We posted then news that Alienware M11x became available with the Intel Core i7 option back in June and now thanks to the guys over at NotebookCheck we can see what kind of performance boost this new cpu option brings. According to them  the new Intel Core i7 cpu option doesn’t really make much difference in terms of performance compared to the overclocked Intel Pentium Dual Core SU4100 nVidia Optimus does provide another good reason to buy the only portable gaming notebook in the world.

Alienware created lots of buzz when it released a small but powerful 11.6 inch notebook a few months ago the Alienware M11x. At the time it was available with either a 1.3 GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core SU4100 or 1.3 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300. Starting from today the Alienware is as well available with a 1.06 GHz Intel Core i5 520UM and 1.06 GHz Intel Core i7 640UM. Unfortunately the release of new CPU options didn’t cause a price drop for the older options. For a base Intel Pentium Dual Core you will still need to shell out £749 while the Intel Core 2 Duo will set you back for additional £40. The Intel Core i5 system starts at £849 and the Intel Core i7 upgrade adds £180 to the price. Alienware also added the nVidia Optimus technology for the seamless graphics switching between the power saving Intel GMA HD and the high performance nVidia Geforce GT 335M.

We have posted as much info on the Alienware M11x 11.6 inch Gaming Notebook as other websites posted on the Apple iPad. But unlike the iPad the Alienware M11x actually is quite revolutionary as it is the first portable notebook with enough power for serious gaming… if you keep the graphics details on medium of course. Jerry Jackson at NotebookReview was first to post an in-depth review on Alienware M11x – lucky him! His final verdict was the Alienware M11x truly is an inspiring notebook due to its solid design, compact size, capable gaming performance and most importantly an affordable price. It might not be the ultimate gaming notebook but it definitely is an ultimate gaming portable notebook as it packs enough power to run latest games while also delivering a respectable 8 hour battery life. So Dell and Alienware pretty much achieved what they aimed and filled the last whole in the gaming notebook market. Now who is next to follow this suit. Our money is on Asus.

We’ve already posted our share of information on the Alienware M11x 11.6 inch Gaming Notebook and now J. Simon Leitner at NotebookCheck posted first impressions review to give us some details about the chassis and hardware. In-depth review to follow soon. Not much to say here only that Dell has no idea about how currency exchange rates work as in US it starts at a very attractive price of $799 while here in UK it comes at a more premium £749.

We posted already photos and pricing of the Alienware M11x 11.6 inch Gaming Notebook but we couldn’t confirm the exact specifications that the starting price of $799 will bring. Alienware M11x popped up today on Dell’s website for pre-order.

Alienware M11x Specifications:
- Black and Silver Color options
- Intel Pentium SU4100 1.3GHz Dual Core or Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 1.3GHz ($100 ugprade)
- 64 bit Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional ($130 upgrade) or Ultimate ($150 upgrade)
- RAM 2 GB DDR3, 4 GB DDR3 ($50 upgrade) or 8 GB DDR3 ($350 upgrade)
- Hard drive 160 GB 5400 rpm , 250 GB 7200 rpm ($50 upgrade), 320 GB 7200 rpm ($75 upgrade), 500 GB 7200 rpm ($150 upgrade)
- 1GB GDDR3 nVidia  GeForce  GT 335M dedicated graphics
- Size (H x W x D) 32.7mm (1.29 inches) x 285.7mm (11.25 inches) x 233.3mm (9.19 inches), Weight1.99 kg
- 8 Cell (64 whr) battery for up to 8 hours of battery life

Meanwhile the Apple iPad is stealing most of the headlines on the technology websites we at HandsOnReviews are way more excited about the soon-to-be-released Alienware M11x 11.6 inch Gaming Portable Notebook. It will feature an Intel dual core processor and nVidia GeForce GT 335M dedicated graphics. To achieve claimed battery life of 6+ hours it will switch to an Intel integrated graphics when the nVidia’s ship won’t be necessary. All this starting at $799 (£499) but the way manufacturers usually convert currencies it will probably start more at like £599. Guys over at Cnet got some hands-on time with this notebook. See the link for photo gallery.

Just to clarify  something with Cnet and other websites. This is an (ultra)portable notebook and not a netbook. Last time we checked netbook featured an Intel Atom or any other AMD/VIA equivalent processor and not a dual core processor.

Not long ago Alieware introduced the M11x 11.6 inch Gaming Portable Notebook. Darren Murph at Engadget sniffed out pricing on Alienware’s website. This  Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and switch-able 1 GB NVIDIA GT335M dedicated graphics + integrated graphics packing notebook will start at $799. We are not sure that this price will bring you dedicated graphics though so probably you will have to shell out couple of hundred more if you will want to do some gaming on the go.

Ross Miller at Engadget posted some hands-on photos of the Alienware M11x 11.6 inch Gaming Notebook. Hit the link for the photo gallery.

Alienware M11x Notebook specifications:
- 11.6 inch screen (1366 x 768 px)
- Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- switch-able 1 GB NVIDIA GT335M dedicated graphics + integrated graphics
- Backlit keyboard
- Battery Life up to 6.5 hours with integrated graphics and up to 2 hours with dedicated graphics