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The Alienware M11x R3 is marketed as a powerful, yet highly portable system. Aficionados of the company will be pleased to see that the traditional, stylish angular curves are still apparent.
The design has changed a little cosmetically, but it remains true to the Alienware heritage. Aerodynamically it has been enhanced and as expected the Alienware head is visible on the lid. I liked the paintwork, it had an almost automotive appearance under certain lighting conditions.
The grills on the front are still in place, and have been reshaped and adjusted to suit the new design. These are lighted and the colours can be changed.
Connectivity is strong. On the left side (from front to back), there is an IE94 port, an MMC-SD-MS/PRO card reader, Gigabit lan port, USB port as well as HDMI and DisplayPort connectors. At the back is a Kensington security lock. On the right side are two headphone ports, a microphone port and another two USB 2.0 ports. This is a very strong layout, it is not often for instance that you see an 11 inch laptop shipping with both HDMI and Displayport capabilities. Due to the size constraints there is no optical drive, but it is possible to purchase a USB powered optical drive for £30 now online.
The power connector is at the rear of the chassis and the more observant among you will see that the battery is not accessible without removing the underside panel.
This is a prototype build of the system designed for internal use, so there may be small adjustments and improvements to the finished appearance when it hits retail.
Underneath is an Alienware plaque, this can be etched with the customers name before shipment. Alienware have cleverly designed the airflow system to exhaust air away from the user, making an ‘on the lap' experience hopefully more enjoyable. The onboard sound system is supplied by Klipsch, and this is also branded into the underside of the chassis. The battery can be tested with the system powered down by simply pressing a button. The higher the feedback count the longer the battery will last.
wow, that is simply stunning !
I had planned to come in here and slate the machine, but im sold. Well my bank balance isn’t but I am. a core i7 cpu in a 11.6 inch machine, who would ever have thought it possible !
While I know some people have issues with alienware as a company, I gotta say this is really very impressive.
Damn thats really impressive, but its way out of my price league. must be the ultimate super portable machine. certainly nicer than my 200 quid netbook anyway :p
The paint work is nice, glad to see they sent out a sample in red, not black. thats dull as dishwater.
Their software looks good going on the screenshots, especially for the power saving options.
Lovely, not my cup of tea, im a mac man, but good to see one pc maker using backlit keyboards on a laptop, its a very uncommon thing, and I always use mine.
Am ordering one for my business work later 😉
I like the internal battery, I think its a lot more elegant than a big lump hanging out the back of the chassis.
I have read horror stories about these laptops falling apart. the older ones anyway, loads of threads on forums. Anyone here a current Alienware customer ? good or bad purchase decision?
It was all going great until the last page and I saw the price. clearly not even in the same market as a netbook ! Cant see too many of these selling.
Looks very nice indeed. Core i5 model would probably be more cost effective with less memory.
I know alienware get slated a lot, but I have the first revision of this and its still working great. its a bit chipped around the edges, due to me dropping it a few times, but I can’t complain. I love it. I would also love this, but the wife would have my head.
Thats an impressive build, but their pricing always gets me. they are always 200 quid over the odds. at least.
Good paintwork, like the keyboard a lot, my friend as a macbook air and it has a pink keyboard. cool the way the software can change it on this one.
Excellent, look forward to playing with my friends,. he owns about 10 alienware computers. he has more money than sense 🙂
Its expensive, but its a custom style machine, many manufacturers just use the same clevo chassis and put a sticker on them. its boring.
I am not sure I would buy one of these, but I like their styling and the effort they put into the builds. I would never spend more than 500 on a laptop, but when I see them at lan meetings and stuff, the alienware laptops always stand out. respect where it is due.
How much does this machine weight ?
around 2kg.
Its certainly very attractive and powerful, but it is a hell of a lot of money for a superportable like this.
Good review thank you, very detailed. Quick question, are Dell going to be selling batteries for this also?
I wouldnt think they would be selling batteries Steven cause its not easily changeable. I doubt people are going to remove the rear panel on a bus to replace the battery. way too many risks on the move for that.
m an electronics engg student n i need a notebook which can run a few simulation programs as well as can manage a few games too…….can any1 tell me if this one can hold its own??
It certainly can, read the review 🙂
i recently ordered the r3 m11x, and simply got the best options on it possible save for a ssd. I was wondering why your tester comes with a cpu that isn’t available on the dell website. It only goes to an i7 2617m, not the i7 2630um that came on yours.
Very good question. ill ask and try and find out.
“It only goes to an i7 2617m, not the i7 2630um that came on yours.”
I have the same M11x R3. Same processor. Intel changed their naming convention.