Dell reveals the price of its new Alienware netbook: the M11x

The powerful 11.6” netbook is designed for gaming, and starts at $799

The M11x's numerous ports

The Alienware's iconic external lighting

Alienware.com has announced the price of its latest gaming laptop, the Alienware M11x netbook. The M11x is a powerful machine, which bears the hallmark of the Alienware range: it is designed for gaming. It has an 11.6” display, can run for up to 6.5 hours on battery power and weighs less than 4.5 lb.

According to a hands-on report from Gadgetmix.com, Dell has placed an Intel Core 2 Duo processor inside the machine, along with a 1GB Nvidia GT335M GPU, which managed to run Star Trek Online and Call of Duty 'smoothly and sharply'. The M11x does run for around 6 hours on battery life when it is being used for basic tasks, but only lasts for 2 hours during gaming.

The GT335M GPU is designed for middle class gaming notebooks – to find it in such a small machine is a pleasant surprise; to find out more about this GPU, please have a look at our dedicated page here. Gizmodo.com managed to play Call of Duty at 30fps with a resolution of 1280 x 720, although the screen's maximum resolution is 1366 x 768. The website also mentioned that the M11x should be released within a month.

Gdgt.com states that the M11x's processor is a 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300, and its wireless capabilities include 3G and 802.11 a/b/g/n. To find out how this processor compares with the rest of the Core 2 Duo range, please click here. A closer look at the photographs of the M11x displayed on Alienware.com reveal an abundance of ports along the left and right hand side of the machine, with an AC in port at the rear, next to the cooling vents. The connectivity of the M11x seems to comprise: 3 x USB2.0; HDMI; Displayport; SD card reader; VGA; Firewire; 2 x line out; Line in; RJ45 and a SIM card slot.

Is the M11x too expensive?

Prior to the announcement of the M11x's price, Alienware.com merely stated that it would cost less than $1000, which caused many to speculate whether this machine offered consumers good value for money. Alienware machines are expensive, and they usually contain the best combination of components available in order to provide exceptional gaming performance.

For $799, the M11x appears to offer reasonable performance and relatively poor portability, and that is only the starting price – until Dell announces the full specifications, we can't be sure what exactly consumers are getting for their money. The M11x will undoubtedly offer the same level of customisation we've come to expect from Dell, but I can envisage the M11x easily exceeding $1000 once it's been upgraded a little – at which point it will probably become too expensive.