Dell Alienware M11X Gaming Laptop

Alienware gaming notebooks are known for their rugged build, powerful hardware, excellent performance, and the most popular belief, their exorbitant price tags. Now, the new Alienware gaming notebook offers all of this, but at a comparatively affordable price, let’s find out how.

Design
Gaming notebooks are a dime-a-dozen, and usually, they are large in size (say about 15-inches), they weigh at least 3 kgs, and offer very little battery runtime. The Asus G51J , and the previous Alienware models, M15X and M17X, are perfect examples, but, the Alienware M11X has changed everything. It weighs almost half as much and is slimmer, hence easier to carry. So gaming is no more restricted to desktop replacements, but even ultra-portable laptops can handle serious gaming, that too at a good price.

This new entrant has a 12-inch form factor with a 11.6-inch screen and weighs less than 2 kgs. In terms of aesthetics, if anything about this notebook is different from other Alienware gaming notebooks, it’s the size and weight. So, it is essentially a smaller version of the M15X. Starting with the lid and screen frame, thankfully, they are the only two things with a glossy finish on the entire unit. Typical of Alienware notebooks, you’ll find lights all over, the keyboard and power button are backlit, then there are lights in the front and even underneath the unit. Speaking of which, turn the laptop upside down and you’ll notice an inlet fan (with LEDs) underneath it. This fan enables effective air circulation, by pulling in air from underneath, which is then expelled from the side-vent.

Ergonomically, it matches up well with other Alienware notebooks. The entire wrist rest and the textured touchpad have a matte finish, and the mouse buttons are quite comfortable to use. All the ports are at either side and the only thing at the rear is the DC power connector. In terms of build quality the chassis, hinges and the overall package is rock solid.