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    Some ssd problems on m14xR2

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by axlastro, Jun 28, 2013.

  1. axlastro

    axlastro Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi guys, I have posted the problem on other forums but still not sure what to do. I got an used m14xr2 which is out of warranty as it seems. I did some stress testing and the machine seems to work fine.
    I installed an mSata 128gb A-data SSD (sx300). Everything was fine until two weeks later I started getting BSOD's and checked the S.M.A.R.T - nothing seemd to be wrong. After a few days the ssd died (the BIOS won't recognize it).
    I got a replacement but after two weeks it started giving me BSOD's and the smart chack showed retired block count 2 with a threshold of 3 and the temperature of the SSD was getting close to the 70c operating limit. I returned it and they gave me back the money, because they think my laptop is killing them. At first I thought it was not possible, but now I'm starting to think that such probability exists.

    Many people recommended me to get a "real" ssd - Intel or Crucial, but I'm a bit wary - what if the expensive Intel 525 dies too? I visited the computer shop where I bought the laptop and left it for testing. They said it was "fine". I asked them if they measured the voltage on the mSata port, but they didn't know as the technician wasn't there at the time.

    Is there any simple way to test the mSata port for failures or do I just have to buy another ssd and wait for it to fail?
     
  2. axlastro

    axlastro Notebook Enthusiast

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    Nevermind. I found this : Mini PCI E PCI PC Laptop Diagnostic Post Card Tester US | eBay
    I don't know though if it only uses the mSata port to detect problems with CPU, Ram and other main components. I'm also unaware if it works with our BIOS There are olso more advanced testers, some of them using USB ports.
    The thing outputs some codes and then you look them up in the user manual to see if there is something wrong. I doubt it will show anything in my case. I did some research and the mSata slot on the m14xr2 is connected via a small adapter, which hosts the Wlan slot. They both go into one PCI-e slot on the motherboard, so if there is something wrong with the mSata slot and it's frying the SSD's it should have affected the Wlan Card. Only possible reason would be some issoes with the pinout on the adapter card that holds the plugs for the Wlan card and the mSata ssd. There's something else - the mSata slot is also used for the HD Wireless card, so the pci-e slot is basically connected to the Video Card output on the motherboard. I'm not an expert so I don't know how exactly the mSata snd Wlan cards are working simultaneously - do they use the same resources (the same pins on the pci-e bus? I might get one of those testers and see if they show something and maybe then get another ssd and see if it dies too.