Thinking about getting a m11x as well... some concerns

dropped off the 1st page, bump~

m11x owners, please share your experiences!

As nice as the M11X is spec-wise, I would advise anyone considering purchasing one at this time to reconsider until Dell provides current customers with a real solution to the hinge issue.

Or buy an M15x.

I'm not interested in a large laptop.

Thanks for the feedback, it appears that this problem is universal as there are cases of broken hinges here in Australia. As per your advice, I will hold off my purchase until the problem is solved

Definitely hold off. This hinge issue is very much universal. I've tried both the m11x and my current m15x, and while the m15x is a better "gaming" rig, I MUCH preferred the m11x for the portability...but I wasn't going to put up with fixing the hinges every three months.

A user shouldnt have to open their lid really slowly just to avoid breaking the hinges. I had an old XPS Gen 2 laptop, and for 5 years, I used that notebook and I didnt have a single problem with it, until the hinges started to get a bit loose.....after 5 years. And I will admit, I was a bit abusive with that notebook. But the hinges had never broken.

The M11x should definitely get the hinges issue resolved before anyone else buys it, because that is outright ridiculous, especially for the price we pay for the notebook. My M15x has no issues (so far) with the hinges, since I have had it for about 4 months, and I have been using it regularly, and I dont open the lid slowly or carefully. I just open it up and get going.

Until Dell comes up with a solution to permanently fix the problem, I would avoid buying it. Its not worth it to have the notebook ripped open every few months by a tech to replace hinges, and potentially scratch up the system, or cause other damage in the process. People should NOT have to worry about their hinges spontaneously breaking out of the blue.

@ 7leagueboot I replied earlier through my ipad thats why it was all on caps. @ m3th0d1c4l .I'm aware of the hinge issue on the M11x and thats why I got the complete care until 2014. But Dell is gonna release a fix. My friend is an engineer for Alienware and he confimed that Dell will have a solution soon. If you treat your gadgets good, specially an Alienware, it should last longer its only logic.

Yea I mean we expect little problems, as nothing is perfect. I too had some issues with my M15x and Area 51 ALX, but I am making due with it. Nothing that hinders me from using the system.

I just hope they can release the fix real soon, because I really want to buy an M11x R2, but I dont want to deal with the hinge issues, if I do experience it.

For one, someone doesnt have to treat their laptop "like a piece of jewelery" for it to last a while. And yes I understand your point, that if you treat your equipment like a baby, yes it is common sense it will last longer. But what I am saying is, that in the time that most people report their problems with their hinges (2-4 months), its unacceptable...period. And most of those users do treat their notebooks with respect and care. My friend has an M11x, and he is a nitpick with his machine, and his hinges broke within 2 months, from just opening and closing it. And he never removes his notebook from the desk, not to mention out of his house.

And that is great that you got warranty on your machine until 2014. But honestly, if your hinges kept breaking through your warranty period, would you really want a tech to keep ripping your notebook apart to replace it with the same problematic hinges?? Scratching up the unit and all, even though you took care of it and didnt have a scratch on it? I personally wouldnt sit through that for 4 years, and I dont think the other users here who have this problem want to either.

And your "friend" can confirm that they will have a solution.......soon, but until there actually is a permanent solution out on the table, there is nothing. Knowing this, I would not go and buy a BRAND NEW m11x with a known problem. People should not have to sit around and wait for a fix on their new machines, especially something like the hinges, after they buy a notebook. Yes there are some fixes that are different, such as BIOS updates, and driver updates, but those are normal and dont require ripping apart your notebook, nor replacement of hardware every so often. This type of error should be caught in the enginnering and testing before the notebook is released to the public to purchase.

All,

I had to clean up this thread. We do not need to be sniping at each other. We are all here to help each other.

With the 10% off coupon still valid, i decided to go on a lam and purchase the m11x.

I called the sales number instead of online order and was very very specific about "the unit which i receive must not have the hinge issue"....

I'll be checking the alignment and the quality of the hinge first thing when i receive the unit, and if it is faulty i will just request a instant refund.

P.S. with upgrade the unit is AUD $2440

Somehow we cannot add a WWAN card into the unit. is it possible to get the GOBI (or watever the card is used in the US) and DIY?

I am also looking to buy a new laptop to replace my 6 year old thinkpad x40. I was originally looking for a new thinkpad xseries but saw the m11x at a retail store and fell in love with it. Yes it's thicker and heavier than my ancient thinkpad, and the keyboard lighting isn't as good as a thinklight, the battery doesn't last as long, but it's much cheaper and has better graphics. MUCH better graphics. to the point where I wouldn't need a desktop anymore. Hmmmmm...

So I have my new m11 in the 'shopping cart' and I am about ready to check out when I stumble into the hinge problem complaints.

I also don't see where to buy replacement hinges on dell's support site. I had to do this with my HP dv8000 (cheap consumer stuff and it was dropped) after 4 or 5 years and IIRC the price for the part was about $30. Fair enough. I hate dell giving their customers the runaround and just replacing the hinge with the same defective part.

I am not too hard on laptops, as I have had my thinkpad for 6 years, it's been dropped/sat on/spilled into a few times but no big crunches and still works perfectly (other than the fact that it is a pentium mULV with intel 845 graphics ;) ). The keyboard is shiny and the paint has worn off the bottom magnesium casing but other than that, no issues. The hinges are certainly still tight, but then again they are also still tight on my 486 toshiba which has seen far worse over the years.

So... I have a few questions...

What is the best way to be notified that there is a new revision of hinge out (dell guy chris on here said there was a fix in the works) I am not asking when, but simply how to be notified, and how to be sure that the unit I order will have the proper hinge?

I am assuming the extra weight and thickness (compared to the thinkpad x40- very durable) will make durability a non-issue. But how does it hold up in real life... other than the broken hinges, is there a lot of problems with dented body panels, crashed disks, failed mainboard/planars, bsods, etc?

I hate to go into one of those 'my friend got a dell and...' stories but a friend of mine bought a new dell and she had tons of issues with random lockups, bsods, etc, and nightmarish service. I know that was a particular incident and related to one dell unit running one faulty program (albeit, the default OS install), but has there been a lot of issues with having to wait for OS drivers/firmware patches with dell AW systems or are they pretty much good to go out of the box (not a problem now that the m11x has been out for close to a year)...

Where is the price book for parts such as hinges and batteries? How to order? I am expecting my new laptop to be a long-term friend i.e. at least 6 years or more, so I do not want to rely on warranty service. Pardon my ignorance but when I go to dell's support site for parts, I do not see any M11x replacement hinges.

This last one is a personal one but I will share anyways... do I really need the improved graphics performance as a refurbished thinkpad x200 (at similar price to the dell m11x) has a intel 4500 which is more than enough for 3d mathematica plots and project 64 even if it will not scream with graphical prowess - the TP does have a faster processor though...

I understand that it is unfair to compare a 6 year old $2500 laptop (bought used) with a new $1100 laptop but that is what I am working with here. It probably also raises the hair on moderator's necks that I am comparing dell with other vendors so I consider it a blessing that this post makes it to the forum at all :)