Alienware 17 general questions

Hey -

I'm looking into purchasing the latest Alienware 17 but had some questions:

1. Does anyone know if upgrading/replacing the HD will be easy? I found Alienware SSD - Changing hard drive in Alienware M17x - YouTube and it looks pretty straightforward. It's been said that it has been much cheaper to get a SSD aftermarket into the laptop but wasn't sure if there's still 2 bays.

2. Replacing RAM - anything I should be aware of here if I choose to do aftermarket? Is it still located at the bottom of the laptop and under the keyboard?

3. I've read that 64GB mSATA SSD Caching is not worth the option as it can run slower than other usual SSDs. Should I just go with the basic 750GB drive and just upgrade that to SSD and use that as an external?

4. Is there a way to get a certain configuration of the laptop under my budget, if it is a just a little bit over?




Thanks

 

Hi EasyMode615,

I don't have one of then 17" Laptops, so can't address it directly, but can give you some food for thought on you questions about SSD caching. If you expect a caching SSD to give you 100% of the performance of a stand-alone SSD, you will be disappointed. However, you should not compare it like that. A 64 GB SSD (I have a 32 GB in my M17xR4) paired with a 750 GB 7200 RPM HDD (which is also what I have), gives you triple the space of a standard 256 GB SSD. While it is true it is not as fast as a stand-alone SSD, my M17Xr4 with it's caching drive boots Windows 8 in less than 15 seconds, and is noticeably more responsive than when caching is turned off. I would not say it is not worth it, as it is not an expensive upgrade over the standard HDD. The idea of a an external hard drive is not appealing to me, as I prize portability with my laptop, and if you have programs or games installed on the external drive, you are forced to pack it with you wherever you go.

In the end it is up to you (about the SSD). I do not agree that is not worth it, but I am not comparing it to an SSD only option. If you are coming from a SSD only system, you may not be happy with the caching, but if you are used to a spinning disk, the caching drive upgrade works well

Rich S.

 

Thanks LinkRS for the feedback.

I should've been more specific but the SSD Caching does bother me a bit. I'm coming from a SSD only system. I was thinking of going with the base 750GB 7200 RPM HDD and then adding a standard SSD which would basically put me in the situation of the 64GB SSD Caching vs 128GB+ standard SSD..


64GB SSD Cache + 750GB 7200RPM HDD vs 128 (or 256) GB SSD + 750 GB 7200 RPM HDD.

On Dell's site going from 750GB base to a 64gb SSD Cache would cost me about $100
If I were to go from 750GB base to a say 128 GB SSD ( Amazon.com: Crucial m4 256GB 2.5-Inch (9.5mm) SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive CT256M4SSD2: Electronics), it would cost me about the same price.

LinkRS- I guess you helped me think it through and I believe I would go with the base and then upgrade to an aftermarket SSD. My only concern for this point is if the new AW17 still has 2 bay ports but it seems like it would since Dell's site is offering the RAID option for 2 x 750GB HDD







On another note, I saw that there were some sales rep here taking quotes/orders...are they still around?

 

1. Yes, it is still easy. Probably easier now that the back cover has been changed. There are still two bays, both SATA III. I believe the mSata and optical bay are also SATA III capable. So, you could run four SSD's, if you wanted.

2. Yes, the memory slots are still in similar areas like the previous revision. Under the back cover and under the keyboard.

3. Caching SSD's are good for boosting regular HDD's. RAID with an mSata SSD and a regular SSD is fine as long as both are running at SATA III (6GB/s). Make sure they're similar in specs, though. Any RAID is only as fast as the slowest SSD/HDD.

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I got my info from YouTube. Some Alienware reps in Europe were at a showing of the new Alienware lineup and showed inside all of the systems, and also explained how to get into them. Check it out! Should be easy to find, there aren't many videos out, yet.

 

J.Dre-

Thanks for your reply. Yeah I saw some of those videos but wanted to make sure nothing was changed in the US production release. Just wanted to confirm what I had read and saw before I make big investment. As for the caching SSDs, that part was confusing me but thanks for clearing that up.


Is there anything that I should "upgrade" through Alienware instead of aftermarket. I plan to do the RAM and HDD but couldn't think of anything else needing to do with the new release.

 

That depends. It's personal preference at that point. Want less hassle and full coverage? Spec your system through Alienware exactly how you want it and buy an extended warranty. Want to save a few bucks? Go aftermarket. Just know that you won't necessarily save hundreds by going aftermarket.

If you've got deep pockets and plan to get 3+ years of warranty, it might be worth upgrading everything to how you want it because it will all be covered for those years. However, if you're like most of us and plan to at least upgrade the HDD(s) and RAM yourself, leave those stock and go aftermarket. Just keep the original parts just in case you need repairs. I still recommend getting as much warranty as possible.

I'm planning to get two years of complete coverage and I will probably be upgrading the HDD myself. The memory that comes with the system is probably decent memory. Going from stock HDD to aftermarket SSD is huge, as opposed to stock RAM to aftermarket RAM, which isn't all that different.

Anyway, glad I could help. Good luck.

 

Aw17 has 2 bays for 2.5" hdd/ssd. So just add in second bay and boot from there. No need to make 750 external. If you want, you can also just get a 256gb or more msata ssd and run windows from it and leave 2 2.5" bays for hdd's.