice. Other extras include 5.1 Audio with integrated speakers that are actually usable and 4GB of DDR3 1333MHz ram on the base model with support for up to 16GB.

Lugging around the M11x is no big chore as it comes in relatively light at 4.4lbs (2.0kg). Pack this into a backpack along with the charger and you are just over 5lbs for both which is perfect for the traveler. However, you should note that it is noticeably heavier than the netbook lineup. The MSI Wind for example comes in at 2.6 lb (1.18 kg) for 6-cell. While this is almost double the weight of the netbook lineup, you must keep in mind that it is not a netbook. It is a netbook killer. This laptop is meant to have similar dimensions as a netbook, but pack more performance than many gaming laptops that are much larger.

Battery Life:

During normal (Non-gaming) use you can expect 5.5 to 6 hours of battery life. Under load the M11x R3 comes in just shy of 2.5 hours or less depending on the intensity of the program and gaming. Using wireless and browsing the internet I was able to attain 5 hours 22 minutes of uptime before the OS warned me the battery was critical and would shutdown.

Alien Fusion Power Plan Creator

As you can see by the screen shot above the M11x also includes software called Alien Fusion which is a power plan creator. This software is very useful for assisting you in determining how and when services and power is allocated to the M11x. Using this software I created a power plan in 2 minutes flat. The plan turned off and on services depending upon applications and battery/AC conditions. The plan resulted in the OS determining that with 97% of the battery remaining the system on time remaining was approximately 6 hours 34 minutes. In reality the plan results in the 5 hours 22 minutes I was able to attain.

It’s All in The Details

The design and layout of the M11x was clearly shown some excellent attention to detail. It has all the right features in all the right places for both the enthusiast and the regular user. From its’ first smooth contact with your fingers to the feedback on the hinge and just about everything in between. A quick look around the open laptop and you will find all of your usual features with the addition of some welcome new ones. The first thing that you will notice is that the power button for the M11x is in the shape of the Alienware head and when pressed will not only glow but also fade between different colors. As if this was not enough an additional multi colored LED beneath the head lights up for the eyes. The glowing Alienware head also serves as the indicator of battery powered or on AC by means of color. This same button also fades in and out when the laptop is put in sleep mode.

After you take your eyes from the power button you will immediately notice that the keyboard is backlit perfectly. This original color depends on your customization during checkout but can be altered to anything you desire in the Alienware Command Center.

On the right side of the laptop there are two headphone jacks and a microphone jack. In addition to the audio jacks there are two USB 3.0 ports.

On the left side of the laptop there is a 3 in 1 card reader, 4 pint 1394 port, gigabit ethernet jack, powered USB 2.0 port, HDMI 1.4, and finally a display port.

 

 

 

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Alienware Command Center:

The M11x comes pre-installed with the Alienware Command Center software which allows you to completely customize the color scheme of five different zones.

Alienware Command Center

Through this software you can create savable themes defined by you as well as define changes in color to designate system events. These can include notifications for new e-mail, changes to color scheme by opening different programs and more. one of the most useful programs I have seen that combines aesthetics and function in one.

AlienRespawn:

The AlienRespawn is the name Alienware gave to their backup solution. The software works excellent providing you have a large enough spare USB drive lying around to dedicate to the backup of your M11x. The only issue I found is that the included software is not apparantly a full version and will only allow you to make a backup of your system back to factory state. The advanced features are an upgrade which cost $39.99. For a laptop which has few compromises I found the upgrade tactic a cheap trick and not worthy of the Alienware brand. That being said based on my testing of the AlienRespawn software it is worth the 39.99 upgrade. Our backup using an 8GB USB thumb drive took approximately 20 minutes to make and 35 minutes to restore. At the end of the process my M11x was returned to complete factory state and fully functional.

AlienRespawn Interface

Intel My Wifi

The Intel My Wifi software made headlines at CES 2009 and has since then only just started showing up on laptops and become more and more used. Essentially the software allows your laptop to become a hotspot thus allowing other portable devices to connect to the internet through your laptop. This has more benefits than just internet connections as you can essentially carry your LAN capability with you without the need for wires.

The software is not perfect though as we found the need to consistently troubleshoot connection types and internet sharing. The software has the tendency to lag behind actual connections and show devices connected which are not. We also had some issues getting iPad’s and iPod’s to connect consistently.

Still the software did always work in the end and is extremely useful. On my trip currently to Taipei for the Computex Conference the software has saved me money by allowing TechwareLabs Managing Editor Dan Shannon and myself to pay for s single internet connection and yet have two or more devices connected. This alone makes the software very, very useful.

The Intel My Wifi software additionally allows you to setup connection types as well as implement security such as WEP, WPA, WPA2, and more. Should you open your network up you can always interactively block devices realtime.

Intel My Wifi Technology

OS Customization:

The M11x comes out of the box customized with your choice of desktop wallpapers as well as color scheme and startup/login screen background. These customizations are done according to your selections made during the configuration and checkout process. I should note that in the screenshot below I have already taken the liberty of customizing the start button myself and replaced the stock Windows 7 Start button, why Alienware does not do this from the factory I do not know. It would be a simple way to further customize the user experience.

One of the default desktops you can create or customize on the M11x

As you can see the widescreen desktop looks very aesthetically appealing and is a real eye catcher. The desktop of course when used in conjunction with the Included Alienware Command Center really gives you the entire experience.

Testing and Benchmarks

As mentioned earlier we ordered the baseline model of the M11x R3 equipped with the I5 and only opted to add a Bluetooth adapter. This was done for several reasons not the least of which was to keep the price down. As such these benchmarks are what you can expect to get from the baseline model of the M11x r3 which lets face it is really what the majority of users end up getting for the same reason.

Our Configuration:

• i5 2537M 1.40 GHz
• 4GB DDR3 1333MHz
• 320 GB 7200rpm Fujitsu SATA 1.5
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
• Bluetooth 3.0
• Geforce GT540M
• 2.0 MP Webcam

Sisoft Sandra 2011 Lite

As you can see the M11x R3 while not a powerhouse does very well for an 11 inch laptop. It has more than enough power to satisfy most consumers and gamers. Its multimedia capabilities are considerable and the GT540 handles 3D content well when the settings are lowered to medium.

Sisoft Sandra has no other entries in its database for other Sandy Bridge mobile CPU’s and as such we were unable to reference others in the mobile lineup against our configuration for this laptop.

Futuremark PCMark 7

PCMark 7

PCMark 7 is the latest release from Futuremark and our score while not high is quite good considering the size and components in the M11x R3.

Unigine Furmark

We tested the M11x R3 at 1024, 1366, and 1280 resolutions to show the performance difference. At 1024 we only managed an average of 12fps using the GT540.

Unigine Heaven

As you can see by the above screenshots going from DX11 down to DX10 results in a framerate increase of over 6fps. In both DX10 and DX11 modes we were not able to average over 30fps. For the best gameplay experience I like to see over 30fps as the minimum and 45 to 60fps as the average. As we stated before the M11x R3 needs to have the settings turned down to medium to low to enjoy a good gaming experience.

Futuremark 3DMark 11

 

3DMark 11

Again no speed records being broken here but the results of the 3DMark 11 test on Performance show that this little 11 inch laptop is more than just for looks.

Futuremark 3DMark Vantage

Futuremark 3DMark Vantage

 

GPU Shark

GPU Shark

This informational utility provides a plethora of information on your video card and platform. We provide this here for a frame of reference when checking your own machines.

Real World Gaming and Benchmarks

“Canned” or synthetic benchmarks tend to show a lot less than the full picture. While 3DMark, Sisoft Sandra, and Unigine can show scores that help by giving you a reference point they do not always translate to results on screen and during actual gameplay. So I broke out some titles both new and old to see what the MX11 R3 is capable of during real gameplay. The results were a bit surprising, the MX11 really rocks!

Brink

I ran all the benchmarks first so my expectations were a bit low and during the first title “Brink” I found out that the game runs very smooth even with all the details turned up. This first person shooter from Splash Damage employs high resolution textures and expansive environments, average framerates were between 30 and 45 with medium settings.

Section 8 Prejudice

Based on the Unreal Engine this title plays very well with framerates between 50 and 80.

Lost Planet 2

Lost Planet 2 the well known sequel to the first Lost Planet is a good stress test for hardware and has both DX11 and DX9 modes of gameplay. As you can see the performance is rated a C while the actual gameplay is not too bad. A slight drop in settings resolves this and will allow you to play at a reasonable ~30fps.

 

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Analysis and Conclusion

As you can see from the tests, benchmarks, and gameplay the Alienware M11x R3 offers some good performance for its size and hardware. This machine is perfect for anyone who has been disappointed in a netbook and wants as much power in as small a form factor as possible. The R3 of the M11x brings Sandy Bridge to the table and with it an additional array of capabilities and power. The prosumer in me loves the ability to multitask as well as game, and the budget consumer in me adores the low price.

From a practical standpoint the M11x R3 makes sense for those who need power and don’t want to sacrifice on portability. The Intel My Wifi is an awesome extra benefit, as are the powered USB ports and its take no prisoners looks.

You will be sure to be the center of attention as well bringing the M11x aboard any plane, in an internet cafe, or out in public. Bring out the M11x and people stare and eventually ask questions. Picking up the unit always raises an eyebrow as everyone I’ve shown it to loves not just the looks but also the feel of the unit.

At the end of the day the M11x R3 does have some minor flaws but they are small and won’t interfere with your normal use.

Pros:

• Awesome Looks
• Sandy Bridge in an 11 Inch
• Up to 16GB of RAM!
• Excellent Battery life
• Nice Screen
• Great Expansion options

Cons:

• Gaming capable but only on low to medium settings
• Battery brick could be smaller and Alienware branded
• Intel My Wifi intermittent problems

All things considered this is a laptop well worth the money I paid for it. I would buy it again and in real world use after two weeks of traveling from Orlando to LA to Taipei to Hong Kong and then the same in reverse I can easily say that the M11x allowed me to do everything I wanted to do without waiting. It did all of this while looking awesome and letting me work for hours. Considering the well above average performance for a laptop in this size class the M11x R3 meets all of my criteria for the Editors Choice award while exceeding my expectations. Good Job Alienware!