Problem Alienware M17X R3 with OCZ Vertex 3...

I have recently upgrade my Alienware with and OCZ Vertex 3 Sata III, but i have see have many problem on boot...
Sometimes it's slow to boot up or sometimes blocked on windows 7 logo or when dekstop ready, but can't open nothing...ALT+CTRL+CANC not work too...and PC continue charging...other people have this problem???

I have OCZ Vertex 3 60GB SATA III in first HDD 0 and in HDD 1 the old one of Alienware...

Both don't have make Raid 0.

 

Switch the SSD to Port 1 and see if that improves things. Otherwise, you might have a faulty SSD with bad firmware.

 

I have already try this method, but the problem persist uhmmm i don't have update FW of OCZ...maybe tommorrow i try it.

BTW it's very annoying...sometimes i need force to shut down like 3/5 times....

 

LPM fix? Tried that?

 

No i don't what is it exactly, tommorrow i try all

 

As noted by Star Forge, you need the latest firmware available for your drive. SSD's with Sandforce controllers have been buggy for quite some time, but with the latest firmware they are rapidly becoming a very stable and reliable option. If you don't have the newest firmware, take care of this first, then move on the the LPM fix.

LPM = Intel Link Power Management. Disabling LPM is one of the steps that many users find necessary to get proper SSD performance. LPM is disabled easily through the registry. You can do the registry editing manually or most easily by merging a pre-built .reg file with the right code.

Have a look at these threads PaoloC... these are in the M18x sub-forum but just about all of the technical information applies equally to the M17x R3. The specs of both mobos are very similar.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...d0-questions-troubleshooting-discussions.html (see post #204 for the LPM fix)

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-sata-iii-speeds-dropping-sata-ii-speeds.html

 

I have solved the problem changin SSD in Bay 0 to Bay 1 Thanks all!!!

 

Glad it's working now! I would like to also encourage the use of the latest firmware if you aren't already. I've had my drive now for a couple of months and haven't had a single issue. I am also running mine in SATA Port 1.

 

I just received my Alienware m17x R3 and installed the OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS drive into the open HD bay (1). I changed the mode to AHCI and installed Win7 from the Alienware Win7 DVD. After installing all of the drivers according to the guide on NBR and completing all Windows updates, I installed Crystal Disk Mark. The results were at SATA-II speeds, well below what they should be.

What did I do wrong during the install or setup? Did I miss a step? Please advise!!!

Read: 260.2
Write: 208.3

 

Which port did you install? People are writing bay 0 has issues with SATA 3. I heard that they never hit the advertised speeds anyway..

 

Stick in Port1. Then run Atto, HDDs never reach speeds in Crystal Disk. However if you have it in Port1 you should get around 490/200ish.

 

It sounds like you're in the right bay if by HD bay (1) you are refering to the location labled "HDD module 1" inside of the laptop. This is the bay located in the center of the laptop.

A few questions: Have you already updated to the latest firmware? Did you do a secure erase before installing the OS? Is this a brand new drive or had there been data on it prior to installation?

Also, what program are you using to benchmark the drive? I suggest ATTO with these sandforce drives as this is the main program used for benchmarking to match their marketing (i.e. compressable data)

 

Some people are having issues with Port0 dropping down to SATA-II speeds. It does not seem to affect everyone. I have been using Port0 and have no issues with speed drops on my M4 128GB. It's an anecdotal observation, but it seems the Port0 speed drops are most prevalent with an SSD using a Sandforce controller.

This thread may interest M17x owners that are experiencing the same problem as M18x owners. (The thread is being watched by Dell/Alienware Engineering. Feel free to participate in the discussion there, as it does not appear to be isoloated to the M18x.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...s-dropping-sata-ii-speeds-18.html#post8203470 (I have a question out to Dell/Alienware Engineering on this thread... waiting for a response.)

I am merging this thread with http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/635302-problem-alienware-m17x-r3-ocz-vertex-3-a.html because it seems they are both on the same topic and there is no need for separate discussions to occur in two threads.

 

If you have the 120GB MAX IOPS drive, run ATTO and you should see results similar to this -



If you have the 240GB model then they should certainly be better.