Alienware M11x

Intro

I purchased this laptop as a replacement for my outdated black-friday version 15" HP DV6000. I bought this laptop for use in college next year, mainly for word processing, CAD modeling, and light gaming. I was weary to purchase an Alienware because of the reputation of having overpriced computers, but after researching other laptops in the size range, the price tag was acceptable compared to what I was getting. I was very confident before purchasing this laptop that it was going to suit my needs perfectly.

What's in the Box:

• Laptop
• Manuals
• Power Block
• Felt sleeve (somewhat durable?)
• Foam

Design

My first impressions of the laptop in person were nothing short of what I expected based on what I read online. The "Soft Black" touch color is gorgeous, soft to the touch and somewhat easy to get finger prints on. The overall construction of the laptop is VERY sturdy, which is possibly one of the reasons that I love it so much. It feels right in your hands, and nothing feels like it's going to break if you push it the wrong way. Everything is extremely solid, and seems like it will last a very long time.

Screen:

There is talk everywhere about the quality of the m11x screen being horrible, too glossy, too reflective, shiny, and ugly. I must admit that I do not use lighting in my room that emits light at an angle to make a glare (if you do, why?), so I might be a little bit biased. The screen is shiny, and I can understand where the glare would come from if you bring it in the sun or somewhere with very harsh lighting. The colors are good though, everything on the screen looks as it should.

Keyboard

I got used to the size of the keyboard within minutes of using it, and I think I could type for hours without getting annoyed. The keys are the perfect size and have a smooth pressing motion, and are very quiet as well. The AlienFx lighting for the keyboard in particular is very useful at night. The build quality and durability of the laptop definitely carries over to the keyboard.

There are some very unique function keys on this laptop that I have never seen on any other brands, such as a key to switch between external monitor only, lcd only, and both. There is a function key that displays "battery enabled" on my screen when I press it..not sure what it means. There's a button to turn on and off wifi, and then standard brightness and volume control ones as well. There is however two buttons after f12, one that launches the alienware command center and one that enables/disables AlienFx. The arrow keys are a little small, but I'm sure my little cousin wouldn't mind playing gold miner with them.

Touchpad

The touchpad is made out of the perfect material for a touch pad, it isn't too soft and does not remind me of a slice of cheese like on some laptops. It does not get clammy, sticky, or hard to move on like I have experienced on other brands. Very responsive, and with a simple updated synaptic driver install I now have two finger scroll and pinch and zoom just like a mac (which I love).

Features:

NVIDIA Optimus is sort of a hit or miss for some people. Personally, I love it. Having two different graphics processors is great, the Intel HD chip and the NVIDIA 335m GPU. Optimus (which is NVIDIA's new technology) determines if a program should be run on the Intel HD chip or the NVIDIA 335m. Unfortunately, with this being a new technology, there are some bugs with it. There are drivers being released that are not being tailored specifically to the m11x, which require some modification before installing (which really is NOT that difficult at all, just a simple replacing of a .txt file in the installer). Optimus sometimes will not utilize the NVIDIA card for certain games or programs, but fortunately there is a way to "whitelist" certain executables so they always use the NVIDIA card.

LEDS

I think everyone knows how awesome the AlienFx LEDS are. Fully customizable colors, able to map individual colors to each cluster of lighting (keyboard, front lots, alienware logo, alien head [inside, not on lid (which is lit by the screens backlight so you CANT change the color)]. It is really impressive in person and easily disabled with a function key.

Wifi –

The wifi connectivity on this laptop is seemingly better than my other laptop. I'm not sure if windows 7 has anything to do with it, but I have had better signal reception and overall everything seems faster. I run my xbox360 connection through my laptop (by bridging the ethernet port and wifi) and always experienced slight lag and intermittent disconnects with my HP, and I no longer have that problem with the m11x!

Speakers

I usually use my Klipsch speakers when I'm at home, but I unplugged them to try out the build in 5.1 surround, and I was VERY impressed. It really was like surround sound, I could tell which side sounds were coming from and everything sounded very crisp and clear.

Front:

Two AlienFx colored grilles, and it they do NOT seem as bulky as they do in pictures they're actually quite small.

Webcam Pictures

Seems like any standard built in webcam, nothing special here.

Right Side:

Two USB ports, two headphone jacks and one microphone jack.

Left Side:

Display port, HDMI port, one USB port, ethernet connection, firewire and SD/MMC/MS PRO(?)

Rear:

Power connection, fan vent

Bottom:

The customizable alienware nameplate! And a pretty cool battery indicator, press the button and there are 5 led's that show you the level of the battery.

Benchmarks

Insert Benchmark Scores and Pictures Here
Please read the benchmark section above to run common benchmarks.

Size and Weight

VERY light laptop. Easily one handed, picked up, moved, flipped, and it feels durable. It's not going to break.

Heat and Noise

Fan's are quiet at loudest, and heat depends on the amount of processing you're doing. The i7 can throw out some heat, but nothing that you're not able to touch after an hour or so gaming session. The keyboard does not heat up much, just the area where your palms rest.

Battery Life

While streaming a video off of hulu (with the Nvidia GPU active) I was getting about 3.5 hours off of the battery. Once I turned off the GPU and the laptop was idling, the battery life went up to almsot 5 hours.

Software

AlienFx for LED colors, I would reccomend Aliensense facial recognition, it seems like a gimmick to me.

Accessories

A felt sleeve that the laptop comes in, I have read reports of people using them as a laptop protector in a bag, but It's a tight fit and I can't see myself doing it. I'm more of a neoprene sleeve kind of guy.

Pros:

• Small form factor
• Powerful
• Durable
• Beautiful
• Ease of use
• Alienware

Cons:

• Screen (for some people, depending on lighting)
• NVIDIA Optimus drivers (need updating, some users might not be up for the task)
• Alienware

Conclusion:

There is something that I have fallen in love with on this laptop that I didn't mention beforehand, and it's the material where your palms rest on the computer. It almost seems old, sort of like something you would find on a 1990s laptop, but somehow modern at the same time. I like it, it feels and looks nice, and I think it's perfect.

But really, in conclusion, I can see myself loving using this laptop for as long as I keep it, the combination of the power and the small form factor are very pleasing. This is a laptop you can see yourself using everywhere, in your house, at a coffee shop, on a plane, at school, it fits every environment perfectly. The build quality and sturdiness of the laptop are superior to any notebook I have ever used in the past. This laptop just feels right, for surfing the web, gaming, typing, and anything else you can imagine yourself using your laptop for.

From left to right: Dell mini9, Alienware M11x R2, Alienware m15x R1


i7 Performance
The i7 640UM is a dual core, hyper-threaded processor. There are 4 threads, so it looks like a modern mid-tier server at work.


The i7 640UM is clocked at 1.2Ghz and Alienware advertises it has a max 2.6Ghz “turbo” frequency. This processor default bus speed of 133Mhz with a 9x multiplier, giving it the 1.2Ghz core speed.


The 1.2Ghz frequency is misleading. This processor uses Intel® Turbo Boost Technology to dynamically adjusts the CPU multiplier from 5x to 17x. This makes the core speed low at (133Mhz*5) 665Mhz and maxes out at (133Mhz*17) 2.26Ghz.



Alienware was cool enough to leave the bus speed overclocking option available in the system BIOS.


You can manually adjust the bus speed from 133Mhz (default) all the way up to 166Mhz. This means you can get a maximum core frequency of (166Mhz*17) 2.8Ghz.That’s a 24.8% increase!
As you may know, every CPU is unique and overclocking results will vary. With minimal 3rd party cooling options for notebooks, stabilizing a 24.8% CPU frequency increase is difficult. On my rig, I had issues OC at the maximum 166Mhz bus frequency. I was able to stabilize at 164Mhz, giving me a maximum CPU frequency of 2.796Ghz.


GPU Performance
The 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 335M graphics card rocks!
Out of the box with no overclocking I got 6978 on a 3D Mark 06


I pushed the GPU a bit…


…and maxed out at 7725; that’s HOT!


That’s as far as I can get it guys. I really want to hit 8k but it’s just not happening on this rig, any higher and I either BSOD or fail to complete the benchmark. Adding the built-in CPU overclocking from the systems BIOS only added problems for 3d benchmarks, between Intel Turbo Boost and lack of any voltage adjustments for CPU OC, my 3D Mark score actually went down with any attempt of CPU OC. Honestly, I wish this system would allow us to OC the CPU multiplier vs. the core speed. Your variances would be limited, but with no current voltage adjustment options, changing just the core speed is not helping much… But 7.7k 3D Marks is HOT on a 11” notebook!!!


Conclusion:
Best notebook I’ve ever owned! Click some of the links in my signature and you’ll see I’ve owned a lot. I’m always on the lookout for the smallest, but most powerful (3D performance) notebook out there. For me, size really matters! It wasn’t but a few years ago you couldn’t get this level of 3D performance in a 17” notebook.

Been looking at this model for some time. Given the uncertainties of refresh config/price in my market I took the bait. Been using 17" Dell systems for years but the battery life attracted me with this system. Portability WITH power was appealing.

Specs:

This is a "loaded" system. Dell Malaysia, even the online ordering, prepackages systems with items that are options in other markets. Ex: bluetooth. What I do NOT have by purchasing from retail is a bundled extended warranty or mobile broadband option.
...some of the important bits...
SU7300 CPU
4GB Ram
Nvidia GeForce GT 335M
500GB HD
Win7 HomePrem 64

What's in the Box:

In my case, there were extra items. Though not IN the box, they were included. DVD writer, backpack, and a collection of laptop extras (mouse/pad/cooler etc). Otherwise its standard fare....

Laptop, power supply (65w), Media, soft sleeve, manual, warranty info.

The box itself was well done. Good design, well protected, and the presentation or "teaser" as you dig in to get at the system was attractive

Design

Great! May not be for everyone. Default color zones in red was a no-go for me. The M11x is much less likely to grab attention though than the larger siblings.

Screen:

Similar screen quality to other glossy screens. You might not like the reflections but this depends on you use. For me no problem.

Keyboard

No keypad (dont need) but you can always move to external KB or even just external keypad if needed.

Keys are backlit and one of the zones you can change colors for. Each key is sized ok except for arrow keys. Should be bigger but VERY difficult to do given case size. A smaller shift key and losing one of the windows keys might have helped.

You may see some uneven looking keys. This is sometimes an illusion but other users have reported that there is actually a bowing effect that has some keys higher than others. Im not seeing any issue yet.

Touchpad

One of the best touchpad setups I've used. Well done.

Features:

System has a good list of features for ME, you might have different tastes. One big thing I have to have is BT.

Multimedia Keys

Volume controls and other AW specific functions are in the top row activated by FN (Function) button.

LEDS

Lots of LEDs!
Zone lighting
Active camera
Connectivity
Charge level
Charge state
... more!

Wifi –

No issues with wifi that I can tell. Performance is normal.

Speakers

Average. Not sure if better than other small systems! Compared to the larger Dell systems I was using the M11x is not as nice to listen too or as loud.

Input and Output Ports

Front:

zip zero nada

Webcam Pictures

Not testing but appears to be average.

Right Side:

2USB, 3 audio. Depending on what is used for connection and if you are right handed you may finding yourself moving mouse hand to a less natural position.


Left Side:

1USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, Multi-Card reader, Firewire


Rear:

Power!


Bottom:

Big vent/fan visible

Benchmarks

Not yet!

Size and Weight

Compared to? Certainly much easier than prior system!

Heat and Noise

No issues. You might notice fan noise if in quiet environment

Battery Life

Good! Looks like my config at the moment will give 4hrs+


Software

Facial Recognition! I like it, others do not.
LED/look&feel controls
Graphic switching is software so I include here

Accessories

Bundled into the price was the DELL branded USB DVD r/w, carry bag, accessories kit


Pros: In list form, summarize the pros
Everything everyone else says.

Cons: In list form, summarize the cons
Poor quality control on assembly and MB/CPU issues with overclock. Support was great though and issues are resolved.

Conclusion:
I like it!

Intro

I was looking for something portable and powerful at the same time. I was sick and tired of carrying heavy 15.4 + notebooks and needed something that would do the same tasks as my 15.4 notebook. I stumbled onto this little thing when i was watching the CES show and since then i was waiting for it to come out. I had some money problems when it came out but i was able to get it after i managed the troubles i had.

Specs:

CPU: C2D SU7300
GPU: Intel 4500 / Nvidia GT335 1GB
Memory: 2x1GB DDR 1600 Mhz
HD: 320GB SATA 2 7200RPM
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium x64


What's in the Box:

The packaging was quite well done. Inside you do not get much. You get the Laptop covered with an Alienware sleeve. The power brick and the cables. Also you get a Windows 7 Home Premium x64 Disk.

Design

This is where most people argue quite a bit and fuss over why its not like this or like that. You know what....most people say that a MacBook design (Looks at Engadget and Gizmodo) would have look better for the laptop but i tend to disagree. If i wanted a Macbook i would have bought one. Also guess what the design is awesome for my taste. When someone sees this small lappy everyone just stares at it and asks me where i got it. The whole curves and design of the Laptop is quite fitting for the machine considering its designed for gaming on the go.

Screen:

Alright. Screen is a 11.6 Inches big. The screen is a glossy type of screen and as the usual problem is a fingerprint magnet. Personally i think that Alienware could have fitted a little bigger screen but it might have raised the price of the whole unit so i guess this is where the equilibrium that they found. The screen is viewable great during the night and its brightness is great compared to most screens i've seen. High quality screen. During the day i have some problems with the sunlight but brightness of the screen tends to fix that. Viewing angles are quite alright i suppose. Anything above 45 degree angle (anywhere) would not be viewable properly.

Keyboard

Keyboard is very well made and its always good that it has an addition of having back light. The keys feel right and are quite easy to type on. The keyboard maybe a bit small but it fits me perfectly and i do have a little bigger hands than the average person so its perfect for me. The Fn keys are quite a bit:
F1 = HDMI external or LCD
F2 = Battery
F3 = Wi-Fi ON or OFF
F4 = Brightness up
F5 = Brightness down
F6 = Switch between GFX on the go
F7 = Mute button
F8 = Lower sound
F9 = Increase sound
F10 - F12 = Multimedia buttons

Touchpad

The touchpad is big and very responsive. If you use the new drivers from Synaptics you can enable Multi-touch on the Touchpad.

Wifi –

The Wi-Fi is very easy to use and is quite strong and seems to reach further than my 15.4 inch notebook. Its great.

Speakers

Speakers are one of the things that really surprised me on this small laptop. I mean for such a small notebook it has quite strong speakers. Yes they are not professional but they are quite loud.

Input and Output Ports

Front:

Speakers on front only

Webcam Pictures

Webcam is great and very easy to use. The software that comes pre-loaded is also fun to play around with.

Right Side:

2xUSB ports and 2 audio and 1 for Mic


Left Side:

This is the most busy part of notebook. It has VGA, 1xUSB, Ethernet port, HDMI, Display Port, MMS-SD-Flash adapters, Mini-Firewire port (1394)


Rear:

The exhaust for the fan and the Power plug cable.


Bottom:

An Exhaust port accompanied by a Design tag made by Alienware with your name.

Benchmarks



Size and Weight

Its not that heavy for such a little fella.

Heat and Noise

Heat is not an issue due to the fan. The fan turns on mostly when you have some tasks that involve the access of the Nvidia GPU mostly. The CPU tasks seem not to task the system that much to initiate the fan.

Battery Life

Battery life with brightness on 20% and web-browsing and listening to music is about 6 hours. (that includes the lights on also.)

Max battery life without the lights and browsing the net is about 7 hours and 14 minutes.

Software

Camera software and Personal Alienware theme software for the notebook's lights.


Pros: Great notebook, Nice battery life, Great for mid-level gaming, Easy to carry and use, Auto OC is great for more performance.

Cons: FingerPrint magnet, Screen could have been bigger, powerbrick could have been smaller.

Conclusion: If you are looking for something small to play on the go. Buy it.

Here are some pics



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AW m11x

Hello, it's mb67 putting together his review of the AW m11x, since waiting on Steve to do his awesome review seems to be something of a fantasy right now. That, and qhn hounding me to do a review. (j/k qhn )

Anyway, on to more pressing matters. The reasons that led up to my purchase of this laptop have part to do with my one-year assignment to Biloxi MS. When I boarded the plane from Honolulu, HI (my home ) to MS, I was carrying my Dell Studio XPS 16 with me. While the XPS 16 isn't the heaviest laptop out there, it got to be a bit cumbersome lugging from airport to airport. It was then that I decided to get something much more portable. Right around that time the AW m11x was introduced at CES, and my eyes started to glaze over with heady euphoria (like Homer Simpson does with doughnuts ) as I looked at the initial reviews/comments coming out of CES. In the end I decided on purchasing the m11x as it was added to the military's exchange website which saved me $$$ since I didn't have to pay tax or shipping and handling.

As for first impressions, I have to say that I'm impressed with the build quality. There's a small amount of flex when opening the lid from the corners, but if you open it from the center of the lid it shows no signs of flex. It's a bit thicker than most systems with 11.6" screens, but it's understandable since there needs to be airflow for the graphics card. One other thing to keep in mind with this system is it's ability to pick up fingerprints/smudges. The outer casing is a fingerprint magnet and you'll probably have to carry a cloth around with you should you want to keep it smudge free.

Here's a pic of the outside lid with glowing alien head-


Here's a pic of the system connected to my HDTV:


Specs:

My system's specs:
Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo SU7300 1.3GHz (3MB Cache)
Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 800MHz
Wallpapers: Alienhead Chrome Blue
LCD: 11.6-inch WideHD 1366x768 (720p) WLED
Video Card: 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 335M
Hard Drive: 500GB SATAII 7,200RPM
Nameplate: Personalized Nameplate (MB67)
AlienFX: Quasar Blue
Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Avatar: Alienhead Chrome Blue
Integrated NIC: Integrated 10/100 Network Interface Card
Adobe Reader: Adobe Acrobat Reader
Sound: Internal High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)
Wireless: Alienware M11x a/b/g/n 2x2 MIMO Wireless
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates: On
Webcam: 1.3MP Web Cam
Pre-Installed Games: Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed
Bluetooth: Bluetooth Module, 2.1+ Enhanced Data Rate
Standard Nameplate Trigger: mb67 (of course)

M11x spec Linky
I have also included a .pdf attachment (as well as the link) of the detailed spec sheet so that viewers can see for themselves what its "got under the hood" so to speak.


What's in the Box:

The M11x ships with a nice looking manual, and the usual assortment of items such as power brick, etc. One thing that mystifies me however is that the M11x ships with a Windows 7 recovery DVD, when it doesn't have an optical drive. Oh well, that won't stop me from making a recovery image that I can boot to via USB. Here are a couple of pictures that show the power brick (compared to the Dell XPS 16 power brick) and the box itself.




Design

I'm starting to really like the industrial design of the M11x. It's a 'miniaturized' version of it's bigger siblings (The M15x and the M17x) and at first I wasn't too sure I was keen on that, but after having it a while now it really is growing on me. It's solid, and that I like. I don't want a laptop that I have to treat like a Ming Dynasty Vase. Of course I'll be gentle with it anyway, but I don't want to have to be so conscientious of taking care of it.

Screen:
The screen is really nice for such a small system. It's bright and the colors are crisp when watching movies or playing "Zombie Bowl-O-Rama" on. The viewing angle is not too bad- I'm able to view movies even off of center screen. It's best viewing can be done in low light situations as the glossy screen can be a bit dodgy in daylight environments. All glossy screens have this problem, and there is no way around it unless laptop manufacturers go back to matte finish LCD panels. There are no dead pixels on my screen, which is always a joy especially when purchasing a new laptop. A couple of screenshots of how the screen looks: (Please excuse the brightness of the light behind me as I took this picture, plus it's a camera phone pic so the quality isn't the greatest.)



Keyboard
The keyboard is really nice. I don't find a lot of flex in the keys and their placement is good. I do like how they have LED lighting which is a big part of the Alienware line of laptops. With the Alien FX lighting system, you can change the back lighting to your whims. There is a nice tutorial which outlines how you can change the colors and even set up 'zones' so that your game keys can be color coded to stand out from the rest of the keyboard. Another cool thing about the M11x is it's ability to switch from the Intel integrated graphics to the NVIDIA 335M GT by toggling the FN+F6 keys. I'll explain this a bit more later on in the review. The function keys pretty much control a lot of the functions that most systems have dedicated buttons for. I'm not too sure why they wanted to go the FN key route but it works once you get used to it.



Touchpad

I like the slightly off-center textured touchpad-It's quite responsive and with an updated synaptic software pkg, I could gain multi-touch capabilities but I must admit I'm more of an external mouse person hence my Logitech VX Nano which sits right beside my laptop




Features:
When it comes to features there are a couple of things that stand out on the M11x. First off, the 'Binary Graphics' that I briefly mentioned earlier. This allows you to switch between the Intel gpu and the Nvidia gpu 'on the fly', without having to reboot the system like my AW Area-51 M5500 had to do. On the M5500 If I wanted to game I had to reboot the system and flip the graphics switch (which was a converted WiFi toggle switch). For the M11x that is thankfully eliminated. All you have to do is press the FN+F6 and it's 'Game On!'

Another really cool feature is the Alien FX lighting system. I mentioned it earlier in the keyboard paragraph but it truly is a nice touch and I'm glad AW decided to incorporate it in the M11x. Here are a couple of screenshots showing just how extensive the FX Lighting System is:



Multimedia Keys

There are no multimedia keys on the M11x, just function keys which control a variety of functions (WiFi on/off, display toggle, graphics switching, etc.)

Wifi –

I will have to get back to you on the WiFi, as I don't currently have my wireless network set up. I am getting a dual band wireless n router soon so I'll update the wireless info later. I will say this though- I was able to detect several networks in the vicinity, which tells me that the WiFi radio works well at detection.

Speakers

The built-in speakers are alright for a tiny system. I find them to have a bit of that 'tin can' effect but keep in mind that if you're an audiophile on the go you'll be using headphones anyway.

Front:

There are no ports available on the front of the M11x, however there are a pair of LED-lit grills loosely reminiscent of a Chevy Camaro front end. I like the looks myself, but your mileage may vary. Oh and there is a 'lip' between the lid and the body of the laptop to make it easier to open.



Webcam Pictures

The webcam works pretty well and the available software has a bunch of customizations to add a whole range of effects. My ugly mug is presented for your horror



Right Side:
The right side of the system has two headphone jacks, a microphone jack, and two USB ports. I'm not sure why they went with the two headphone jacks but it doesn't matter that much to me as I only need the one and it functions well. The USB's are nice however it would have been really nice to get USB 3.0 ports for the added speed.


Left Side:

When it comes to ports the m11x has a nice assortment. On the left side of the machine there are the VGA, 1 USB, Ethernet, HDMI, Display Port, media card readers, and the firewire port. I have used almost every one of the ports with the Display Port being the lone exception, and I find the functionality to be good.



Rear:

The only things on the rear of the M11x worth mentioning are the power cord jack and the exhaust vent. Otherwise, there's nothing to talk about.



Bottom:

On the bottom of the M11x you won't find much outside of the really cool name plate that can be personalized/etched with your name or as in my case mb67. I don't have any decent pics of the name plate but I do have a pic of the other feature located on the bottom, which is the battery indicator. This lights up letting you know how much 'juice' your battery has left.


Benchmarks
I do have some screenshots outlining some of the benchmarks I've performed.

3DMark 05- 9316


3DMark 06- 5420


3D Vantage- 2688


Passmark- 825.8


Cinebench- (Pathetic )


Windows Performance Index- 4.6


Size and Weight
As far as the weight is concerned it's just plain awesome to me. At just under 4.5lbs (4.3lbs) I enjoy carrying it around so much more so than my XPS 16. I've included some comparison pics between the M11x and the XPS 16:



Heat and Noise

The fan kicks in every once in a while during game sessions but it doesn't stay constantly on. I don't notice any heat issues like I do with my XPS 16, which can get pretty hot. Here is a screenshot of the CPUID Temp monitor program that I downloaded: Keep in mind that this is with a browser that has multiple tabs open and I have an ripped Blu-Ray movie playing.



Battery Life

I will have to get back with you on the battery usage as I've not had time to do a proper battery drain test.


Software

There's not much software installed on this system, which to me is a nice selling point. I opted for the Steam software so I can 'get my game on', and it also has the Alienware FX lighting system software, and the Alien Sense software, which is a facial ID software system that allows you to log on with facial recognition. I don't have that set up yet, and I might later on, but for now I'm using the regular log on method. Outside of that I can't think of anything that's pre-installed on here.

Accessories
There aren't any accessories that ship with the M11x, however I do have a neoprene laptop sleeve on order that's designed specifically for the M11x. I can't wait for it to arrive.

Pros: Small, lightweight, LED backlit keyboard, graphics muscle

Cons: Easily smudged by fingerprints, Bezel is a bit thick around the LCD, glossy screen can be distracting in certain situations

Conclusion: I have to say that this is a worthwhile purchase for anybody looking for portability without sacrificing performance as you would with a netbook. Not only does it play back Blu-Rays, but it games rather well, and it's lightweight enough to haul around just about anywhere. The debate over whether or not it should have had the low voltage Core i5/i7 processors is not an issue for me as the M11x does everything I want it to and then some. I've been waiting for such a laptop for a long time now, and Alienware has hit a 'home run' in my opinion.
I'll be updating this review as I get around to doing a battery drain test and the WiFi test, and I'll also add some nice pics once I get my dSLR camera. (I truly dislike taking pics with my camera phone. )

Intro

The reason I got this is that I wanted a laptop that would be more portable than my MALX and this looked like it would meet those expectations, placed my order and got a est delivery of March 3rd, I surprised to see it updated with a 18th delivery date. It arrived on schedule doulbe boxed with a DELL outer box and the Alienware box inside. Opening it up and seeing it sleeved inside a felt soft cover/case was a nice touch. picking it it feels heavier than I thought it would but it also feels solid and not flimsy or fragile. Opening it up and turning it on I immediately noticed the backlit keyboard, power button, and front grills. the textured touchpad is actually better than I thought when 1st seeing it and the gloss screen with no edges is really nice.
Specs:


224-95551Alienware M11x, Cosmic Black313-95891Intel Core2 Duo SU7300 1.3GHz (3MB Cache, 800MHz FSB)317-895414GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz421-15911Alienhead 3D320-9963111.6-inch WideHD 1366x768 (720p) WLED320-985711GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M342-87441500GB SATAII 7,200RPM313-87921AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue421-85581Alienware Command Center, M11x421-13981Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English420-96911DataSafe Local BackUp 2.0 Basic420-64361PC-Restore, Dim/Insp421-00921DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG421-15731Alienhead 3D313-98561Integrated 10/100 Network Interface Card410-18831ADOBE READER 9.0 MULTI- LANGUAGE313-99581Integrated High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)330-63481Automatic Updates: On330-899511.3 Megapixel Webcam950-333711 Year Limited Warranty908-36471Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year922-70601Third Party At Home Service, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year950-97971No Warranty, Year 2 and 3421-17211Soft Contracts,Banktec Care,Alienware994-37301Warranty Support,Initial Year330-01711S and P Drop-in-Box Marcom forDHS Notebooks430-37731No Internal WWAN Antenna Installed421-13601Steam and Portal Factory Installed

What's in the Box:

In the box there was a WINDOWS 7 disk and a little mini manual along with the power cord and a tiny little power brick, well small when you consider I'm used to lugging the MALX one around.

Design

As far as design goes I think Alienware hit a home run with this, it's basically just a smaller version of the M15x and M17x. Very distinctive in design compared to all the other laptops out there. Basically it just screams gaming laptop when you see it.

Screen:

The screen has a killer picture especially for it's size and is very crisp and clear, I'm having no trouble playing games on it even Americas Army.

Keyboard

Is the keyboard comfortable? Does it come with a keypad? Does it get hot? Are the function keys useful? What are the function keys? (list them starting with F1)
The keyboard is comfortable for its size, but come on it and 11" laptop, its gonna be a little cramped. The back lighting is nice and I like than u can chnage the colors through the command center software.

Touchpad

I like the tough pad it is textured, so far I havent found if it has a scroll pad, to busy playing games on it I think. I'll have to look for it
Features:

Multimedia Keys

The multi media keys are the press FN and hit F1 through F12, these include volume control,brightness.mute, switch to biary graphics, and fast forward etc.

LEDS

The Alienhead power button changes color depending on whether its on battery or ac, also there are led lights for capsand wireless signal

Wifi –

Ive noticed that the wireless is picking up much better than my MALX does from exactly the same spot, there is enough of a difference that I can play WOW and the other online games where I couldnt with my MALX plus the Windows7 is easy to find wirelsss signals, I thing I'm probably going to upgrade all four of our computers to Windows 7.

Speakers

Speakers are pretty good, missing base but thats to be expected from a two speaker system plus how big a speaker can u fit in it anyway.

Input and Output Ports

Front:

None, only thing on the front are the two lighted grills.

Webcam Pictures

From what little I've messed with the webcam it works, the software for it comes already installed and set up.

Right Side:

This thing has got ports everywhere, the right side has audio out, audio in/microphone, and 2 USB slots.

Left Side:

On the left side there is a security cable slot,VGA, one more USB, a Lan connecter, a HDMI, display port connecter, 3 in 1, IEEE1394 a connecter(I have no idea what it is), and a sim slot.

Rear

Only thing on the back is the ac adapter.

Bottom:

The underside is smooth with a grill on the left rear and the name plaque.

Benchmarks

Insert Benchmark Scores and Pictures Here
Please read the benchmark section above to run common benchmarks.

Size and Weight

This thig is easy to carry, about like carrying a full 3 ring binder if that.
Heat and Noise

Hardly any noise at all from this, it's almost silent. You can barely hear one fan. It gets warm on the underside, personally I wish it had some feet that raised the back up a little more, I feel is sits too flush with the surface its on like a table or desk. Even after its been on for 4 hours or more the top side is only warm, dont have any speed fan reading yet, working on it.
Battery Life

How is the battery life while idling? Surfing the web? Watching videos?


Software

Only software that Ive seen that it comes with is the Windows 7 disk, and really what else do you need, if your like me I download almost everything from online anymore.

Accessories

Felt sleeve is about it


Pros: In list form, summarize the pros

Small super convenient size, killer backlit keyboard and accents, sharp and clear screen resolutions, ready to go out of the box and good gaming FPS on the games I play.

Cons: In list form, summarize the cons

Little bit heavier than I thought it would be( but that really is nitpicking) flush underside where its not raised up enough( my MALX has made me paranoid about airflow), the lack of a USB Bluray drive available when you order it, And last I hope Alienware comes out with a dedicated carry case for it. Other than that at this time I thinks it incredible

Conclusion:

At this time I'm very happy with this, it's small and extremely portable. Plays all the games Ive tried on it so far.

Ill try and get some better one in the morning