Adding 2nd HDD

Hello, I figured the 500gb hdd would be enough to last but steam recently had a sale and I ended up with more games than will fit. I need at least a 1tb hdd and would like to keep the 500gb to run the OS and other programs and use the larger one for games. I would rather add a 2nd hdd instead of carrying around an external. Has anyone added or does anyone know which hdd will be compatible with the m17xr4? I cannot seem to find the info anywhere. Also, are there any other parts I will need to order? I tried calling dell and they have no idea what they are talking about.

Thanks

 

any normal sata hdd will work. It needs to to be the 2.5 inch form factor, you can get a 750gb 7200rpm relatively cheap. All you have to do is remove the back panel, and you will see the hdd caddy and the interposer, just plug it in and it will show up under windows, format and you will be ready to go.

 

Newegg.com - Notebook Hard Drives, Laptop Hard Drives

I'm getting the Seagate Hybrid SSD when my comp arrives.

 

As quickie said, any 2.5" SATA will work. A couple of things to remember:

1. While 2.5" hard drives are standard, certain models out there that are thicker and won't fit in the m17x (not without some modification). These thicker hard drives will be 2.5" by 12.5mm thick as opposed to the normal 2.5" by 9.5mm thick. The only time you will encounter the thicker hard drives are the higher capacity ones, like the 1TB. Most of the time the websites will specifically state that the notebook hard drive on the screen is 12.5mm thick. There will only be a few of these out there, but just make sure.

2. You can always get another 500GB drive and set them up for RAID 0. That will be easier than finding a 1TB 2.5" notebook drive. I only know of two: the SAMSUNG Spinpoint M8 HN-M101MBB and the Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD10JPVT (not the WD10TPVT!, make note of the model# difference). I can't say anything about the Samsung 1TBm but I installed the WD 1TB into my friend's R3 and no complaints from him so far regarding speed or reliability.

3. Make sure you have the second Hard Drive caddy and interposer for your system. It usually comes with all the accessories so you can add a second hard drive on your own. If it wasn't included with your system, call up Alienware support and ask for the caddy AND interposer (see attachment). You'll need both to install a second hard drive.

 

And if you want MOAAAR space you can get a HDD caddy to replace your slot loading DVD/Bluray burner and install a THIRD drive!!! I don't know if this has been done in an R4, but it should be the same principal.

EDIT:: You can thank DR650 for this one: http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...e-using-optical-bay-caddy-36.html#post7012621

 

Don't forget the mSATA slot in the R4. You can put an mSATA SSD in there to add space as well. There are conflicting reports on to what speed the mSATA port is, but it is at least SATA2 (3 Gbps), which is still faster than a spinning disk

Rich S.

 

THANK YOU FOR ADDING THAT LINK! I've searched high and low for the company that makes that HDD caddy...it's not the caddy that I've been looking for, but they make an eSATAp external enclosure for the optical drive and they're the only ones that do it.

 

No problem! Glad to help!

 

Thanks all for the info. This seems like a great forum to get information. It looks like the Seagate Hybrid SSD should work out well, will be ordering soon.