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    Alienware 15 R3 Ram m.2 Harddrives Upgrade

    Discussion in '2015+ Alienware 13 / 15 / 17' started by cowmoohard, Nov 19, 2016.

  1. cowmoohard

    cowmoohard Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hello Guys... I just bought a alienware 15 r3 with stock (8gb ram) and stock 1tb hd.
    I looked elsewhere on those upgrades and saw much better pricing, but afterwards I'm not sure which exact models to buy.

    RAM:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232168&ignorebbr=1
    The G Skill 1 x16gb 2667mhz ram, and maybe I can get that and then buy another 16gb ram way in the future (2years down the road). Anyone know if alienware 15 r3 using G skill 1 slot of ram is compatible? Would there be any performance loss? I'm thinking about spending $100 for a good 1x 16gb ram.
    If the above isn't a good idea, anyone know the base model of the 8gb stock ram that alienware attached? Maybe I can just buy that off newegg or amazon so its a 16gb.

    m.2 SSD:
    I'm stuck between 512gb m.2 samsung evo 950 vs 1tb m.2 samsung evo 850 since they are both at the $300 price point. Any suggestions here? I'm valuing space over performance, and maybe there are other models out there that performed just as good and cheaper.
     
    cowmoohard, Nov 19, 2016
    #1
  2. Vasudev

    Vasudev Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I think you're referring to samsung 960 EVO m.2. If so, go for 960 evo, which is a whole lot improvement than 850 evo. 4GB reads and 2.1GB writes. You can always move your docs, pics etc to D drive using Storage app found in Settings.
     
    Vasudev, Nov 20, 2016
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  3. kyussmanchu

    kyussmanchu Notebook Consultant

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    How the hell do I get my 15 r3 to boot from the m2? I cloned the mechanical disk to the m2, but when I unplug the old disk, the system does not seem to see the m2 as a bootable device. I don't see anything in the bios that I could set. Any ideas?
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2016
    kyussmanchu, Nov 21, 2016
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  4. Vasudev

    Vasudev Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    RAID or AHCI mode? Which brand of SSD are you using?
     
    Vasudev, Nov 22, 2016
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  5. kyussmanchu

    kyussmanchu Notebook Consultant

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    Samsung 850 evo. AHCI.
    THANKS
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2016
    kyussmanchu, Nov 22, 2016
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  6. Vasudev

    Vasudev Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Even I have the same problems whilst booting Linux through the same SSD. Are you able to get it detected via LiveCD or Windows Installation screen. Just make sure to hit fix boot issue, if you're restored it using Macrium Reflect.
     
    Vasudev, Nov 22, 2016
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  7. kyussmanchu

    kyussmanchu Notebook Consultant

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    Gonna try another cloning tool. I have my doubts about the one I used. Will try Macrium.
    Thanks
     
    kyussmanchu, Nov 22, 2016
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  8. kyussmanchu

    kyussmanchu Notebook Consultant

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    Quick update.
    I got it to work. Turns out the cloning tool I initially used did not get the job done. Used Macrium and it works now. Man the difference in system performance is staggering
     
    kyussmanchu, Nov 23, 2016
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  9. raad11

    raad11 Notebook Evangelist

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    How are you cloning it? Putting the M.2 and stock HD in another system?
     
    raad11, Nov 23, 2016
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  10. kyussmanchu

    kyussmanchu Notebook Consultant

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    I kept the stock HD in there with the M.2 and used Macrium reflect to clone. Then I removed the stock HD and had the system boot with the M.2. I then inserted the old HD into an enclosure and proceeded to format it and re-installed it in the system once that was done.
     
    kyussmanchu, Nov 24, 2016
    #10