Rypac1502 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Hey crew, as the title says I'm considering upgrading to an M14x and I'd really appreciate getting some input from the T|I guys. So the plan is to replace my M11x with an M14x. I got my M11x about 1.5 years ago and during that time it has served me very well. Lately though, I've found it lacking in a few areas which I consider very important, such as the ULV CPU and GPU feeling a bit underpowered and the lower screen res and quality leaving much to be desired -- all of which seem more apparent since my recent M17xR2 purchase. I'd look around for a used M14x either on eBay or some other avenue and sell my M11x to try to make up some of the difference. A new M14x is just not financially viable on the Aussie Dell site. I know that the performance wouldn't be anywhere near the M17x but I suspect it would be a fair bit more powerful than the M11x. A couple of things I'm sure of is I'll be on the look out for the quad core i7 option instead of the dual core i5. The other is that I would only be looking for the 900p screen. I've heard the arguement many times on NBR of "You can just plug it into a monitor" but the way I will be using it, I want the largest amount of screen real-estate available when I am on the go and mobile. That said, I will be using it as the machine I lug around with me most places, especially going to Uni. I am studying engineering at Uni and have found the M11x to struggle a little bit when it comes to some complex MATLAB and 3D AutoCAD stuff. Do you think that I'll find a fair performance increase in this kind of thing? I would also like to know about what sort of battery life I should be expecting. I know that it depends entirely on the usage conditions but I'm wondering what is the max battery life I could expect if I was doing light word processing and note taking with maybe some light web browsing and research. My M11x could make it to about the 5 hour mark with these kind of tasks, maybe a little more. Would I be in dreamland expecting 4+ hours out of the M14x? I'm not worried about game performance. I'm sure the GT555m will trump the 335m in my M11x and keep me more than happy when I'm gaming on the go. I've read alot about the GPU downclocking on battery and was a bit put off at first but came to the conclusion that I never really game without being plugged into an outlet anyway, so that shouldn't be an issue. When I first got my M11x I use to read heaps of great optimisation guides by @Stevenxowens792 (which have sadly they have disappeared) and have seen that he's moved on to an M14x so something like that first hand experience would help greatly. Any input from an M14x owner would also be appreciated. Maybe I should just take off my Alienware glasses and look around for another laptop which satisfies my criteria... but I haven't found one thus far that beats the M14x and I'm not quite sure I'm prepared to do that anyway... Thanks heaps guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgt. maj. wifey Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I myself just got my M14x for Christmas and Im loving it. Its my first alien so I can not compare it to anything else however, I can tell you that its a great little machine. My graphics are amazing nothing in comparison to my husbands M17x of course but for this machine they are wonderful. My battery life depends on what Im doing on it. when playing BF3 I have to be plugged in which can be a bit of a bother but not much. I get around 4 hours battery for regular everyday usage such as emails FB or any little thing I do. I myself have not had any problem with on the go things. I use this for everything from gaming to watching movies to well everything LOL I do not see that you would have an issue with this upgrade. I of course am Just speaking for my machine and what I can do with it. There are others on here way more educated and more sure of what you are looking for them I so please dont just take my word on this. I personaly love my m14x and would not trade it for anything. Its weight and size is perfect for me and if you are an on the go sort of person this would be better then the m17x on that scale. ( my husband has the m17 and its a beast where weight is concerned LOL) Good luck with your choice and I hope this helped some. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder Michael Posted January 29, 2012 Founder Share Posted January 29, 2012 At this point in time it's hard to recommend an upgrade. With the the R2 refresh in the air, it's really up to you. If you can wait 2-3 months i'd recommend waiting to check out what the M14x-R2 is bringing to the table. A safe bet would be to assume ivy bridge refresh + the NVIDIA card refresh, would you wait ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder StamatisX Posted January 29, 2012 Founder Share Posted January 29, 2012 I would wait too... unless you find a great deal that you can't beat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevenxowens792 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 @Rypac - I received my m14x the first week they were available. I have really loved the machine so far minus a few minor details that get on my nerves. (like the issues with dual SSD drives). I like the machine because (for me) it fits the line between portable, comfortable to keep in lap, performance and features. I was playing some blu-rays from the exernal asus bdrom drive I have and again I was amazed (even at 720p) on how the screen looks and the sound quality. The others have a point about waiting. Ive had mine since the end of april 2011. I would assume that Alienware will refresh this machine pretty soon. For me, I really like the I7 cpu. It doesn't always make a huge difference in games but when you need it, its there. Also it can be scaled back to conserve battery. The gpu is good enough to output to a large TV. I was showing my real father Star Wars the old republic on my sony 46 lcd a few weeks ago and he was impressed how clean it looked. I wont lie and say the machine is all powerful and its equal to the m17. Its not. The CPUs are comparable since they both take the same 26xx, 27xx, 28xx series. The graphics are not in the same ballpark. The 560m is not much more powerful at lower resolutions but once you get above 720p it pulls away. The 580x or 6990 and no reason to even compare. As long as you are realistic about what the m14x can do I think its a great machine.Good Luck, StevenX 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rypac1502 Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share Posted January 29, 2012 Thanks heaps for your input guys, I really appreciate it. Also thanks @sgt. and @Stevenx for sharing your first hand experience. I'm glad to hear that the M14x has some decent power behind it and can also be scaled back for respectable battery life. The issue with dual SSD sounds a bit off putting. I was planning on putting a SSD in the main and a HDD in place of the optical drive... You guys are probably very right in advising me to wait, I'm in no real rush to grab one right now. Hopefully the R2 Ivy Bridge refresh will correct a few of these issues and maybe bring more to the table... and half the fun will be speculating about it, right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G8GT Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 At this point in time it's hard to recommend an upgrade. With the the R2 refresh in the air, it's really up to you.If you can wait 2-3 months i'd recommend waiting to check out what the M14x-R2 is bringing to the table. A safe bet would be to assume ivy bridge refresh + the NVIDIA card refresh, would you wait ? Care to elaborate? I searched around a bit and came up empty handed. Saw one of these at the retail location in the mall and I'm having dirty thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mw86 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Care to elaborate? I searched around a bit and came up empty handed. Saw one of these at the retail location in the mall and I'm having dirty thoughts. Sometime soon this year all existing modles will be discontinued and the models with ivybridge will be sold... If you buy now at one price you could have bought the next version for same price just a few months at most from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G8GT Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Sometime soon this year all existing modles will be discontinued and the models with ivybridge will be sold... If you buy now at one price you could have bought the next version for same price just a few months at most from now. thanks for indulging an old-geek who was too lazy to google around on what's up. I can definitaly wait a few months. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azara.david Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 I would wait too... unless you find a great deal that you can't beat.Hey if you need an m14x let me know. I have on for sale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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