Updated Alienware M11x pitted against first generation: It’s faster
Dell recently launched an update to its Alienware M11x gaming ultraportable laptop. The new model has the same high performance NVIDIA graphics as the first generation 11.6 inch, 4.5 pound gaming rig. But the new models feature Core i-series processors while the original came with a choice of an Intel Pentium SU4100 or Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor.
The folks at Notebook Review recently found themselves at an event where they could check out a few of the new models, and they ran a quick benchmark to see how the new CPUs stack up against the earlier models. Not surprisingly, the laptop scored highest with the new Core i7-640UM CPU, followed by the Core i5-520UM CPU. The Intel Pentium Dual Core SU4100 processor came in last… sort of.
It turns out that if you overclock the SU4100 chip, it actually comes in second. The new chips are also overclockable though, so that point is probably moot. Notebook Review didn’t have a chance to benchmark the same computer with an SU7300 chip, but I’d be surprised if it didn’t fall somewhere between the SU4100 and Core i5-520UM processor in terms of performance.
It’s worth noting that the wPrime test run by Notebook Review is primarily a test of CPU performance. Since the new CPU options are the main differences between the newer M11x models and the older ones, that seems fair. But this particular benchmark doesn’t really tell you that much about the gaming performance of these laptops.
