M17x R2 - SSD Hard Drive Question.

Hi there,

I'm Planning to get , Samsung 470 Series MZ-5PA128 Solid State Drive - SATA II, 128GB, 2.5"

Currently I'm using dell's 500gb x 2 7,200RPM HDDs.

1. I would like to know , is the Samsung SSD 470 fit my m17x-R2?

2. Is the Samsung SSD 128GB same speed as 256GB? (In window boot up)

3. Is that possible to use one SSD on main and secondary 500GB HDD?
(will the secondary HDD decrease my window boot up speed?)

4. Is there any better SSD out there for m17x-R2? (Performance needed , not price compare)
(Im using window 7 64bits , i7 720qm. I wish my boot up speed around 20sec.
(currently around 42sec boot up screen)

 

I cant help cause im looking for an answer to this as well .... 2x500gb but would like to add one ssd but dont know how to go about setting it up either ....

 

1. Yes Samsung will fint.

2. Chances are yes, same speed.

3. Yes you can run an SSD Boot/ Aplication drive, and secondary storage drive. Many do it. I do it myself as well. (See Sig)

4. Many SSDs, are great, just gotta find the tweak guides to maximize performance for the SSDs in the R2. Look up JBB Tweak for one, and the SSD Benchmarks/Tips and Tricks threads.

What are you using to measure boot time? Windows Boot timer? I'm running an SSD RAID 0 setup and with SSD Boot timer, my windows boot times are anywhere from 12.5-13.5 sec. That time doesn't include the BIOS post time. But you may want to look at Intel, Corsair, or OCZ SSDs. Everyone has there favorites, I like Intel, mainly cuz I got a good deal on them and they have proven reliability.

 

1. yes, the 470 will fit the m17x.

2. the 128 and 256gb models are supposed to be twice as fast as the 64gb model in random writes. pretty much the same between them.

3. yes. won't really make a difference. nay people run an ssd and a secondary drive for storage. Some even run 3 drives by replacing the internal optical drive.

4. fastest ssd would be to have 2 identical and raid0 them.


in reality, boot time is a rather meaningless metric. tweak your system for 4k i/o since that's typically over 1/2 of the disk activity in windows. a quicker boot time is just a bonus. unless, of course, you just spend your whole day rebooting your computer...

 

Thanks for replay , I shall go and buy 128GB SDD tomorrow , Hope my boots up speed around 20sec...

@DR650SE - I'm using my watch timer , i tested with Windows Boot timer just now , its around 6x.xxx really slow! I'll try again....and upload with image.



43.820 , I still think its slow...sigh...

Do you think if I use 128GB Samsung SDD that will make my boots speed around 20sec?
PS : I already off those programs that I don't needed while start up.

 

I believe the intel x25-m g2 and g3 which should be out by now is rated among the fastest and most reliable ssd's, but intel being intel the will probably be among the most expensive ones too.

However, don't expect too much in boot speed, it really depends on what you have installed, SSD makes booting faster but its unlikely you will get a 10 second boot if you have a crap load of programs that starts up along side windows.

 

I start up with alienware programs , and my mouse etc. total 15 for start up.

 

I just brought new SSD , but I kinda mess up now.

I don't know how to get my ssd work , I installed Crucial SSD C300 2.5" (Hardware) my m17x can detect it , but I'm having problem. Can anyone help me? I been search forum and google..I can't find any topic that's help most only are hardware installation and not OS , I wanna keep the data what I used to have.

ID Name Level Strip Size Statue Bootable
0 dell RAID0(Stripe) 128KB 931.5GB Failed NO

PXE-E61 : Media test failure , check cable
PXE-M0F : Exiting Intel Boot Agent.
Operating System not found
_

 

Not sure I quite understand the problem. Did you clone your RAID image to the SSD? If so that won't work because of the RAID drivers. I would install the RAID 0 HDDs again, and then backup everything, then start with a clean installation.

 

I didn't clone mine RAID Image to the ssd , I just install my ssd to secondary hdd1(hardware). I saw the Crucial website , they used some kind of cable to clone , but the ssd I brought, they didn't provide the cable , do I need to get one to clone my image?

 

Theres really no point to install it to the secondary since your going to want it as your boot drive. But if you try cloning the RAID setup to a single SSD, your system will not boot at all. RAID setup uses differant drivers. Your going to need to set the SSD as your main drive, and start with a clean install.

 

Okay thanks , I got what you mean. I want to know , if I start the clean install , I need window 7 Installation DVD right? or Is the M17X Resource DVD = window 7 DVD?

PS : I never format a computer before , I gonna try myself x.X good bye , my games.

 

You;ll need the Windows 7 Install disc, the resource DVD should have all the stock programs and drivers that came with your system. Best bet for drivers is to go to the Dell Website and get the newest drivers before you start. I' just put them on a disc or thumb drive so you have quick access to them after the Win 7 install is done.

 

Just a thought, but you said you had a raid array before with x2 HDD's - did you raid two SSD's or just pop one in?

Obviously, you would need to change the raid settings in bios if its just one SSD (as you will no longer be running an array of any kind), if you didnt change the bios settings from a raid setup, then your system will think you are trying to raid array between an SSD and a HDD.....which isnt advisable.

Also, as DR650E says, you will want the SSD as you primary boot drive and a clean install to that drive with your OS disc.

Just a thought!

 

I currently use the Samsung 256 GB SSD disk, and my boot up time from i press the button till windows logon screen is around 16 seconds, so yes, a boot time of 20 seconds is likely with the 128 GB drive as well.

/Ole

 

How do I change the bios setting? one HDD as primary and SSD as Secondary.
(if SSD as Secondary will increase my boot up speed?)

@DR650E , so I need a get new copy if I use SSD as primary boot up?

 

I think you are getting a bit confused. If you now have one SSD and one HDD you wish to use "internally", you would be best advised to use the SSD as the primary drive (boot drive or OS drive) and the Mechanical in the secondary HDD bay....SSD for Operating system and HDD for storage....thats the best way to do it.

You cant (or shouldnt) run the two (SSD and a Mechanical drive) in ANY form of RAID.

I believe that you will need to change to AHCI under Sata Operation in system BIOS - enter BIOS by hitting F2 when you see the large Alienhead when booting your system. Then use arrow keys/enter to select.

Maybe DR650E can chirp in on this or you can PM him to be exactly sure what BIOS setting you should select. Pretty sure its AHCI....I dont wanna give you any wrong advice....maybe you could post the question here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/474521-installing-ssd-tips-tricks-benchmarks.html I am sure someone will be able to give you the exact info you need.

Have a read of this: http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/imsm/sb/CS-015988.htm as it describes some AHCI info. Also this which kind of describes what you want to do (use SSD and HDD): http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/260700-14-installing-existing-hard-drives-ahci

Also, another forum expert posted this guide on another forum: http://thessdreview.com/optimization-guides/the-ssd-optimization-guide-2/ - i would follw that to get the best out of your SSD.

 

Yep, use Native AHCI for your HD settings (not Raid and not Legacy ATA etc..)

This is (of course) if you are using one SSD and one normal HD.

If you want raid you need to get either 2 identical (for best results) SSD's or 2 normal HD's (identical) then set the controller to RAID.

Currently I have a 256MB SSD in HDD0 and a 500GB HD in HDD1.
HDD0 is my primary hard drive and has windows and my programs/games installed on it.
HDD1 is my secondary HD and has my user accounts moved to that so all my "Documents, Music, Vids, Downloads" etc.. get put on that one automatically.
This keeps my SSD clean and fast.

Good luck

D.

 

I just did clean Installed , everything works great and fast , but my secondary hard drive can't be detected , how do I format it and use as storage hard drive?

 

Hit the Start menu, type "disk management" in the run box, and format that hard disk. Easy as pie. Probably have to right-click Disk1 and than format. Your done and on your way to enjoying your storage space.

 

Just got it , Thanks for all the helps DR650SE buddy

 

Not a problem. Always here to help Glad you got it working. SSD+Hdd is definately ( in my opinion) the way to got.

 

I'm so happy with my 17sec boot-up , SSD+Hdd all the way! thanks so much!

 

My M17x R2 came with one SSD from the factory and an empty 2nd drive bay. I've been wanting to add a 2nd drive and found this:

Buy.com - Kingston 256GB SSDNow V200 Series 2.5" SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Seems like a good price after rebate from what I've observed over the last few months, but I have a few questions before I plunk down my money:

Will this drive fit my R2? I assume it will, but you know where that gets you.

Any thoughts on this drive? Is it a good one and is the price reasonable?

Will I have to do anything special in the BIOS to make it work properly?

Thanks everyone!

Chris

 

Save some money and look for a Sata II drive instead of Sata III. The R2 doesn't support Sata III. I would suggest something like a Samsung 470 or Intel 320.

 

^^^Unless you think that you might upgrade to a system that does support SATA III later on (M17x R3, M18x). In that case, it would be smart to go with the best you can get. SATA III SSD is backward compatible with SATA II controllers. (It would pretty much stink having to use a slower SATA II drive in a SATA III capable system.)

Also, even with one SSD and one HDD, I recommend setting up Windows with the BIOS set to RAID. If you do not create the RAID drive membership with dissimilar drives the system will function absolutely perfectly in RAID exactly the same as AHCI mode. (Alienware has all systems set to RAID in the BIOS as the factory default, including systems with a single HDD.) If you follow Dell's lead, your non-RAID Windows installation will be RAID0 compatible. If you later buy a matching SSD (or HDD) you can convert the existing set up to RAID0 within Windows using Intel Rapid Store Technology. If you set things up with the BIOS set to AHCI, you'll be looking at a new OS installation.