How to install a bigger mSATA SSD in 2nd gen Razer Blade w/Pics

Bought a Crucial M4 mSATA 256Gb SSD from Newegg.com for $189.99 w/free shipping to replace the 64Gb SSD that comes with the Razer Blade.

Took some pics and labeled some parts to show you guys how to open it up and upgrade some components.

Before you being, make sure you BACK EVERYTHING YOU NEED UP, DOWNLOAD ALL THE DRIVERS FROM RAZER'S WEBSITE AND MAKE A BOOTABLE USB DRIVE WITH WINDOWS ON IT. After you've done that, you may proceed.

Flip it over, about 12 screws for you to take out, the screws are positioned to the ones where you need to remove, there's 2 that aren't screws and aren't necessary:



Here it is with the back cover off:



There's 2 screws that are attaches the battery to the motherboard, the top middle and the one on the right. I've labeled the components that are user-upgrade-able:



Remove the cable that connects the battery to the motherboard, take it out and set it aside somewhere:



Remove the 2 screws holding the external connectors module and lift it up (don't worry, you don't break anything, the wires are very bendy):



Here is the 64Gb SSD mSATA that comes standard with the 2nd gen Razer Blade, unscrew the only screw holding it down and slide it out to the right:



Here it is out of the motherboard:



Here is the Crucial M4 256Gb mSATA SSD's packaging, you'll note it does come with 2 screws, I didn't use those, I just re-used the one that came with the 64Gb SSD:



Here it is installed and screwed back down:



Reverse the entire process, button everything back up, don't forget to re-connect the battery and put the back cover on.

On bootup, get into the BIOS, go under the "Boot" menu and select the "Hard Drive BBS Priorities" option. Make your first boot drive the new Crucial M4 256Gb mSATA SSD that you just installed:



When you ESC out of that menu, you should see this screen confirming your selection for the Crucial 256Gb mSATA SSD as your primary boot/Windows drive:



Save your changes, plug your bootable USB drive in, restart and hit F12 to get to the Boot Menu and select your USB drive:



When Windows asks, pick the SSD to install Windows to:



Once Windows is all installed, you should have 2 usable drives, one 256Gb SSD (I use this for Windows, games and programs) and the 500Gb HDD that comes w/the Razer Blade (I use this for music and movies). You'll notice I have 16Gb of Corsair Vengeance RAM as well



Enjoy your new speedy Windows and games! Boot up time is around 10-12 seconds for me now. It's fantastic and the extra space is great as well!

 

Excellent guide, Cyanide, thanks for posting this! :thumbsup:

 

Awesome! I just ordered from razerzone with the 10% discount, this is the very first thing I'll do to my Blade the moment I get it

ADDENDUM: BTW, does the Blade come with a Win8 installer DVD? If not, how do I go about making a bootable USB installer?

 

Call up Razer and ask them to ship you a recovery USB drive. Or if you can find a copy of Windows 8, you can just use that and enter the CD-key that's printed on the bottom of your Razer Blade (that's what I did, worked fine).

 

I think I'll just find an ISO somewhere then, thanks! One last question, won't it be difficult to reinstall Windows then get it to factory default? As in, all I have to do is get the Razer drivers and installing them would get me basically the same configuration as what I'd get if I ysed the Blade out of the box?

I'm concerned I might have a difficult time getting the Switchblade UI to work if I did a clean format, which is a habit of mine whenever I get a new laptop (helps get rid of unnecessary bloatware).

 

Download all the software and drivers you'll need from Razer's site and everything will work fine.

Only thing that you won't get is the Razer Windows theme, the background and startup sounds.

I'm still waiting to get my recovery USB stick from Razer and I'm going to do another clean format.

The Switchblade UI comes with Razer Synapse, install that last. When you install Synapse, it'll detect your keyboard and you'll see it download all the software and drivers it needs for the Switchblade UI to work.

 

Nice, thanks for the help That's too bad, I wonder if anyone can provide the Razer theme for everyone to download. I remember the Alienware thread here had a 'Clean Format for AW laptops' package, everything you need to format, then reinstall and revert your laptop to factory releasebis there

 

That's why I'm doing another clean install once the Razer recovery USB drive gets to me, I'd like the Razer theme haha, and since I have 2 HDDs now, it's easier to just wipe the SSD clean and re-install everything while having important stuff backed up on the bigger 500Gb HDD.

 

Cool, maybe you can share with us the Razer theme files the way I'm buying my laptop I won't be able to take advantage of the perks of the Razer customer service (will be buying it from the Philippines).

 

Sorry for the double post, was looking through the driver download page for the Windows 8 hardware for the new Blade.. and I was wondering if there is a preferred order in installing these drivers? I remember there used to be an install order for these things whenever you do a fresh format of any new laptop.

Addendum: also, obviously there won't be a need to install the Dataplex and Rapid Storage drivers right? Because those are the cache SSD drivers?

 

There is no particular order that I know of

An no don't install dataplex if you're not using the SSD as a cache drive.

 

This is a great guide! I feel I can follow those steps although my experience is limited to doing a couple of windows clean installs.
I am getting the New Razer Blade today. I like the form factor, because I travel a lot, I was going to buy a mobile workstation, but even if I shade a pound or two, that is great news for my shoulders..
I was concerned about some of the components. I bought it when I saw messages like this indicating that I could upgrade (I I use stat packages that put all the data in RAM, so I need to upgrade RAM as well. I am afraid I am not a gamer.)

I haven't used a USB stick to load the software, so what size do I need to install windows and all the drivers? Can I put them in the same disk, or should I dedicate the USB drive just to the OS?
Many thanks again for this guide.

 

I had a 9lbs Alienware M17x R4 that I used to carry with me and play games on my lap with. It was 5x louder and hotter than the 2nd gen Razer Blade.

It also weighs MUCH MUCH less, I can pick it up with one hand without hurting my back lol, and I can game comfortably on my lap for hours.

I upgraded the RAM from 8Gb to 16Gb and replaced the 64Gb mSATA SSD, that's all.

An 8Gb USB stick should be fine, you can put a bootable version of Windows on it, then make a separate folder and download all the drivers to the same USB stick.

 

Go it.
I got the Blade yesterday, but had to send for an exchange. It would not boot and the guys at Razer suggested I replace it. It was just a bad software installation, but wanted to get one up and running in mint conditions (even when I plan making these mods.)
Many thanks for your post, and for making these steps available to others.

 

Hi Cyanide,
I hope you don't mind a couple more questions.
a) When I uninstall Dataplex, I don't see the mSata (the small one already installed) anywhere. Even if I reboot, and I go the BIOS, there is no SSD drive to be seen. So, I wonder if I replace the mSata, whether it will be recognized. When I got this laptop, a few things were not right (the keyboard is not being recognized, and the laptop switches to the battery when I am applying some stress tests.) I may change it before I make any mods.
b) If I replace the HDD with a new SSD, I guess I just boot from the new SSD (I am waiting to get the Samsung 830 2.5 inches) and leave the current mSata drive in (although is not being recognized.) Do I need to format the drive I am installing first, or both drives?
I don't see any formatting or elimination of partitions in you guide above. I am thinking of changing both drives, but if I keep one, I would like to do a clean install and erase everything left in any of those drives. Can formatting harm any drivers installed in the new drives. Or are the drivers and software just installed afterwards?
Sorry if this sounds too basic. I have only done one clean install ages ago, and I don't recall the steps.
Charly

 

Thank you! This should boost the number of game I can install

 

A) When you uninstall the Dataplex software, once you're booted up and back in Windows, you have to go into Start > Control Panel > Adminstrative Tools > Computer Management and click on Disk Management. There you *should* see a 2nd 64Gb drive, all you have to do is right click on it and "Initialize", partition/format it and you should be good to go. What the Dataplex software does is make the mSATA drive invisible to Windows, so once you uninstall the software, you have to let Windows know that there's another drive in the computer.

B) Windows should do all the formatting for you. You should not need to worry about it. Just make sure you have a bootable USB drive with Windows on it. During a typical Windows installation, it'll list all the drives on your computer and give you options to format/partition them all.

Formatting means everything on that drive is wiped clean. No drivers, nothing. So download all your drivers beforehand. Once Windows is installed, go ahead and install all your drivers and whatever software you'd like.

 

Cyanide, can you reinstall Windows 7 from a DVD? I was planning to plug in a DVD-Drive with Windows 7 Ultimate inside and installing it into the new Blade.


PS: Can you have a quick look at my thread about modifying my Blade and point any errors out? Thanks!
it is at: http://forum.notebookreview.com/other-manufacturers/706862-how-fuse-2-ssd-drive.html

 

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to install it from a USB DVD drive. I'm not 100% sure though, never tried it myself. Why not use a USB stick?

To "fuse" two SSD drives as you put, you actually want to RAID them together, is the proper terminology.

I haven't poked around in the BIOS enough to see if the Razer Blade has a RAID chipset built into the motherboard, but I can take a look. If memory serves me correctly though, I don't think it's possible.

 

Hmm, so I am better off allowing them to remain separate... But I wonder if not having a Raid setup puts me at risk for data lost if my Blade crashes...

I do not know how to load Windows 7 onto a USB stick. I was planning to backup the OS for the Blade as you recommended. Usually there should be a software that allows you to burn DVDs with an image that will allow you to restore your computer to factory settings. So I will do that and then try to mod.

 

Go here and download this: Microsoft Store Online

You have to make an "image" of your Windows 7 DVD. Use this software: DAEMON Tools Lite :: Products :: DAEMON-Tools.cc It's free and create an ISO.

Load the ISO into the Microsoft program, point it to your USB stick and it'll do everything for you.

I don't recommend RAID at all. Unless you have a very good reason for it, it's better to keep them separate.

 

Cyanide,
Thank you! I learned things the hard way, but I have a new SSD working now.

I decided to replace the HDD instead of the mStata. I was worried of taking out the motherboard. Maybe I'll do that when I stop sweating from the first step.

I had a couple of issues, so for whoever tries this, I can share a few tips, related to swapping the drive and installing a new OS.
This, I think, will be helpful for someone doing this for the first time (like me.)

1) Get a good mini Torx screwdriver, T6. I bought a regular T6 and is not the same. 'Mini' is what you want.
2) Make that screwdriver a top quality one! I had to replace a few. I got a cheap one through Amazon, and I was unable to take some screws out and, even worse, put them back. I finally got one from GearWrench, that was great.
3) I tried to go the easy way, by cloning my hard drive into the new SSD. Seems simple enough, but the software that came with my SSD drive (Samsung) for cloning kept giving me error messages and would not clone the disk. I spent a day trying to figure out what that error was, and the guys at Samsung (who were very helpful), finally suggested I try something else. I then got Acronis for Windows 8. It was impossible to install. The third software I got was from Macrium. Great cloning except that, when I tried installing the drive, Windows 8 would not load, even after booting several times (the drive was recognized.) Best way to do this, is to do a clean install, from an USB drive (or DVD.) It was very fast.
4) This is important: don't install the Razer firmware if your keyboard is working!!! Mine stopped working after this. I had to install the OS twice. When I ran the firmware the software froze. Somehow, after the second OS installation, and after trying to run this a few few times, the firmware worked. But I had to sweat a lot (by the way, this happened to me with another laptop, and nobody was able to explain the problem - although some people with other Razer keyboards have posted similar problems in other blogs, and having to go back to very old firmware.)
Hope this helps,
C.

I still have a couple of issues with the 'Microsoft basic display adapter', and the 'high definition audio device'. I will try installing some drivers again.

 

I said the firmware is not needed.

I bought a good set of precision tools from Newegg. Made it much easier.

I tried cloning as well, didn't work, it's not usually a good idea anyway.

Make sure you have the Intel HD Graphics drivers installed and the Realtek Audio drivers as well.

 

Cyanide,
Missed that bit about the firmware! I think I read on another thread to install that first. Argghh. It gave me a nightmare, but it has been solved now.

I have installed the Intel HD graphic drivers and the Realtek Audio. Still, I keep getting an error message under 'Sound, video and game controllers'. It shows 'Realtek High Definition Audio' installed, and this device is working fine. However, there is a second device 'High Definition Audio Device', that keeps giving me the yellow warning sign. I have upgraded the drivers using 'upgrade drivers', and the drivers seems fine. Still, the windows with device status says: The device cannot start. (Code 10.)
I have uninstalled this a few times, but it keeps coming back. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Carlos

 

Did you install the nVidia graphics drivers? Could be the HDMI port that it's detecting. Are you getting sound?

 

Yes, that's the strange thing. I do get sound.
Yes, I have installed the nVidia graphic drivers. I don't think this is a hardware problem, because I had the same, exact problem with my previous laptop (the one I exchanged, which had some battery problems.)
I did an upgrade to Window 8 Pro, so it may be that the driver's are not available. This was working with Windows 8.

This is the only thing that seems to be a problem.



Swapping the RAM seems more risky, isn't it? Are there too many things to unplug?
I could benefit from more RAM for statistical computing (where I do everything on RAM.)

Cheers,
C.

 

Hiya Cyanide.

Awesome guide, soooo gonna try this one later. I do have a question though, do you know where the CMOS battery is located?
Just found out that the my Blade has a BIOS problem about not saving the settings after every restart.

Thanks.

 

Is T6 mini different from T6? Damn hopefully I can find that here in my country. I remember having a difficult time trying to find T2 screwdrivers for my PSP before.

 

Yes, the "mini torx T6" and "torx T6" are different. There is no way you can use one instead of the other, and you need to be very precise with those screws (so, the screwdriver has to be of absolute good quality . If you get one, and don't get a very precise fit, don't use them. I had tried a few, and the difference was noticeable)

I have swapped the hard drive,and installed and SSD and the OS a few times now. For some reason, there is always something missing (I have all the drivers from Razer for WIndows 8 and the firmware, as I explained earlier, caused trouble), perhaps because I installed Windows 8 Pro. So, do this unless you absolutely need it and have spare time in your hands.
The cache solution works well, and my laptop with it on turns on an off faster than my HP Envy with a main SSD drive. At one point, with Windows 8, it was taking just 13 seconds to boot, which is just a bit longer than what it takes with the new SSD drive (it seems that things run a bit quicker with Windows 8 than with Windows 7, although that may have been something exceptional. Synapse, on the other hand, takes a bit longer to load in Windows 8, not matter what type of drive you have - in my limited experience.)

 

Did you download the Windows 7 or Windows 8 drivers?

Swapping the RAM is a little more nerve-wrecking haha, if you don't have a reason to upgrade your RAM, there's no need. The only reason I did it was because I had RAM laying around after selling my Alienware M17x.

Not sure where the CMOS battery is, looking through the pictures I think it might be buried pretty deep.

Ah, I have Windows 7, everything boots up pretty fast, including Synapse. Windows 8 could be why you're having those weird hardware problems.

 

Yes, I think so. I am pretty good in terms of how the laptop is performing , and how all the devices are working. The main issue now is installing windows updates. It can't install some packages, so I had to resort to do this manually (searching the package, and then installting each one individually.) Since each update has several sub-files, there many files to install, but I am getting there.I think that the Razer and Windows 8 Pro don't get along well (although it may be just this computer.)I would stick with Windows 7 Home or Professional ( Win 7 Professional, was the first windows OS that have been very reliable to me.)Windows 8 has some nice features, that allow you to re install everything with little work, or to refresh the computer. In theory, is nice, but in practice it has not worked for me, so I am back to doing things the old way.I finally got rid of all the problems updating files and with some devices not working properly (I posted a longer message in the Razer lounge.)A quick tip is, after a new installation, to do a "Refresh" from Windows 8 or 8 Pro, followed by a windows update BEFORE installing the drivers from the Razer zone. This will restore some missing files, put windows in mint conditions, and allow to install all the drivers correctly.Not sure why, but when I reversed the order, this did not work (maybe it was something unrelated, but these are the only steps that worked for me.). If the keyboard is working, as discussed earlier, do not install the Razer Firmware, which may destroy the booloader from the keyboard (I think this is something specific to Razer's keyboards, not just the internal ones, but the external ones as well.) You can still fix it, but it may take some work.I had to install the nVidia drivers a couple of times. Furthermore, I had to roll back the drivers from the Intel graphic card. When you do the Windows update it will install a newer driver (compared to the one in the Razer Zone), and nVidia would not install (this is just a hypothesis, but rolling back the driver, and installing nVidia drivers directly from the Razer Zone was the only thing that worked for me (I had downloaded the drivers earlier, but windows would reject the ones I had in a local folder.)Anyways, after a week of frustrations, everything is great now, and the new hard drive is flying.

 

Cyanide, I did exactly as you taught. Both the SSds (mSATA and HDD) were installed. I rebooted the Blade and it went into BIOS immediately. I chose the "Boot" tab and tried to choose "Boot Option Priorities", but I can't! I can change the boot configurations: Quiet Boot and Fast Boot, also I can change the OS type. But not the one in the middle.

What happened? I was sure that I pressed the drives in well. I did not use excessive force, I just gently push both SSD in, I put the screw on the lower left side of the mSATA, I plugged the HDD and secured it. So why does the computer not recognize the new components? Please help!

 

Well, I got somewhere. I went into the BIOS, into the the boot tab , then "Hard Drive BBS Priorities" and changed it from UEFI OS to Legacy OS. After the reboot, the Blade recognized the Crucial 512G SSD that I put into the HDD slot, but no reaction for the mSATA SSD drive...

 

Ah, I just so your other post. I think you are fine. Mine did not see the mSata drive either, Only after I installed the OS, and went into 'disk management' later I was able to configure the mSata drive.
But you can do that after your OS is installed and running well. It should be there.
It took me a while to enable the mSata (you will have to go into Disk management, initialize and format the drive, assign a letter, and then 'add' the letter to your computer for it to be seen.)

 

Sorry Charly2nd, I was in a panic when I posted.

But since the last posts, I was able to finally understand. I HAD to put the Hard Drive BBS Priorities into Legacy OS. You can see that on Cyanide's pic... Then I was able to enter into "Hard Drive BBS Priorities" and put my Crucial 256 as the Boot option#1.

But once again I was humbled, because the recovery drive I made yesterday from the Blade. But it was not recognized, so I had to download Windows 8 from the Internet and then entered the product key that came with the Blade. Of course, not accepted. SO I said what the heck and bought another license...

Anyways, I was able to activate Windows 8. Went into "Disk Management" and was finally to make my second HDD be recognized... Wow!

 

I am glad is working.
Did you get the full version? I couldn't find the full version online, only upgrades (which, since the hard drive was empty, these upgrades did not install well), so I got a DVD from an online retailer.
If you can run all the 'windows updates', you are good. If you have conflicts, or see error messages frequently, get a DVD with Windows for system builders (which will save you hours of hassle and is very easy to use - you just launch it running the 'setup'.).

I have a conflict with one audio device, that stops running and gives a Code 10. The realtek audio is working (and I have sound), so is just something weird. I am consulting with Razer to see if they have a fix for this (it seems to be driver's related, but the one installed may not be the right one.)

 

Hey, Charly2nd! Thanks for the heads up!

Yeah, I went W8 Pro. When I finally booted up, there were updates waiting for me. I installed them, and then I installed the drivers and softwares from Razer. It's been two days now, no new updates yet, but I think I should be safe. The only trouble I have had with Windows 8 until now have been iTunes. Hopefully they will patch this trouble soon...

No trouble yet with audio (knock on wood!). The drivers installation went smoothly. I have had no trouble with the audio of the games and my video yet.

I have to admit, it feels good to be able to play StarCraft II WoL at Ultra settings and not suffer any lag!

 

Great. It sounds like your laptop is perfectly fine.

I solved my problems forcing the installation of the older Graphic's driver from Razer's website (the newer one from Microsoft wasn't working for me.)

Today I upgraded the RAM to 16 GB (after running a memory test I found out that the stock RAM was defective), and also replaced the mSata drive (I had changed the HDD before), since I had a card lying around. Changing the RAM was a bit challenging, but that's an upgraded I needed for the type of software I use.
I am finally happy!
.

 

Hi Charly2nd

Hmm, I am also thinking about changing the RAM. Would you have any advice and photo on how to do it? Is there a brand you recommend above others?

 

There is a good step-by-step description with pictures on the Razer Blade Owner's Lounge, in page 91.
I would only add to that that you need to disconnect a cable on the left, next to the fan, before you lift the motherboard, and the small cable at the back of the motherboard (don't be afraid to pull it out - it will come out easily - just lift the little lever with your nails before you pull the cable out.) You need to take about 14 screws out (one was hidden under tape in mine.)
One screw will be the one holding the wireless card, and the other one will be the one holding the mSata drive (that's when I took the opportunity to replace it, since it was very easy.)

When you lift the motherboard (not a lot, because you will still have a few cables still plugged in), you just pull the RAM up and out a little bit (away from the motherboard), and it will come out easily. I had my wrist with a cable connected to a piece of metal, to discharge any static.
I used the same brand used by others : Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory (CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10). $96 for the two sticks, bought through Amazon.

You need the T6 mini-torx and a small Philips screwdrivers, for the motherboard screws. I think the whole process took me about two hours, because I was a bit afraid of pulling the RAM out, but it was actually easier than I thought and didn't need any help (my wife was ready to hold the motherboard.)
When I turned the laptop on, the new RAM and new mSata were recognized immediately (although I had to set up the mSata through Disk Manager for it to be recognized.)
After running the windows memory diagnostic again, my hardware error was gone, and all the devices are working properly.
Good luck!

 

Awesome! When I get back from my trip, I will try it!

 

All right! I was able to update once again! Yesterday, more updates were available for Windows 8 ad I was able to use windows to install them. So my W8 Pro is totally functional.

 

Thanks to this guide my Razer Blade is up and running with a new 256 GB SSD boot disc, and it's perfect....

Except my Switchblade UI is not working I've installed every driver, as well as Synapse from the Razer site. My 10 dynamic keys are not lighting up like they used to Can't figure this out on my own, any help? Tried reinstalling the firmware for the keyboard already, won't work. The keyboard and trackpad work though. But the trackpad only displays the default Razer logo, and won't change into the snazzy pic I created myself and setup in Synapse

 

Can someone post a link to a good mini t6?
I dont want to accidentally strip the screws.

 

Was anyone able to install to the ssd with razor's recovery stick?

 

Crucial's M500 is official. $599 for a 7mm 2.5" 960GB SSD.

Who will be setting up a 1440GB Blade R2 first?

 

I snagged up that M500 as my games drive.

 

I just purchased the Razer Blade Pro and opened it up. The bay from the 2nd gen is still there along with what looks like the connector on the motherboard. My question is does anyone know where I can get what type of SATA cable is in the gen 2 and where can i get one to try and hook up my SSD drive.

 

When you opened the system up, is the RAM still up-gradable or is it soldered like the Blade 14?

 

I didn't unscrew the motherboard, I just took off the back panel and looked at where the hard drive was on the R2.