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    Installing Windows 8.1 on 80GB mSATA

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by shcauldy, Feb 25, 2015.

  1. shcauldy

    shcauldy Notebook Enthusiast

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    My Alienware came with a 1TB 5400RPM SATA with an 80GB mSATA SSD storage setup. If anyone could please answer some questions regarding this I'd appreciate it loads.
    I'll start off by asking is there point in breaking the caching configuration to allow for games like Skyrim to load it's cells faster in game? As in when travelling around the game world will the data being on an mSATA, as opposed to a cached 5400RPM HDD, make things smoother? I really want to play this game but noticed that performance was not good in terms of the aforementioned area. So I decided (perhaps prematurely) to go ahead and break the caching. I'm now left with two blank drives on my Alienware...
     
    shcauldy, Feb 25, 2015
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  2. MickyD1234

    MickyD1234 Notebook Prophet

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    Hi, in tests I did with someone that upgraded with an msata cache the speed differences were un-noticable. As long as the game or file has been loaded once there is a very good chance it will be fast. Quite a bit of work for only a small return. Far better to look out for a larger SSD and move the install onto that. Best of both worlds :D.
     
    MickyD1234, Feb 25, 2015
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  3. shcauldy

    shcauldy Notebook Enthusiast

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    After spending so much on the laptop, I don't have the cash for an SSD for a while.
     
    shcauldy, Feb 25, 2015
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  4. Papusan

    Papusan Jokebook's Sucks! Dont waste your $$$ on Filthy

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    Buy an 256gb Crucial mx 100. Cheap.
     
    Papusan, Feb 25, 2015
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  5. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

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    mSATA's are cheaper than standard SSD's, you could also simply move the O.S. to the mSATA that you have and install the games on the HDD but that would not increase the loading speed of the games at all. Only the speed of the O.S would increase.
     
    Alienware-L_Porras, Feb 25, 2015
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  6. shcauldy

    shcauldy Notebook Enthusiast

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    OK thanks for help. An unrelated question.. How important is it to stick to the driver installation order? I'm running Win 8.1, I know you need chipset first and after the Management Engine driver but after that can I install how I please?
     
    shcauldy, Feb 26, 2015
    #6