Dell Alienware M11x

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Product: Dell Alienware M11x
Website: www.alienware.com/m11x
System Specifications: Windows 7, Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 1.3GHz, Intel GS45 Chipset, 4GB Memeory, 256GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M, 11.6-inch WideHD LCD, Firewire, USB, Ethernet, WiFi, audio out, mic, HDMI, 8 Cell battery
Price: From £748.99

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TRYING TO ACCOMMODATE the power of a gaming rig in a portable computer has been a problem for many computer makers, as there's always been a trade-off between a notebook's performance and its weight. Carrying around a suitcase PC is good for a club level rugby player's muscle tone, but it's not what most people will consider something they'll want to do on a regular basis.

Alienware M11x gathered lots of interest as an answer to this problem when it was first aired in Las Vegas at CES in January, where its small stature and gaming prowess began to gain column inches left, right and centre. Now it's finally here on the shelves, or at least can be ordered on the Dell website.

The M11x isn't as small as a standard netbook, or as mighty in size as a notebook, it's somewhere in-between the two. With the lid closed the M11x is 32.7mm thick and 215mm long by 287mm wide with a weight of 1.99kg. As a comparison the Asus Eee PC 1101HA netbook with a similar 11.6-inch display, is 286mm x 196mm x 35.5mm and weighs 1.4kg. It's almost as if the M11x is the next evolution of the netbook, crossed with a gaming notebook.

There's lots gimmickry to the Alienware's design. This comes in the form of the power button being in the shape of an alien head surrounded by light, the not-so-subtle large Alienware logo, lights around the keys on the keyboard and headlights on the front. All of these lights can be customised through an easy to use interface to display any colour wanted. Well, apart from the large Alienhead on the rear of the screen that is always surrounded by an eerie white light. This is akin to the large gaming tower rigs and their neon internal lights, only now on a portable computer.

The graphical prowess and computing power of the Alienware M11x are its outstanding features. It has either an Intel 1.3Ghz SU4100 Pentium dual core ultra-low voltage processor or an Intel 1.3Ghz SU7300 Core 2 Duo chip, both overclockable in the BIOS. Not only can the notebook use the mobile Intel 4 series express chipset based GPU, but there's also an Nvidia GeForce GT335M discrete GPU with 1GB of GDDR memory. This combination is good both for playing a decent array of games up to 30 frames per second on the GT335M and for switching over to the basic Intel graphics adaptor for less demanding tasks with prolonged battery life when needed.

Gameplay was good enough on the M11x and fairly evenly mimicked Xbox 360 console gameplay using the same game, which we saw playing Bioshock 2 on both devices. Even outputting the game via HDMI to our Samsung 37-inch LCD screen produced good quality 1440x900 resolution - not 1920x1080 although it is somewhat above 720p. The Dell device could handle and play all the games we threw at it, not always on their highest features but with a reasonable medium setting as expected and only really needed when using its smaller screen.

There are some quirks to how the dual GPUs are implemented, one of which involved switching between the two and the other in the way the GPUs are used in the power settings. Switching back and forth from Intel to Nvidia graphics is performed by a function key, which does take a little while to adjust and can be bothersome waiting for everything to be refreshed. The other issue is with the power schemes used by the M11x while running on the battery, in that they really aren't intelligent enough.

Running on the highest performance settings of the power profiles doesn't automatically switch to the Nvidia GT335M, which we can live with and isn't really a major issue. What is a major issue is when running on the power saver settings the GeForce GPU isn't switched automatically over to the lesser Intel alternative, which leaves an unnecessary power drain if one doesn't realise it is still using the discrete GPU. Seeing as how Windows 7 hides those icons showing which GPU is currently in operation, this power drain will catch most out, as it did us.

Dell's Alienware M11x is held back for the masses by the lack of a built-in optical drive. Many inexperienced gamers will wander out and buy games from a shop, then perhaps install them via an external DVD drive and initially play the game while connected up to the drive. The game won't run when they're out and about, as the disc for the game is still needed by the digital restrictions of so-called 'anti-piracy' measures. This will therefore limit the usefulness of the device for truly being a portable gaming rig for the masses. The online gaming client Steam is one way to play games legally, and it has a good range of games available. We mention 'legally' as there are always other measures that can be employed and resources that can be used to play games without an optical drive.

The 11.6-inch 1366x768 screen is bright and crisp with colours and images, although limited in a few different ways. There's over an inch each side diagonally of wasted space around the screen, where Dell could have easily housed a 13.6-inch display. Partly taking up that wasted space is the large Alienware sign, while the rest of the space is occupied by a black border around the reflective glass screen. This type of reflective display isn't great in bright light or outdoors, as we discovered while trying to use the M11x as a portable machine outside, where the screen's content almost disappears from view. The viewing angles are limited too, since veering only slightly away from direct use badly distorts the images' colours, which is great for privacy on trains and planes but bad when sharing what's on the screen with others.

There's a decent range of ports provided on the notebook, with a surprisingly absent socket and also a much welcome addition. On board are both VGA and HDMI sockets, ideal for connecting any display that might be handy, along with the rarely included Displayport socket. The usual array of memory cards are supported by a built-in reader, and there are three USB sockets. One of those USB sockets supports off-line charging, which is great for recharging a phone when the M11x is powered down. We would have thought that a powerful rig such as this would include an eSata port, or at the very least a combo USB-eSata socket. Instead, Dell has disappointingly opted for a mini-Firewire port for fast data transfer, which was a surprise.

Just above the memory card reader on the Alienware M11x is a small unassuming slot, with a symbol associated that is usually only seen on mobile phones. The notebook has a SIM card slot, although the bad news is there isn't mobile broadband built-in nor is there an option for it in the UK. Across the pond in the US there's an option while ordering for a Gobi mobile broadband modem to be included internally, which isn't available for the UK. There's been no news from Dell on whether it's willing to offer this feature elsewhere in the world, which we believe would be a good addition as it hasn't done Nokia any harm with the Booklet.

The Alienware M11x is powered by an 8-cell, non-removable battery. The power unit is under a backing plate on the base of the computer, which can be accessed if push comes to shove with a screwdriver. The base also houses the exhaust fans and speakers, both of which become muted and blocked if placed on cushioning or bedding, which probably isn't the best place for the M11x to be used but will be nonetheless.

On the highest power hungry settings with the Nvidia graphics card running, the M11x lasted two hours and 30 minutes. On the most power conservative settings, with the webcam and WiFi powered off and the screen at its dimmest setting with the Intel graphics running, the M11x lasted for four hours and sixteen minutes of continuous use. This is as expected, and reasonable for what it has to handle internally.

In Short
Dell's Alienware M11x is its latest portable gaming rig, with a twist. It's actually a convincingly portable device without shirking gaming prowess in a machine this size. There is a slight downside and that is cost. We were sent almost the highest possible spec unit, and therefore one of the highest priced too at £1,419, and there are cuts that can be made without compromising decent game play at almost half the price. The Alienware M11x could very well be the next evolution of a netbook, with a gaming requirement thrown in. µ

The Good
Netbook sized gaming laptop, decent and powerful graphics for gameplay.

The Bad
Screen could be larger.

The Ugly
Non-removable battery, fans and speakers blocked if not used on a flat surface.

Bartender's Report
8/10