New M6500 Discussion Thread

Does anyone know when will Gophn post his review?

 

Currently there are no other driver options (without INF tweaking) from Dell or Nvidia that I can find for the 3800M. If anyone finds some, please let me know because my external monitor seems like it could use a driver update.

 

However, as skypx stated "...trim will only be available with AHCI enabled in the BIOS (forgot what the RAID option is called in Dell's laptop BIOS) and MS drivers. If Intel's new matrix storage drivers (or whatever they are called) are installed, it won't work." Intel's SSD is hard to get them work. Would the same hold true for the OCZ ones?

 

The bottom line is that no SSDs currently work with the Windows 7 implementation of TRIM if they are in a RAID configuration. (This is a limitation of the RAID systems, which can't "pass through" the TRIM commands. It will be fixed in the future, but only Intel knows when.) If you want to use an SSD in RAID, and want to maintain the performance, you need to select one that has a "garbage collection" feature independent of Windows 7 TRIM. Most of the OCZ drives, as well as the Samsung drives, have "garbage collection" that works even if the drive is in a RAID configuration.

If you aren't considering RAID for your SSDs, then Windows 7 TRIM should work just fine for the OCZ Vertex or Intel drives. If you are considering RAID for your SSDs, you may want to reconsider. Although benchmarks show a significant gain in sequential read and write speeds with SSDs in RAID, the RAID "overhead" significantly slows down the random read/writes. Most folks that have compared SSDs in RAID in "real world" applications have concluded that there is very little benefit to RAIDing SSDs.

 

Thanks keithsnell. This was quite clarifying about selecting / using SSD's. I wouldn't opt for any RAID configuration in the first place. So, I conclude, that OCZ SSDs in a non-RAID configuration seems the best choice for me in terms of performance.

 

Good conclusion.

OCZ sells several different types of SSDs, with different controllers, etc., and performance varies. The OCZ Vertex is currently considered the best "performance for the dollar."

There is currently a sale and rebate on the Vertex at this link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227395

 

A non raid SSD is going to be my first upgrade to the m6500 at some point down the line....nice info here, clarifying...thanks keithsnell.

 

Sorry to post for a second time about this but i can't resolve my problem.

I missed in my order bluetooth 365 option.

I ordered it separately, received it, but now i don't find where i have to install it.

Can someone post a pic of this component to show the place in the UC.

Thanks

 

Does this link help? http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/wsm6400/en/sm/wpan.htm#wp1185775 (From the m6400 service manual, but the location/installation should be the same.)

 

Here:

1)

Pre-Removal Instructions
Before removing the WPAN:

1. During installation or removal of any hardware, always ensure all data is backed up properly.

2. Disconnect any telephone, network, or USB cables from the computer.

3. Disconnect the computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets.

4. Remove the Battery.

5. Remove the Access Panel.

2)
Disconnect the antenna cable from the WPAN card.

https://dcse.dell.com/ifr/Precision/M6500/images/CRU/td07_01.swf

3.

Remove the one screw securing the card to the system.
https://dcse.dell.com/ifr/Precision/M6500/images/CRU/td07_02.swf

4.

Remove the WPAN card from the system at an angle.
https://dcse.dell.com/ifr/Precision/M6500/images/CRU/td07_03.swf

5.

Complete

Just work your way back. ( This is from Dell tech site for m6500 )