Review of Alienware M11x Netbook Graphics (Video) Card
Review of Alienware M11x Laptop by Scott Lowe from IGN
My personal opinion this is very powerful small laptop for its size. But so far $799 bucks for this little monster is a bit too much from my point of view. Once coupons hit from Dell I will get one with the Core 2 Duo with 1.3 GHz with 4GB of ram.
Graphics:
The M11x's graphical prowess is substantial for a system of its size. Naturally, the M11x cannot compete with a full-sized tower loaded with dual GPUs and high-speed processors, but its ability to run detailed games at high specs is certain to impress. We tested the M11x with a diverse collection of games, ranging from the visually jaw-dropping Mass Effect 2 to the no-frills, but relentlessly fun Left 4 Dead. The M11x met, and in most cases surpassed, our expectations with just about every game we tested. We were most surprised by the M11x's ability to run Mass Effect 2 with every visual effect turned on and resolution set to maximum (1366 x 768). Not only did Mass Effect 2 run at maxed out specs, but it consistently ran above the industry standard of 30 frames-per-second. The average framerate for Mass Effect 2 at max specs on our M11x was around 45 frames-per-second, although at times it reached up to 50 or 60 frames per second.
While Mass Effect 2 took the cake in terms of the most visually astounding benchmark title we used when testing the M11x, we saw impressive results with other titles as well. Borderlands was the next most recent title we tested, which despite its seemingly less demanding visual style, ran slightly slower than Mass Effect 2, which we attributed to its more numerous enemies and more extensive interactive environments. Still, with settings set high on Borderlands, we found the M11x running the game at an average of 30 to 40 frames-per-second, momentarily dipping just below 30 during intense combat. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the M11x handled the zombie hordes of Left 4 Dead with no framerate drops of any kind at maxed out settings, running at an average of 50 frames-per-second. Finally, we gave the M11x a runthough with the RTS favorite – Company of Heroes. Given the large, detailed maps paired with multiple enemies, on-screen and off, we expected only average results, but to our surprise the M11x ran the game with little or no system strain.
Running an RTS like Company of Heroes also gave us an opportunity to get a feel for the M11x's keyboard, which is larger than those you typically find in a laptop of this size. The keyboard extends from edge to edge, and the keys are of comparable size to that of a Logitech G19 keyboard. While the M11x's keys are sizable, they are extremely low-profile and, at times, hard to differentiate without looking directly at. The directional keys seemed to be crammed in the lower right section of the keyboard, but since a majority of titles rely on the W-A-S-D key arrangement for movement, it's rarely noticeable during use. The M11x's trackpad, on the other hand, is quite impressive given the limited surface area Alienware had to work with. The trackpad is textured for a little extra grip and incredibly responsive, making it functional for gameplay control if mouse control is not available or ideal.
My personal opinion this is very powerful small laptop for its size. But so far $799 bucks for this little monster is a bit too much from my point of view. Once coupons hit from Dell I will get one with the Core 2 Duo with 1.3 GHz with 4GB of ram.
Graphics:
The M11x's graphical prowess is substantial for a system of its size. Naturally, the M11x cannot compete with a full-sized tower loaded with dual GPUs and high-speed processors, but its ability to run detailed games at high specs is certain to impress. We tested the M11x with a diverse collection of games, ranging from the visually jaw-dropping Mass Effect 2 to the no-frills, but relentlessly fun Left 4 Dead. The M11x met, and in most cases surpassed, our expectations with just about every game we tested. We were most surprised by the M11x's ability to run Mass Effect 2 with every visual effect turned on and resolution set to maximum (1366 x 768). Not only did Mass Effect 2 run at maxed out specs, but it consistently ran above the industry standard of 30 frames-per-second. The average framerate for Mass Effect 2 at max specs on our M11x was around 45 frames-per-second, although at times it reached up to 50 or 60 frames per second.
While Mass Effect 2 took the cake in terms of the most visually astounding benchmark title we used when testing the M11x, we saw impressive results with other titles as well. Borderlands was the next most recent title we tested, which despite its seemingly less demanding visual style, ran slightly slower than Mass Effect 2, which we attributed to its more numerous enemies and more extensive interactive environments. Still, with settings set high on Borderlands, we found the M11x running the game at an average of 30 to 40 frames-per-second, momentarily dipping just below 30 during intense combat. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the M11x handled the zombie hordes of Left 4 Dead with no framerate drops of any kind at maxed out settings, running at an average of 50 frames-per-second. Finally, we gave the M11x a runthough with the RTS favorite – Company of Heroes. Given the large, detailed maps paired with multiple enemies, on-screen and off, we expected only average results, but to our surprise the M11x ran the game with little or no system strain.
Running an RTS like Company of Heroes also gave us an opportunity to get a feel for the M11x's keyboard, which is larger than those you typically find in a laptop of this size. The keyboard extends from edge to edge, and the keys are of comparable size to that of a Logitech G19 keyboard. While the M11x's keys are sizable, they are extremely low-profile and, at times, hard to differentiate without looking directly at. The directional keys seemed to be crammed in the lower right section of the keyboard, but since a majority of titles rely on the W-A-S-D key arrangement for movement, it's rarely noticeable during use. The M11x's trackpad, on the other hand, is quite impressive given the limited surface area Alienware had to work with. The trackpad is textured for a little extra grip and incredibly responsive, making it functional for gameplay control if mouse control is not available or ideal.
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