A few RAM and SSD questions

Goodmorning all! (for me atleast its 07:00)

The e.t.a. for my m17x is the 16th of February. I want to order some extra RAM and a SSD for it for some extra punch. The specs of the m17x are already in my sig. I've read a lot of topics here about RAM and SSD's but I would like to clear a few things up.

First about the RAM, I don't plan on doing a lot of techy stuff with the laptop, mainly gaming and multimedia usage. But I would like 8GB RAM to be future proof and because 8GB sounds better than 4

- Do I need 1600mhz RAM for this or is 1333 just as good for my needs?
- Also I've noticed different voltages on different RAM, does it matter? 1,5V or 1,65V etc?
- Do I need special 'laptop' RAM or will any RAM be just fine?

Now about the SSD. I plan on buying a 120GB-240GB sata3 SSD, depending on my budget. Probably the Crucial M4, Samsung 830 or Intel 510. The SSD will go in slot 1 and the original HDD will go in slot 0. I plan on doing a clean install with W7.

- If I get the m17x with bios A09, do I need to flash back to bios A08 for sata3 speeds?
- What is the difference between RAID and AHCI? I used AHCI in the m14x and didn't encounter any problems. But in the m17x forum it seems RAID is better?
- Why did the SSD in my m14x show up as a 111GB drive instead of 120GB, how do I make sure this doesn't happen in the m17x?

A lot of questions, sorry for that I tried to find te answers myself, but a lot of topics seem to contradict eachother. It would be very much appreciated if you guys can help me!

 

Good morning!

Nice specs, same as the one I just got, except for the screen. I had similar questions and got most of them answered now

RAM...
- Intel's site says the 2670QM only support 1333MHz, but several people insist 1600MHz works too, and you can even order 1600MHz memory with the machine from Dell's store. I decided to get 1600MHz (Kingston HyperX PnP DDR3 2x4GB).
- Both 1.5V and 1.65V should work.
- You'll need SO-DIMM (DDR3) for laptops.

SSD...
I read alot about different SSD's and decided to get the Samsung 830 (very reliable and fast enough). That is also the disks Dell/Alienware use/sell. Yes, SSD in slot 1 and HDD should already be in slot 0 when it arrives.
- I got A09 in my M17x delivered two days ago. Looks like I got only SATA2 speed on my SSD even though it's in slot 1. Will have to look into that.
- Not sure about the RAID vs AHCI yet, but I think I'll stick to RAID-mode as that's the way the system was setup on delivery. I believe you get all the benefits of AHCI-mode when in RAID-mode.
- 120GB formatted for NTFS always equals ~111GB so nothing you can do about that. Also, the Samsung SSD Magician software recommends an extra ~10% unformatted space for the drive to work optimal. That leaves about 100GB for you to use.

 

hi ,

the ram for M17X R3 must be : DDR3 sodimm 204 pin 1,5v .

The best for make 8GB are Kingston HyperX 1600 PnP sodimm 2 x 4GB or Corsair Vengeance 1600 sodimm 2 x 4GB .

 

Thank for the replies! Would Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9S3K2/8GX be good to buy? It's a dutch site, but I'm sure the specs are universal

So to install this, just take the original RAM out and replace it with the new RAM and it should work without any tweaks in the bios?

 

no , they can work but aren't PnP version.

Maybe you must set xpm on bios for fullwork at 1600MHZ , i don't know.

 

there are some PNP ones available here on NBR......


and one piece of advice, flash the system to A08...if you want proper 6Gbps speeds

 

SSD doesn't show up as a full 120gb just like a hard drive wont show up as a full 500gb. It's to do with how the data is converted to gb and junk....can't really remember but don't worry, its normal. (Edit: nvm it was answered haha but yea how its formatted)

And i think your supposed to use AHCI when using an SSD and HDD to avoid problems. Plus, it doesn't really make sense to RAID a super fast SSD to a slow HDD

 

Here's the Plug n Play version of HyperX 1600: Amazon.com: Kingston HyperX Plug n Play 8 GB Kit (2x4GB Modules) 1600MHz DDR3 SODIMM Notebook/Netbook Memory 8 Dual Channel Kit (PC3 12800) 204-Pin KHX1600C9S3P1K2/8G: Computers & Accessories. Standard 1333 memory would probably be fine for your intended uses, but the faster HyperX is a nice, low cost upgrade.

Any of the SSD's you are considering will serve you well. I have been thoroughly satisfied with the Crucial 256GB M4 in my R3. There are faster drives, but none with the proven reliability of your candidate pool.

 

You can use RAID mode without creating a RAID array. Until I hear about any advantages with AHCI over RAID I'm sticking to RAID mode on my system. Afaik all AHCI features are also included in RAID.
But if anyone have more info on this I'd love to see it.

Here's a bit more info on the "lost" disk space
Why do hard drives lose space after formatting?

 

I'm all clear on the ssd part, thanks! It's going to be the 128gb m4, its currently the best priced ssd in holland.

About the RAM, why do I need pnp? The hyperx I suggested is 204pins, 1,5V, whats the difference? Isn't all RAM supposed to be plug and play?

 

You don't need PnP, it's just easier and foolproof. The standard (blue) HyperX 1600 provides exactly the same performance, but requires a BIOS adjustment to map the memory to the XMP-2 profile to get 1600 speed. PnP does all that for you automatically.

 

Thanks Revelator! I found a shop that sells the pnp hyperx, so I'll get that as well.

One more question. When I install the crucial m4 in RAID, do I have to install the intel rst drivers?

 

i just ordered 2 x 4gb RAM from Dell.

I currently have 2 2 2 2 installed on dimms 1 through 4 respectively.

Can I install the 2 4gb ram on dimms 1 and 2 and keep the 2 2gb on dimms 3 and 4?

 

If you have two different types of hard drive you should not RAID them. Use ACHI! RAID0 combines both hard drives into a single large drive, and all the experts who know a lot more than me say, the drives should be identical in type and capacity otherwise you are creating a problem.

I am really happy with the Crucial M4 SSD as my C Drive. It boots really fast and so far it has not given me any problems at all.

 

FrozenSolid, see my reply on page 1

If you don't create an array it doesn't matter if they're different.

 

SSD Trim is no enabled on RAID drives. People say that that only applies to array drives. With an SSD in RAID, the cmd will say that it is enabled, but TRIM won't actually be working. Whereas AHCI allows TRIM. Unless you wait for the new Intel RST driver, it won't work.

 

Didn't know that, just read that TRIM etc was available. Got a link that confirms it? Do you know when Intel will release that new RST driver?

 

I don't remember where I got the link but I think that it is common knowledge at least with the desktop community that RAID SSDs will not have Trim (Array or not). The new RST drive should hit soon. The closed alpha is already out but it doesn't have any Trim support. Intel states that it will be in the next one.

 

Found a few pages with some info ( this one says Q2 for updated drivers). Thanks for the heads up, will have to bite the bullet and reinstall Windows after all...

Update: Also found several pages saying that it does work for SSDs that are not RAID members (like my setup). According to them the problem is only with SSDs that are members of a RAID-0 array.

 

*shrugs shoulders* Maybe I was mistaken. GeoCake has a method of changing to AHCI without needing to reinstall. It involves editing the registry, a few restarts then finally switching over in the bios

 

Open up an elevated (run as admin) command prompt and type (copy and paste would be easier):

Hit enter a few times and restart to BIOS.

In BIOS change RAID to AHCI.

Restart a few times and then re-install the latest Intel RST. Sorted!

 

Thanks for the tip guys, I might just try that later today. Any potential problems associated with the switch?

 

Worked for me with 0 problems. Just need to restart a few times. Make sure you have the latest Intel RST downloaded and ready to install again.

 

The latest one from Dell/Alienware (v10.0.0.1046) or latest from Intel (v10.8.0.1003)? I guess the one from Intel...

 

11.0.0.1032 WHQL

http://www.station-drivers.com/tele..._11.0.0.1032whql(www.station-drivers.com).zip

 

Ah, thanks

Edit: Found alpha version of RST v11.5 but will stick to the WHQL-version.

 

Yup, yup. Let us know how it goes

 

It worked great
I double-checked devices, drivers, etc and everything looks ok.