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    M.2 SSD Addition

    Discussion in '2015+ Alienware 13 / 15 / 17' started by jmmenes, Nov 17, 2017.

  1. jmmenes

    jmmenes Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hello, I'm looking to buy a new m.2 ssd for my laptop. But I am not trying to replace the existing one running my OS.

    I want to simply add it as another drive for storage/gaming

    Is that possible with 2 different SSD's? & how do I do that?

    I haven't found an answer to this.

    I have an Alienware 17 R4
     
    jmmenes, Nov 17, 2017
    #1
  2. gschneider

    gschneider Notebook Evangelist

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    Simply buy an M.2 SSD from amazon. I like the samsung 960 evo. Fit it in your laptop. format the drive and your good to go.

    I have an M.2 as OS Drive programs etc. M.2 for Steam, SSD for origin games and storage.
     
    gschneider, Nov 17, 2017
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  3. jmmenes

    jmmenes Notebook Enthusiast

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    So when I install the new M.2 it will be recognized right away ?

    Then I right-click to format ?
     
    jmmenes, Nov 17, 2017
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  4. Pete Light

    Pete Light Notebook Deity

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    It will be recognised as an unformatted drive so you have to go into storage manager, run the Wizard to format the new drive by right clicking on the unallocated space and then once done, right click again to assign it a drive letter.

    Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
     
    Pete Light, Nov 17, 2017
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  5. jmmenes

    jmmenes Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ok thanks, so it does not matter if the default m.2 ssd is different from the one I will be purchasing ?
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2017
    jmmenes, Nov 17, 2017
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  6. Vasudev

    Vasudev Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Choose NVMe or SATA drives with form factor M.2 2280.
    Crucial MX300,Samsung 850/960EVO,Samsung 960 Pro, PM961 etc will be formatted and will work out of the box. Make sure its in AHCI for max compatibility.
     
    Vasudev, Nov 18, 2017
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  7. Pete Light

    Pete Light Notebook Deity

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    Or Toshiba XG5, these are also really good unlike the XG3 or 4

    Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
     
    Pete Light, Nov 18, 2017
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  8. jmmenes

    jmmenes Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thank you guys so much, I'm counting on seeing a great deal for an M.2 SSD this holiday season.
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2017
    jmmenes, Nov 18, 2017
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  9. morbidking

    morbidking Notebook Enthusiast

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    Dell has a western digital 500gb for 150$ on its site it is kind of slower for a boot drive but you just using it for games and storage it should be fine

    I picked it up for 50$ had 100 in rewards points if you have any points it not a bad deal at all
     
    morbidking, Nov 18, 2017
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  10. jmmenes

    jmmenes Notebook Enthusiast

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    Share the link if you find it pls
     
    jmmenes, Nov 18, 2017
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  11. morbidking

    morbidking Notebook Enthusiast

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    morbidking, Nov 18, 2017
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  12. Vasudev

    Vasudev Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    If you're looking for just storage purpose look at Seagate SSHD 2TB or SATA based drives because m.2 gets seriously hot. I can vouch for it, even @Pete Light will say it.
    I'd say Crucial MX300 m.2 or Samsung 850/960 EVO m.2 or Toshiba XG5 are the ones to choose when you're going for m.2 because their thermals are manageable.
    For bulk storage 2TB Seagate SSHD or WD's SSHD will do just fine.
     
    Vasudev, Nov 19, 2017
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