Dell Alienware M11x R2

The Alienware M11x Dell is back and he has progressed

The new generation of 11.6 inches devoted to LAN Parties Dell is faster than the first: super!

The Alienware M11x R2 (revision 2) is a real success. The only criticism one can make him relate his brilliant screen panel and its ability not to be forgotten in high load. An ally of shock for all players nomads.

The expectations before test

Even if we were impressed with the Alienware M11x, Dell could not stop in so good way. The manufacturer, assembler has worked on a new version of its small 11.6-inch laptop for gamers.
We must admit that when the first M11x is out, Dell had a generation of processors for delay, and could not include anything other than Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 in his machine. The PC was conceived and created well before the release of Intel Core and Core i7 i5 new generation mobile platforms, they could not be installed in the little monster. This gap has now been corrected. But the M11x is still so attractive, especially when one considers that the new processors have made him take a few dollars?

The reality

Externally, the Alienware M11x has not changed one iota. We found the 11.6-inch screen of a quality (brightness of 172 cd / m2 and rate constaste 1438: 1) but the angles of vision always a bit limited. The keyboard, with its keys and backlit short stroke, is still enjoyable. The touchpad is also multipoint spartan than before but still effective. The external display connections very oriented HD (HDMI and DisplayPort) said this, as are three USB ports, Gigabit network jack and module Wi-Fi b / g / n, which also loads a Bluetooth module.
Neon lights and other recordings are also part of the fully customizable software interface from Alienware Command Center. It is familiar ground. Dell has not touched the ergonomics and that’s good, sometimes the manufacturer is capable of the worst (but not the best) in the matter.

Change platform!

If implementing a low power processor in a machine for gamers we seemed preposterous at first sight when our assessment of the first version, we had been conquered by the abilities of the couple SU7300 Core 2 Duo and Nvidia GeForce GT 335m in game especially in the native resolution of the screen (1366 x 768 pixels). However, all titles were not fully playable. This remains the case with this new version, but to a lesser extent.
In addition, during the first test, we found damage that Dell does not stick to the current processor time by not offering versions with an Intel Core i3 i5 or low consumption, with more interesting architecture and offering a relative gain in computing power and capacity compared to Core 2 Duo. With the M11x R2 (revision 2), shooting is rectified.

Dell makes the Optimus

With this new platform, the M11x sees the doors of technology Optimus Nvidia open before him. The Nvidia drivers automatically juggle between the graphics chip processor and the GeForce GT 335m depending on the application that runs on the small PC. It is recommended to update as soon as you receive the machine by taking first in a clean and complete uninstall of all components of the pilot. The management of Optimus and the performance of the machine would see greatly improved.
Optimus also acting on autonomy, we did two surveys: one for video playback (the graphics chip processor is at work) and the second game (the GeForce takes control). We get respectively 4 o’clock and 17 minutes (a good ten minutes less than the first version) and 1 hour and 35 minutes by using 3D intensive. Very satisfying.

A lion cub who runs faster …

Our test configuration is sold almost 1600 euro and for good reason: we asked to test a version with a 256GB SSD (hint Windows 7.3), which pushed the bill but makes the machine very responsive. No DSS, with a 500GB hard drive, our version costs less than 1200 euros.
The Core i5-520UM (a Core i7-620UM is also available in Dell’s configurator) is quite surprising and 1.06 GHz frequency on each of its two physical cores and four logical cores do not hold back in the machine . As for the turbo boost, it takes its full extent in games, since it allows to grant a power gain in processor cores as needed. Note that the processor is overclockable in the BIOS … but within a gain of 166 MHz.
Of course, this machine is not intended to turn full details of all videogame lovers but she pulls honorably, both old and new titles in the acclaimed Lan Party (World of Warcraft, Counter- Strike: Source, Warcraft 3, StarCraft 2). The GeForce GT 335m is not compatible with DirectX 11, do not expect to play in dirt 2 other than DirectX 9, for example, but rendering offered is very good and the game is still very fluid. It’s about the extent to adjustments, but, honestly, we were surprised by the versatility it displays on all the games we use for our tests (Resident Evil 5, The Last Remnant, Dirt 2, etc.. ).

… but which roared a little too much!

But as much power in such a small chassis, it inevitably brings some minor drawbacks: noise and heat. We found almost 40 dB and 45.8 ° C in the machine when you simulate a truly extreme activity on the components. Really audible, it is better not to take on the knees when you play or you ask it to encode a movie in HD. Otherwise, use in office, it is truly silent: the fan does not start or really low, so this is very nice.

Test and review conclusions

Despite its low power CPU, this version of the Alienware M11x fared relatively well with current video games and older. Its small size and weight relatively little consequence (read full details) continue to be a strong argument to keep the players wherever they go. Only the loss of autonomy (30 minutes) is really unfortunate but I’m just heart: five stars!

Technical specifications

type		Portable gaming
Processor		Intel Core i5-520UM
CPU Frequency (GHz)		6.01
Amount of RAM		4GB
RAM Type		DDR3
Hard disk capacity 1 (GB)		256
Speed of rotation of a disk		SSD
Rotational speed of disk 2		NA
Disk Interface (s) drive (s)		Serial ATA II
Optical Drive 1		Optional
Optical Drive 2		Not
TV Tuner		Not
Remote control		Not
Fingerprint Reader		Not
WebCam		Yes