Alienware M11x Laptop starting at $549 + Tax
Save $200 instantly and coupon code BHW1L0MX0D?MCX knocks off another $50.
Baseline model has 2GB of DDR3-800 memory, a 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Home Premium, 160GB 5400RPM hard drive, an overclockable 1.3GHz Core 2 Duo SU7300, 11.6-inch WLED panel (1366 x 768), 1.3 megapixel webcam, an integrated 10/100 NIC and a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M GPU.
Only black and grey were available when I checked.
by
riocobra
added a year ago
FYI- This deal was posted on Engadget at 4:30 this morning, so it's not exactly a secret and, apparently, quantities are limited. I was thinking that they are trying to get rid of the Core 2 Duo models and have the older i3 and i5 chips in the base models.
wonder why they only put in a 5400rpm hd ... seems slow to me ..
@neonnut: Then you would have one less thing to pay to upgrade. A 250 GB 7200RPM drive is $50 more so you could call it a free upgrade with the extra coupon I ran across. You can bump the RAM from 2GB to 4GB for $50 as well. I think it can handle up to 8GB. I figured I could wait for the price of SSD's to (hopefully) come down and just swap out the drive.
I also skipped the optical drive since I had already purchased the Netbook accessory kit from Woot a while back.
Choosing 8GB RAM adds $350?!
Darn, I would definitely get this if I didn't get a new laptop just a few months ago.
I remember when Alienware used to be killer...not so much anymore. Too bad they went "mainstream." In order to get anything like they used to have, you have to do a custom build yourself. Business is Business :/
@discountlingeriedeals: Yep, that about sums it up. Getting bought by Dell sucked the vibe out of them. But as you say, b'net be b'net.
If you get this, make sure to get the iCore upgrade.///
The ultimate question is...can this run WoW?
What makes this a "gaming" laptop? Most of the specs are worse than my 3-year old "business" laptop (everything except the video card), and mine is only mediocre at running 3-year old games. Don't get me wrong, this is a decent laptop, but as-is, I wouldn't expect this to run newer games very well.
Wow, a whole 2gb RAM and 160gb hard drive??! Sign me up!
dont buy any upgrades through their site, 8gigs of ram is only 80 on newegg, cheaper hard drives on newegg as well.
what makes it a gaming laptop is most likely the video card if i remember correctly its a 1gig which is pretty good for gaming.
@mrzman: The graphics card IS what makes this a gaming laptop. It's the key component in every gaming system.
all you guys saying you have old laptops better than this and that this sucks, you have to remember that this is only 11 inches!!!!
the processor on this thing is laughable. you can upgrade it all you want but it wont matter. the "chokepoint" even with no upgrades on this system is that extremely poor duo core processor.
I can't say I understand the naysayers here, but each has their own opinion. I bought this laptop for my wife a year ago and have been very satisfied (I chose to have all upgrades included though -- if you're going to do it, do it right). It'll run many games at maxed out settings. No, you can't run something the likes of Crysis or GTAIV at high settings, but, this is still a laptop, and a rather affordable one at that. This is the budget's buyer's Alienware, as contradictory as that sounds. In other words, for those of us who can't afford the latest and greatest high-end gaming laptop, this is the next best thing. It'll run most games absolutely beautifully, save some of the latest and greatest.
We mostly play Borderlands, LOTRO, WoW, and Fallout 3 on it, all settings maxed. Smooth as silk. And it will handle Crysis, you just have to keep settings relatively low/medium.
For me, nothing beats getting through a boring flight than playing Oblivion in your airplane seat. :D
@smason16: So? This is supposedly a gaming laptop. It should be judged on its ability to play games, not its portability.
@bsishere: I wouldn't call it laughable. It's pretty much what is in the current MacBook Air from what I can tell (1.3 gHz vs 1.4 gHz). I've heard that they are pretty snappy. Especially with an SSD. This costs about half as much as the Air and has a way better graphics chip. Plus you don't have to worry about special screws if you feel like upgrading it. Although I'm not sure if they've made it into the Air yet.
You can get this same laptop from the Dell Outlet store for $519 (plus tax), so if you miss it here, you can still get it. While it is refurbished, Dell has the same warranty for the refurbs as the new machines. Not to mention they frequently have 15-20% off coupons, so if you wait a bit you can get this machine for about $430.
@journeyloaded: Well, I assume it only has two slots for RAM, and 2 X 4 GB RAM cards do not come cheap, while 2 X 2 GB RAM cards are the standard.
I've had 14", 7", 12", and now a 17.3" screen (at 1600x900). Except for airplane usage, I love myself a 17.3, no way could I go to an 11", especially for gaming. However I still use a 7" netbook for class notes as my Uni has some really small desks.
However, the specs on this laptop can easily run a a 1680x1050 or 1920x1080 monitor on good settings for most games, if you wanted a 2nd "Main" monitor for gaming.
I see this all to often in other M11x threads....people who can't quite grasp why it's appealing. I bought this laptop 6 months back because I needed an ultra portable yet affordable gaming rig. Does it play all games at 120 frames per second? No. Go build yourself a nice gaming rig if you want that. With this laptop I can play WoW between 45-60 FPS, Mass Effect 2 at 60 FPS, Team Fortress 2 at 100 to 120 frames per second and I am currently playing the Rift beta at around 60 FPS. With all of these games I have the settings cranked. I should also mention I get about 4 hours battery life while gaming and 8 hours while surfing the net.
@mrzman: While I agree that it's ability to play games should be a near the top on the judgement, the portability isn't something to ignore. If you wanted the best performance and bang for your buck, you would buy a desktop and not a laptop. There are even more sacrifices when you drop down to an 11" screen. This is basically a netbook that will play most newer games at decent framerates. There probably aren't many 11" laptops out there with 1 GB of graphics memory. Plus you can opt for the i5 or i7 if you choose. But considering the price jumps to over $1000, That was more than I was willing to spend on a laptop of this size.
Link to the i5/i7 version: http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dkcwng2&cs=19&dgvcode=ss&c=US&l=EN&m_8=500GB72&dgc=SS&cid=27399&lid=627062
Although the specs get quite a bit better with the i5/i7. The base model has 8 GB of RAM and a 500 GB 7200RPM hard drive.
@pwnzord: Kingston 4GB DDR3 SODIMMs are $40 each on Newegg.
The XPS line is a better deal... I just got the XPS 15 with the i7 and 6 gbs a memory with the 2GB nvidia card.
I can play any game at native resolution with all the specs turned up to the max, and when I plug into my 1080p TFT 27" Asus monitor all I have to do is turn down the AA and AF and I can play them at max settings...
You'll spend $300 more for the i7 and nvidia GPU upgrade but its worth it !
That's about $200 too high. The video card can't make up for the slow processor, the mediocre mobo and almost sufficient memory. Check Frys for better cheaper deals.
@mhsbrian - you get more bang for your buck in a 15 inch laptop over an ultraportable? Shocker!
@gidgaf - there's nothing on fry's with specs anywhere close to this. Any notebook/netbook 11 inches or smaller there has a slower processor, integrated graphics, and the same or less ram. Sure, the netbooks are typically cheaper, but ultraportables anywhere with similar specs are going to cost a good chunk more than this.
This product fits a somewhat specific niche. Yes, it might not make sense for you and other types of products may be a better value based on most people's needs. That doesn't mean that within this particular segment this is a bad deal.
If there were a deal on ipads for $300 bucks you might still be of the opinion that spending $300 bucks on a netbook is a better value, that wouldn't make the sale a bad deal. For someone wanting that product it would be a fantastic deal.
Did they ever fix that hing issue with these units?
I planned to buy this a year ago, and almost did, until Alienware announced the core versions. I actually don't care all that much about the processor, but the BIG difference is this:
The core versions use Optimus technology for the graphics card
HUGE difference, especially in battery life (and if you're getting an 11' lappy that's most likely a key concern).
Getting a powerhouse (relatively, for a laptop) PC & a great little netbook in one package is great. I will be getting one of the core versions when they drop a bit. Too bad they didn't incorporate Dell's docking stations when they got bought out.
Well, I recently actually bought an Mllx. I love it. Mobile PC gaming on the go. Games take a decent time to load, but when they do, the games run very well. I didn't customize it either, but it's still decent.
I used to own one. Note that I say USED to. I also bought it at 550 on Black Friday at the exact same specs. The CPU bottlenecks half of the games you play from having a high framerate. There's a well-known issue with the hinges in these things destroying themselves. The screen is pretty much a mirror. I returned it and put up a little more cash to buy the Acer TimelineX 4820TG, which has a Core i5, DVD drive (which I will replace with an SSD via a hard drive caddy), a more powerful switchable graphics card, and comparable battery life and a larger screen while still keeping comparable dimensions (don't forget the M11x has a huge bezel so the 13.3" TimelineX is only slightly bigger than the 11.6" M11x). I'm extremely happy with my purchase so far. The only thing I miss about the M11x is the touchpad; best touchpad I've ever seen on any laptop, hands down.
So in case y'all were tracking the i5 & i7 versions, a new i5 can be had from the EPP site about $783... This is down from the $930 and $1070 price I usually see for the i5 version. Config'd with the i7 and no other changes, it can be had for less than $900! If I weren't so dead set in getting a sandy bridge rig, this would have been purchased as soon as it dropped earlier today. Although the recent hardware issue with sandy bridge's SATA 3gbps ports with no replacements in sight till march/April has me eyeing one of these. Does anyone know of coupon codes that further lower the (EPP) price? Much lower and this will turn into a steal. Things that originally held me back from buying a dirt-cheap r1 or r2 were the lack of a gigabit Ethernet port, the aforementioned hinge issues, and not spectacularly new gfx card... But like I said before, this much gaming power in this portable of a package for much cheaper is awfully awfully tempting!
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