Alienware recently announced that they are working on a netbook type device geared for serious gamers. The Alienware M11x is an 11.6-inch thin and light laptop which crosses into the netbook realm, but it is of course a very different machine than a standard netbook, offering gaming on the go.
Alienware was formed in 1996 and in the first 10-years of their existence the company created a name for themselves in the enthusiastic gaming market. They combined futuristic and distinctive styling to their computers which appealed to users of all ages. With the M11x, Alienware take advantage of the new GeForce GT 335M GPU with the intention of building the world’s first 11″ gaming system. Like the M15x and M17x before it the M11x begins to impress as soon as it is removed from the packaging.
The Alienware M11x features a similar design to the other large Alienware models currently available. The overall design of the chassis is good, drawing great attention wherever the laptop is being used and the finish is perfect throughout. Alienware have also succeeded in making the M11x feel sturdy and robust, something which most laptops of a similar size fail to do. Upon turning the machine on you are presented with some great touches like the backlit keyboard, which is both responsive and comfortable to use. The touch pad with its honeycomb design is also high quality and the mouse buttons, despite a rather deep action work well and are near silent. It is a little on the heavy side though, weighing 4.5 lbs., which is quite a bit more than the 2.7 – 3lbs netbook / thin and light average.
This mini laptop is acutely aimed at gamers rather than the average portable user, and gaming is where this 11.6-inch machine excels. It features two graphics cores, which are user selectable by simply pressing Fn + F6, without needing to reboot. The standard Intel graphics are good enough for every day use and surfing etc., but when you feel like gaming you can fire up the NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M graphics.
GPU performance is one of the main aspects of the M11x, after all the main aim when Alienware was designing the system was to provide 720p gaming in this small chassis. No other laptop/netbook with a similar size screen can do this. It was also great to see the performance increases available through CUDA in GPU computing tasks such as video encoding or HD video playback. (It can handle 720p and 1080p HD videos without any problems.)
Another highlight of this system is the battery life. An exceptional 6 hours on a full charge, or the ability to watch up to 4hours of HD content. The M11x was also said to run cool and quite.
On the outside the M11x is a complete success and inside this continues, so it should be clear that the M11x is impressive. The Alienware M11x is currently available for pre-order for $799!
Aron Bryant, www.helablog.com. A Nefarious Look at Today’s Hottest trends and Technologies
