Upgrade time for my M15x aka "Barricade II"

It is has been a long 5 years and 4 months for my M15x, "Barricade II". Time to upgrade some stuff.
I'm going to be taking it slow over the next couple of months and hopefully come out the other side with something once again broadly more useful.
The reason I've started this thread is that I care too much for my M15x to go into doing anything too much without the input what is a very informative community.
Over the last year or so I've revisited this forum picking up ideas and trying to figure out the best approach. Undoubtedly I've learnt nothing, I'm going to have many questions, make many wrong assumptions and have no idea what I'm doing, so feel free to instruct and make suggestions.

Everything other than my ram is currently stock.

Barricade II current specs:
CPU: 920XM
GPU: GTX 260M
HDD: 250GB Seagate Momentus
PSU: original 150W (still has center pin)
RAM: 6GB - 1x 2GB DDR2 (original), 1x 4GB DDR3 (4yr old upgrade)
Slot Drive: as good as dead.
Batteries: Original 6-cell, alive but low endurance. Post-supplied 9-cell, dead/no longer charges.

Current Issues:
1. PSU Not original power adapter error on boot.
2. Sporadic battery charging (likely due to error #1)
3. Charging cable external shielding has split near barrel/pin end (wrapped an secured with electrical tape.)
4. Slot drive no longer does anything but make noises.
5. Audio no longer produces bass tones.
6. HDD is not only space restricting but is very slow and warm.
7. About


Base plan of action:
HDD:Upgrade to SSD. Option 1: Considering a Samsung EVO 500GB ( http://amzn.com/B00OBRE5UE). Option 2: smaller SSD, maybe a ( http://amzn.com/B00OAJ412U) and start using my existing external eSATA to run games.

CPU: Keeping 920XM. Remove, clean and reapply new thermal paste using ICD ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/IC-Diamond-...105?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d0ed10109)

PSU: Upgrade PSU to 210W ( http://www.amazon.com/PA-7E-Adapter-Precision-M6400-Alienware/dp/B0045XLZ3E)

Battery: Will probably just keep running the 6-cell as my M15x is mainly a desktop these days and I doubt the 9-cell is coming back from the grave. Although does anyone have a tip on WTB an M15x 9-cell in the US?

RAM: Upgrade the 2GB DDR2 to an 8GB DDR3 for a total of 12GB DDR3. Either a G-Skill 8GB ( http://amzn.com/B00EOUFEG2) or Kingston 8GB ( http://amzn.com/B0089JIDUI).
GPU: Upgrade to a GTX 970m ( http://rjtech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=30307).

Any opinions, corrections, suggestions or comments before I get started on this project?

 

Sounds good. Only thing to consider is a new 9 cell. The 9 cell elevates the laptop somewhat which does improve the intake of the fans.

Also if your slot is dead then remove it. Buy a ODD to HDD caddy and stick any 9.5-12.7mm thick 2.5" HDD or SSD inside. I have a Samsung 2TB HDD installed inside my ODD and run the blueray drive external when I need it.

Also consider express card 2x USB 3.0 card. You can't get 300mb/s BUT still you can reach speeds of around 80-90mb/x which is 3x faster than USB 2.0

 

+1

In all honesty your system is nearly to the point where a lot of people are shooting to upgrade too - only major lacking point is that video card and your power supply.

Toss the internal optical drive. They all die and virtually useless now and days. Replace it with a HDD caddy that you can find on eBay from China for as little as $10. Make your SSD the primary and put your original primary HDD as a secondary in that new caddy. I can faithfully say that a SSD should be EVERYONE'S #1 upgrade. The difference in performance is ridiculous.

Personally I'd opt for the Delta 240W PSU. The power supply is for the M17x and M18x models. Offers more power so it can run cooler and as far as I know doesn't trip any boot errors or charging problems. It's on my purchase list still!

970M is the best bang for the buck out of all the "newest" GPU's out there. The next cost effective model would be a 7970M if money was an issue. Do your research, generally you want to favor Dell model video cards over Clevo. Hopefully someone with a 970m in there M15x can chime in.

As far as batteries go, I imagine the numerous vendors on eBay can supply a quality replacement battery. The 9 Cell is favorable for the mentioned elevation and better air flow.

 

970M though only comes in clevo flavour. Dell went BGA route this gen so no MXM from them.

Works fine though.

 

Ew.... I hope sales die astronomically and they smarten up.

 

Too bad that there are plenty of idiots who will buy them.. with the prices going down, Alienware can sometimes come cheaper then MSI/Asus so it will drive sales up even more.. BGA was a smart buisness move however it totally alienated the enthusiast community which used to be the brand loyalists for AW who will now move to Clevo..

 

Thanks for the suggestions King of Interns and UPGI2AYDD

I'll definitely be putting an SSD upgrade first on the list.

I hadn't even considered that. Great additional idea, thanks. Any specific card recommendation?

I shall definitely look into getting a drive caddy. I noticed Villosa's old guide on doing the ODD to HDD switch a while back. Thanks.

I've seen some debate around regarding if a 240W PSU is necessary over a 210W. Of course it is always best to have the extra overhead so I'll look into it.

I think the replacement 9-cell will end up last on my list. I cannot find anywhere reputable selling new 9-cells, only pricey refurbished (i.e. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Origin...403?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5417d2cf13) not sure I can justify it when my original one had a dubious lifespan to begin with.
I've put in a request with a Dell rep to see if they can find one (I doubt) and I'll compare rates. If all fails I will seek out another circulation clearance solution. It was great having the 9-cell on there when it still functioned.

 

Little update:
-HDD has been cloned to a Samsung EVO 500, not yet installed but i'm looking forward to getting it in. Drive caddy is ready to go but I'll be waiting until I'm re-pasting my CPU to install it in order to save on stripping down more than necessary. Hopefully that will happen this weekend.
-Received the 240 psu, much excellent. Had a no-power-to-screen boot on first use. Power drain fixed that.
Of course the 'not original 150w' psu error message persists on boot but that's not a big deal.

-Battery: I dug out my old 9-cell which hasn't been used for at least a year as it was failing to charge previously. Tried out the on-battery led meter and for some reason it had a bit of juice. Slapped it in, still had the old battery issues message within windows but it charged up to just around 75%. I'm guessing 2 of the cells have gone. It has no cautionary heat issues. However as far as keeping my m15x elevated, it does the job until I can find a reasonable 9-cell replacement. I'll just have to keep my 6-cell handy in case I actually want to go portable.

 

April 1st UPDATE:
Thanks to the great advise.

Parts Completed:
-I had a great time stripping down my M15x to slip the drive caddy in.
-CPU/heat sink got a cleaning and a repasting. The old thermal paste was considerably drier than it should be. Visibly a bit charred. Much better heat management now.
-I dont know how I didnt put an SSD in sooner.
-240W PSU is working well thus-far. Will look for an L adapter though.
-Using my old 9-Cell while constantly plugged in, great to have clearance again.
-Played a bit of Titanfall this weekend on my GTX260m... less laggy than it used to be, still nicely playable.

TBC:
-970M purchase. This is a pricey one comparatively so it will be budgeted accordingly.
-RAM upgrade. I see this happening in the next few weeks.
-USB 3.0 ExpressCard. At same time as RAM

New Issue!
-I noticed my 'D' key wasnt registering. Took the key off and noticed that the little rubber contact nub had detached from the board. Very carefully super glued it back on and now it works... but we'll see how long that lasts. Seems like the keyboard will need replacing eventually.


I need to search for some ram heat management options on this forum. My current ram is noticeably one of the warmest things in my machine.

 

May I ask where you brought the ODD to HDD caddy, planing to get one as well. Thanks.

 

It is no longer available through the ebay seller I bought from but here is a similar one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SATA-2nd-Ha...enware-M14X-M14Z-M15X-M17X-M18X-/290856204586

Also:
I never finished updating this thread but if you have any questions about my upgrades just let me know. The final load-out is listed in my sig.

 

Thanks, man. I'm about to do the same upgrade project like you did. All the parts is on the way and I'm excited to get get it done with my beloved m15x. The one your posted above have the faceplate installed, right? I think for the slot-loading style optical drive m15x got, we dont need that faceplate? is that removable?

 

I dont know about the specific one I linked you too. As I said, the one I purchased is no longer available and it didnt come with a face plate. But if you can find one without the face place, then I'd suggest going for that. Perhaps this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2nd-SSD-HDD...6&pid=100005&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=290856204586&rt=nc

Good luck with your project.
Hopefully you found the really useful set of videos from Alienware Services on M15x disassembly. The optical drive is considerably buried in there compared to most laptops.

 

check this out, this is what I got and it works a treat and you get a fully function external dvd drive!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Icy-Box-IB-AC642-Extension-Enclosure/dp/B007IXPQMY

 

This is a fantastic thread thanks. Has thoroughly convinced me to upgrade my own Alienware M15x. Will start scoping out my own project and will post it here eventually. Thanks for the inspiration.

One question though, I heard elsewhere about people worried about cloning their SSD from HDD and having a lot of issues. How did that work out for you?

 

It went without a hitch.
As I bought a Samsung SSD I used Samsungs own free Data Migration software. All it requires is the correct USB to SATA cable (which may or may not come with your SSD) like this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJZJI84?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00 .
Good luck.

 

Cheers mate, about to post my own update thread as I have a few rookie questions after having done some research. I'd appreciate any of your input.

I'm planning on buying the same SSD as you and it does indeed come with a USB-SATA cable which will make the cloning process easy. I'm also going to do the same optical drive replacement with my old HDD as you.