Who says you can’t game on a sub-12 inch notebook platform? Certainly not Dell as they’ve announced the availability of the Alienware M11x which provides the graphics power typically found on larger laptop systems with the form factor and battery life of thin-and-light notebook systems.
According to Dell, the 11.6 inch Alienware M11x scores over 6100 with the 3DMark06 benchmark – easily crushing integrated graphics performance typically found on competing 11.6 inch systems. What makes this all possible is the use of a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M graphics card. Don’t need the graphics performance of the GeForce GT 335M? No problem. The M11x comes with switchable graphics allowing you to easily switch between discrete graphics to integrated graphics. Switching to integrated graphics also means the M11x can enjoy upwards of 8.5 hours of battery life.
At the heart of the Alienware M11x notebook is an Intel CULV processor (either the Intel Pentium SU4100 processor clocked at 1.3GHz or the Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor clocked at 1.3GHz). These processors provide just enough horsepower for most gaming needs while also remaining power-efficient for long battery lives.
Other features and specs include:
- 2-8GB of memory
- Choose from 160GB to 500GB SATA HDD or 256GB Solid State Drive
- 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M graphics
- 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 WLED display
- Internal HD surround sound
- Ethernet port
- 1.3 megapixel webcam
- DisplayPort and HDMI output
- Available in either Cosmic Black or Lunar Silver
Prices for the Alienware M11x start at $799 (which includes 2GB of RAM and the Intel Pentium SU4100 processor. Switch to the Core 2 Duo SU7300 and the system price will rise to $899.
So why even consider this notebook if you can possibly get cheaper notebooks with even better graphics? It comes down to a balanced mix of portability, graphics performance, battery life, and price. Need graphics power? Switch on the NVIDIA graphics. Need long battery life? Switch to integrated graphics.
Pretty sweet.
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