3 HDDs in the Dell Precision M4600 : worth it ?

Hi,

I own currently 2 HDD in my M4600 : one M-SATA Intel and one 7200 rpm Toshiba...
I was thinking using the express card port a third HDD SSD using that :

FileMate SolidGO ExpressCard 34 Ultra SSD (w/mini USB port) [3FMS4D096JM-B] - €214.00 :

But as u can see, it's quite expensive for 96Gb...

The main reason for that is that I'm using a lot PPRO CS5 and for best performance I would like to avoid having all my working file, previews and cache files on the same drive...

Of course I could use an ext drive or 2, but for travelling, I think the best is having all I need integrated to my laptop...

Does someone already try to use an express card HDD in a laptop, and second, does the M4600 express card port accept both 54mm AND 34mm express card ?

 

If you do not use the optical drive very often, buy an after market HDD Caddy for optical bay for m4600. You can use any normal 2.5" hdd or ssd for that, only SATA2 i think. it costs < 50 USD for the caddy.

In case optical drive is needed, remove the hdd caddy and slot in the optical drive back.

Below is an example of hdd caddy for M4400. it fits into M4600 but the panel angle and colour do not match so i am not using it.

 

2nd HDD / SSD Caddy - DELL Precision M6400, M6500, M4600, M6600 [OBHD9-SATA-SATA-B] - $42.00 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks

Or you could just use a Hard Drive Caddy that has been specifically engineered for the M4600.

 

I've literally just taken delivery of my M4600 and can't see obviously how I remove the DVD drive? Can someone point me in the right direction please as I was expecting it to be obvious as it is on my M4400.

Will be using the extra drive I had with the M4400 whilst waiting for a new matching caddy.

 

It couldn't be made more basic to remove if DELL tried.

Have you checked the Owner's Manual HERE

 

Thank you very much. I was expecting the little trigger on the side of the bay like I had on the M4400.

 

hi ... 256 mSata !!!!! is that good ? SSD,Solid State Disk,KingSpec SSD,Solid Hard Drives

 

Any 'good' for what?

Typically ExpressCard and MicroSATA SSD's have a far reduced performance level compared with even the cheapest SATA II / 2.5" SSD's on the market.

 

How does expresscard ssd compare to a mechanical HD?

 

Something like this? Newegg.com - Wintec FileMate 3FMS4D096JM-R ExpressCard 34 96GB USB 2.0 &#38; SATAII MLC Internal &#47; External Solid State Drive &#40;SSD&#41;