Topic: Alienware M11x

[Pugnate]

...looks really awesome:

http://gear.ign.com/dor/objects/60221/alienware-m11x/videos/alienware_m11x_vdR_MIXED.html?show=hi

[iPPi]

Nice.  I like laptops that are more portable... it's just easier to carry around for school or work or whatever.  That's got some impressive hardware to boot as well.

I went and configured it.  At just under $1200 after some upgrading, it's a pretty good deal too.

I've got an XPS M1210, which when I bought was kind of like that machine.  Small and portable with a great battery life, but still very capable of running games.

[Cobra951]

Wait a sec.  "No disk drive"?  I take it they mean no optical drive?  No sale.

[Pugnate]

You can add an external drive to the package from the website.

[scottws]

Having to deal with external optical drives for a laptop sucks.  No way I would go for this.

[Quemaqua]

Yeah, that's fucking retarded.  And anyone who says you don't need it because you have Steam should be shot in the face.  Having a disk drive is necessary for a lot of other reasons even if you do prefer to build an imaginary game library.

[Pugnate]

Yea there is no way in hell you don't read it. But what is it about external optical drives that sucks so much? (I have never dealt with one).

edit:

Need it not READ it. Sorry.

[Cobra951]

The whole idea of a laptop is to have everything inside a single portable case.  Full-time peripherals are fine for desktops, not laptops.

An optical drive is a need, not an occasional convenience.

[Pugnate]

Well this isn't a laptop... more like a netbook with a lot of power.

I actually don't mind the lack of a standard issue drive so much, as long as a portable drive functions as well.

[ren]

No disc drive is no big deal for me. I don't think I've used the drive on my laptop in years. My netbook doesn't have a drive and I've never missed it.

This thing looks awesome though. The tiny, powerful computer market needs more competition.

[iPPi]

Agreed.  I mean, USB drives and memory cards hold more than CDs and DVDs nowadays, so the lack of the optical drive is not as big a detriment as you might think... at least on the go it shouldn't be.  Otherwise, there's always Alcohol 120% where you can image the disc onto your HDD for your travels.

That said, if it had a slot loading blu-ray or something like that, it would be even more appealing.

[Pugnate]

Yea I don't see the need of having an optical drive on the go in a netbook, as long as you can have a portable version of the optical drive in your bag.

They talked about this being able to run Mass Effect 2, and that's fine, but that does require a disc check.

[beo]

The whole idea of a laptop is to have everything inside a single portable case.  Full-time peripherals are fine for desktops, not laptops.

An optical drive is a need, not an occasional convenience.

really? can't think of the last time i used mine.

[scottws]

Well, it depends on the person and their computer use, but I need an optical drive all the time.  At least once a week and a lot of the time the use is unexpected.

[Cobra951]

When store-bought software and media stops coming on discs and moves to USB memory sticks, I'll be all for this.  Until then, it looks like a car missing a wheel to me.  Your mileage may vary, of course.

[Pugnate]

That's not a problem for me because I can use an external drive to handle the install. The problem is when you want to play, and the game requires a disc check. It is too much of a hassle, because cracks these days aren't nearly as reliable.

[scottws]

Yeah, there are portable external drives.  I know.  They suck to lug around.