Hard Drive options on Alienware 17

Hi all,

I've just specc'd up a new Alienware 17 and the default hard drive setup for my spec (i've gone for a i7-4800 with a GTX780M) is:

750GB 7200RPM (sata3) + 80G caching mSATA

I am keep to have an SSD boot to reap the quick boot times and was reassured by Dell support that the above really is 2 separate drives: 1 x 80gb (I don't kow why they put 80G, just a typo?) SSD and 1 x 750gb HDD. Is this correct?

Has anyone else got this config? If so, could I fit one or two games on the SSD (at least Football Manager 14 which is about 3-5Gb)?

Very excited about the possibility of my first Alienware (I was very close to getting a Vortex IV from PC Specialiste but decided to splurge on the Alienware as its one of my dream bits of kit!), I just want it to be right and super fast.

Cheers,
Alex

 

If the SSD is set up as a cache drive it will significantly speed up the performance of your 750gb HDD, but it will still act as one hard drive.

If the SSD is set up as a boot drive then it will be independent from the 750 HDD and you can install your favourite games and programs on the SSD for full performance. But if you want an SSD as a boot drive + games + a few programs I would recommend getting a slightly higher-capacity SSD, such as 120GB!

 

Thanks for the advice Amroth. The lady from Dell did confirm that they were 2 separate drives but from what you say, it might be the former of your suggestions.

Has anyone ordered this specification on an Alienware 17?

 

They are 2 separate drives, one is on the HDD caddy and the other one on the mSATA slot. You can wipe the mSATA SSD and install the OS there or just leave the config as it is (it will perform almost as an SSD). The caching drive helps a lot with the boot times.

 

Thanks for the information L_Porras. To be honest if Alienware feel its best the current way round, I supose they know best and that's the best solution for the configuration.

 

A regular SSD on the main drive slot will run faster, but as long as you don't get the upgrade you can just leave it as it is. That's the best config possible ATM.

 

It should be 64gb msata and not 80gb, since caching works with max size of 64gb. Just install a second ssd, run windows from it and use msata ssd to cache 750gb hdd.