Ordered new Alienware 18, advice on upgrade path.

Just ordered my new alienware 18, havent ordered a laptop since my M11x R2 anyways the specs are

I7 4800MQ
16gbs Ram
770m SLI
64gb MSATA w/ 750 gb harddrive

Anyways i really want to upgrade my harddrive, but i've been out of the game on the whole computer business and some of these new terms baffle me. Whatever happened to IDE connections? lol just kidding.

I want to install a SSD drive but i don't know what to start with. I would like to get my OS on the SSD and install a second 2TB HDD and remove the 750gb HDD.

i understand there are only 2 HDD bays, will they accommodate a 15mm hard drive? cuz i think that the 2tb hard drive only comes in that size. What exactly is MSATA? is it a small 3rd Hard Drive bay? Any insight would be grateful.

 

well to put it bluntly mSATA its SATA but smaller. you can find more info Here
are you not getting GTX780M? its worth it .

 

What's your budget buddy? And do you mind swapping out you ODD?

 

Varies on the budget so that might help us on a spot on recommendation. I say go with a 128GB+ mSATA SSD for the OS and 2x 1TB then do raid 0 or get another 750GB and do raid 0.

 

The 750 GB drive is accelerated by the cache mSATA and its pretty fast for a beginning. If you want faster go with the mSATA 512GB and this does not accelerate any drive, its a stand alone unit and will run faster that goes in the small bay. I am running an EVO 1TB SSD and its fast and big, but I am getting freezes happening where I have to hard shut down, so not sure where the bug is, so until I know more I would stick with the larger mSATA for the op system, then you can have 1 bays free to add 2TB with the other 750 GB still there for a total of 2.750 GB of space, while still keeping the ODD is case you play a movie. If you need less expensive storage alternative, use a 3TB external hard drive, they are rather affordable right now.

 

No, it will not.

 

The best is to go with the Samsung evo 1TB, if you want to use the alienrespawn because it will no install in ssd smaller then 750GB. do not format the HD before you do an alienrespawn to a flash drive or to 3 dvd disc, if you want to keep the factory setting.

 

Samsung EVO 1TB and ditch the HDD plan.
It will cost you though

 

Standard hdd slots on aw18 can take 9.5mm hdd only. Odd bay can take upto 18mm hdd.

Easiest way to upgrade, add a 256gb msata with clean install and second 750gb hdd for total of 1.5tb storage.

 

Thanks for the response. Right now my budget is somewhere under $750. I don't plan on replacing the blu-ray drive because i like being able to watch movies alot. i don't plan to upgrade to the 780's yet until after my upgrade my harddrives.

So thanks for clearing up that the 15mm drives do not fit.

here's what i've grasped so far. and what im leaning towards.
256msata with my OS (lean install)
and 2x 750gb HDD?
while still maintaining my ODD.

would this be a worthwhile upgrade? what are the prices ranges or good brands i should be looking at? Should i keep the 3 drives separate partitions?

 

Congratulations on the new system. That configuration is an excellent example of balance between performance and cost. Now, all you need is an SSD, and might I suggest the 500GB Samsung 840 EVO (seen in my signature).

 

Personally if you have $750 to throw at upgrades I would upgrade the order to 780m sli. I'm pretty sure they will allow that considering the upgrade to 780m to from your 770sli is about that much anyways. you have to look at it this way if if you upgrade in the future its going to cost you way more than $750 to jump the cards up. And leave the rest the same till you have some more money to throw around. Its actually a more beneficial idea for performance for the future than just upgrading a ssd in there which anyone can save up for that with skipping a few lunchs out and dining out.

 

That is a good point. I agree with Codename. It will be MUCH cheaper, now, to call and modify the order, as opposed to upgrading down the road. You may even be able to get a deal! :thumbsup:

The performance difference is going to be night and day.

 

i didnt have $750 at the time to upgrade to the 780s, i don't play alot of PC games anyways, i do on occasion, but im not a hardcore PC gamer. I mainly use my computer to watch movies. which is why im choosing for more hard drive space. I have plenty of external drives but i can't take those with me while im on the move as easily

 

also what about have 2x 1tb hybrid hard drives in raid 0. is that even possible?

 

Then you dont need 780M SLI.
770M SLI is really powerful anyway and will help you when you do want to play some games.

Yes you can raid0 two momentus XT. But you will be much better off to have 2 HDDs as storage containers, and use that 64GB msata SSD or any other similar sized SSDs as bootup storage. Meaning you put windows on that SSD and put your files on the HDDs

SSDs are much faster than hybrid drives

 

I second this, based on your response, SParky. You will want to go with an SSD as your main drive and have an HDD cached with an mSATA SSD, which you already do. However, the HDD that is included with your system is only SATA II (3GB/s). I recommend purchasing this HDD to replace it: HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5-Inch 1TB 7200 RPM SATA III 32MB Cache - Amazon.com.

 

how bennificial are two momentus XT drives in raid0?

 

Almost none. Raid0 systems are neglible faster on everyday tasks than a single drive, sometimes slower too.

Sequential speeds go up with Raid0, meaning things like moving a big file goes faster. Will not help on a typical task that involve dealing with hundreds and thousands of small files of 4Kb-512kb.

Plus im not sure if the whole caching that goes on inside the momentus drives really enjoy being raid to another one.

Use 1 or 2 regular HDDs for storage and use a standalone msata SSD for windows and programs you want to open up fast.

 

I was considering the Crucial 240gb MSATA as my primary harddive with windows on it. And 2 Momentus XT 1tb in raid 0 for all my media files.
If what i have gathered from you guys this should seem possible.

 

That is definitely a possibility. Although, I recommend the: Mushkin Direct Atalas Deluxe (240GB) - Amazon.com. You may also want to consider a larger size. 240GB can fill up quite easily, especially since you don't get exactly 240GB's of usable space, more like 184GB.

 

Nah just go for 512 GB mSATA, and put in some 1TB SSDs. That's the way to go.

 

Hmmm. As you don't want to remove the ODD, and given your budget of around $750, I'd consider a few possibilities, one of which being the following:

Get the largest mSata SSD as you can. I think the largest available to buy is 480gb, from recollection - as the only 512gb mSata (that I am aware of) is the Samsung PM841 that Dell use, but that is OEM and not available to buy from the likes of Newegg etc. Bang the OS on it. Use 64gb of it as a partition to cache a couple of 1tb HDD's in RAID0. Maximum performance/storage at minimum outlay.

If you can amend your order to include the Dell 512gb, I'd maybe look at that - otherwise, something like the Mushkin 480gb mSata for around $480 is pretty good. Depends if you can change the spec. and how much Dell want in addition for that change.

Actually, thinking about it - if you ordered from the 'middle tier' - which I'm thinking you did to get that spec. - I'd look at upping it to the top tier and selecting the 512gb mSata/750gb HDD combo.....If my math is correct, that would be around an extra $520, but you also get a bump in the cpu department to 4900mq. Good option as there is 10% off the top tier as opposed to 5% off the middle tier....meaning you get more bang for your buck.....

So, if you do that....you spend an extra ~$500 at the outset on the order, get a large mSata and the better cpu....then you can throw the remaining ~$250 from your budget at a couple of 1tb HDD's (raided) that will be cache accelerated from the 64gb partition you would create on the mSata.

End result = a good chunk of 'real' SSD speed from the mSata and the benefit of 2tb of 'accelerated' to SSD-like speeds for mass storage...no ODD removal, probably cheaper than buying a 1tb EVO, and you get a 4900mq out of it too.....sweet!

 

There are a few places to get the 512GB PM841 from, but some are out of stock as of now. PROVANTAGE: Samsung MZMTD512HAGL-00000 Samsung SSD PM841 512GB SATA III 6GB microSata miniPcie 3BIT

 

Not a bad price - if they had 'em! - just saw some on Amazon for $499.99: Amazon.com : Samsung Ssd Mzmtd512hagl 00000 Pm841 512gb Sata Iii 6gb Microsata Minipcie 3bit Mlc : Computers & Accessories but if spending that amount, I'd up the whole machine to the top tier, get the 512gb mSata from Dell and have a CPU bump for next to nothing. Also, there's then the added benefit of having the mSata covered under the roof of the machine warranty - however long the OP elected to take out.

Also, if buying the 512gb mSata/750gb HDD combo from Dell, the OS is already on the mSata afaik, so the OP need only create a partition to use as caching and plonk in a couple of big HDD's for fast, cheap storage....no faffing about re-installing the OS if the OP didn't want to....

 

Lol i wish i would have made my decision on purchasing an alienware with all this in mind. I didnt think about this and how much i would be spending on upgrades. It is too late for me now because, i wont be able to make a change in my order untill i get back to America, and by then it will be too late. Thanks for your imput and help. It has surely helped me make my decision.

 

My pleasure to try and help. Are you absolutely sure you cannot amend your order? - of course, it's not the end of the world, but it might have been nice to get the mSata from Dell and enjoy a fairly cheap 'bump' to a 4900mq.....give 'em a call....nothing to lose by asking I imagine.

 

Quick question, are all MSATA SSD's the same size and will fit in the MSATA slot in the laptop? because i was thinking about getting the Crucial M500 480GB MSATA SSD cuz i can get it for about $360 but some sites are saying that it is a 2.5in drive while others are saying its not.

 

Not all mSata's are made equal! - variations in capacity are commonplace, however, just ensure that the sata interface is mSata and not 7mm 2.5" SSD and you should be okay...

 

The M500 comes in two flavors, one in mSATA one in 2.5" disk drive.

 

I believe the Crucial part numbers are even very similar for the same SSD in each form factor. That might be causing some confusion on what size the SSD is. If the description says mSATA, then it should be exactly that and not a 2.5" SSD. mSATA is primarily one size. There are half-height models, but they are rare and easily distinguished because the PCB is half as long (same size as a WiFi card).

Crucial makes rock-solid memory and SSD. They are very reliable products, but not the fastest. If you get a really awesome price on one, certainly pull the trigger on it with confidence in the quality. I have two Crucial M4 and they are slow compared to some of the alternatives. If that matters and the price is similar, you may want to opt for something faster.

 

Thanks for the reply, i know that is mSATA interface, i just didnt know if mSATA comes in different form factors that would prevent me from installing it into mSATA spot in the ALW18

 

Information for all Alienware 18 owners:

2 x HDDs (1x 15mm , 1x 9mm) fit into the Alienware 18 HDD frame and into the Alienware 18 body. You have two options to enable this HDD combination:

1. Buy an old HDD metal frame from the Alienware M18x ... cost less than 5 Dollars --> this frame is more simple the the new frame and 100% compatible to the new Alienware 18.

2. Remove the metall connection brace inside the HDD frame (side cutter) as well as the metal corners (with a simple pliers). No fear, the metall frame is very simple and easy to adapt.

Result: both HDDs have enouth space inside the HDD frame ("caddy"), the screws fit into the holes, both SATA ports fit. everything perfect.

Accordingly, you do not have to change your 2TB harddrive from your old Alienware M18x platform.

Kind regards,

Michael

 

Wow, Michael. That sounds really great. Thank you for sharing. Can you please post a few photos of that for us?

Also, are you speaking of the 3-drive caddy from the M18xR2 or the 2-drive caddy from the M18xR1? Perhaps either one would work if the 15mm drive was placed above (on the exterior side of) the 9mm drive.

I wonder then... a 15mm HDD will probably work installed in the ODD bay bracket as well. You could get some serious mSATA accelerated RAID0 storage space with a pair of 1.5TB or 2TB 15mm HDDs like that.

 

Hi,

I've upgraded from the M18x R2 to the Alienware 18 (after 5 mainboard failures - thanks to the alienware support). So I picked the HDD frame with my 2 HDDs from the old R2 and put it directly into the Alienware 18 - works perfect. But due to the Alienware service, a had to send back the demaged M18x R2 platform to Dell (including the old HDD frame). Accordingly, a have to use the new Alienware 18 stuff. After 3 minutes of work, the new HDD frame fits - no stress, everything is fine.

I've just finished the setup - so sorry for the missing pictures - this is my actual working machine

Kind regrads,

Michael