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    Optical Drive Removed from M14x to lighten the weight?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by Caladdon, Feb 17, 2012.

  1. Caladdon

    Caladdon Notebook Evangelist

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    Hello all.

    Just recently had a new screen placed on my Alienware and it got me thinking about parts.
    Just out of curiosity - is it possible to remove the Optical Drive from the laptop and still have it fully functional?

    The reason I ask is for making the device even lighter.
    I understand it may seem strange at first but I very rarely if ever use the drive on portable machines such as this.

    Regards
     
    Caladdon, Feb 17, 2012
    #1
  2. DR650SE

    DR650SE The Whiskey Barracuda

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    If it's a standard slot load you can remove it, add a HDD caddy for more storage. I have parts linked in my sig and they may work. (1TB Internal) Though it would defeat the weight reduction purpose.
     
    DR650SE, Feb 17, 2012
    #2
  3. Caladdon

    Caladdon Notebook Evangelist

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    Excellent - Thanks for prompt reply.

    +1 rep
     
    Caladdon, Feb 17, 2012
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  4. DC87

    DC87 Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah you could remove it and it the machine will work fine but the drive itself barley weighs anything.
     
    DC87, Feb 17, 2012
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  5. smokeydogsmokey

    smokeydogsmokey Notebook Consultant

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    yes u can ive taken mine out and not gonna lye mate unless you've got it on scales u wont notice any difference at all
     
    smokeydogsmokey, Feb 17, 2012
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  6. Gearsguy

    Gearsguy Notebook Deity

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    Yeah I think its mainly the huge battery that weighs it down. Itd be interesting to see someone remove that and have it still function. Itd essentially be a very, very portable desktop, but Im sure the battery could easily drop ~2lbs
     
    Gearsguy, Feb 18, 2012
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  7. c69k

    c69k Notebook Deity

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    I have taken out my battery, dvd drive and ram cover a few months ago.
    I did it for getting better temperatures.
     
    c69k, Feb 18, 2012
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  8. killerduck

    killerduck Newbie

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    I was thinking removing the optical drive may just improve cooling a bit , give more space for the heat to dissipate
     
    killerduck, Feb 18, 2012
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  9. killerduck

    killerduck Newbie

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    Well i just removed the Optical drive leaving the space empty , and on the whole , it seems to be running a bit cooler now . The right Palm rest doesn't feel hot anymore with normal usage.
     
    killerduck, Feb 18, 2012
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  10. headphones989

    headphones989 Notebook Consultant

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    don't bother, the optical drive weighs almost NOTHING... a better thing to do would be to put in an alternate hdd for storage space and it'll not even really affect weight or anything else (once again, the drive weights near to nothing, and another hdd is about the same).
     
    headphones989, Feb 19, 2012
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  11. ninja2000

    ninja2000 Mash IT

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    Although the HDD only weighs a couple of hundred grams the metal bracket is quite a weight. I removed the lot and I noticed the difference, especially carrying it around one handed
     
    ninja2000, Feb 20, 2012
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  12. Caladdon

    Caladdon Notebook Evangelist

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    Which bracket are you referring to exactly?
    Or did you take out the entire Hard Drive component itself.
     
    Caladdon, Feb 20, 2012
    #12