Alienware M11x R3 review (Core i7 2630UM)

We tested the Alienware screen with a variety of high definition movies hooked up to an ASUS USB 2.0 powered Bluray drive (model SBC-06D1S-U). We used a LaCie measurement gun for some of our analysis.

The LED panel supplied with this screen is going to be perfect for the target audience, it is a high gloss panel which is optimal for media and gaming. There is a fair level of panel reflectiveness meaning that it can be tricky to view in specific situations, such as outdoors or with a strong light behind the user.

Our colour image and grayscale testing showed that the panel was able to resolve a high level of detail, including some tests on reference HQV benchmark 1080p media. Banding is noticeable, but it is certainly at the better end of the spectrum. Focusing quality is strong across the full width although we did notice some minor inconsistency at the corners of the screen. To the naked eye we would say it would be hard to notice, but the measurement hardware we use noted some minor fluctuation. Text quality is excellent, with even fine lettering maintaining clarity.

Offset viewing is strong, both vertically and horizontally, although the glare from the gloss style screen can be somewhat distracting with light positioned behind the viewer. Obviously this is a calculated compromise necessary for rich, vibrantly rendered media. We noticed no ghosting or artifacting when playing fast paced first person shooters such as Call of Duty or Homefront. Avatar on Bluray looked fantastic and the HDMI output quality was exceptionally good thanks to the capable onboard graphics solutions.  We recorded a rating of over 400 cd/m2 at full brightness.

We used Displaymate to test the panel and overall image quality can certainly be described as ‘excellent'. The Gamut range in GamutVision was significantly above average for an 11.6 inch panel, but we could already tell this with our eyes. Colour reproduction is great, although just like the 17 inch model we reviewed a while ago, we recorded a slight pink tinge to neutral gray which can be easily tuned out with software configuration. The gamut helps to ensure that realistic images are displayed, especially when watching high quality source material from a quality BluRay pressing.

White purity shows minor shifting between 5% and 18% across the width, with it being more pronounced at the lower area of the panel. This is a very good result however and whites do tend to look clear and ‘pure' when viewing high quality 1080p material. Until the screen is calibrated however there is a very slight pink tinge, which may not be noticeable to many people. It is easily removed with a little software adjustment however.

Black definition is great, with only minor leaks on the panel edges which ruin the overall result a little. It looks worse in the image above and under real world conditions its only slightly noticeable with a pure black image on screen. There is slight highlighted leak from the bottom of the screen but we would feel that many people won't notice this, or even care if they did. It is common with laptop screens and this is actually one of the better results for a screen of this size.

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