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    Ordering and Installing a SSD for a New XPS 17

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by insidemanpoker, Apr 23, 2011.

  1. insidemanpoker

    insidemanpoker Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi All,

    I am admittedly ignorant on some technical stuff so sorry if any of my questions seem absurd

    I ordered an xps 17 with just a single 500gb HD. This means there is an already open and available slot to add another HD, right?

    If so, I have a bunch of simple little questions:

    How hard is it to install a new SSD? Does it involve hardware experience or is it just an empty slot to insert into?

    What do I need to shop for to make SURE it is compatible with the XPS 17?

    I am looking for 64gb or 128gb and price is not really a concern. Do you have any recommendations on specific SSDs?

    And once I have a SSD, does it just appear in my computer as it's own drive? Like an external HD or something? Do you just save the info you want in the SSD to that drive and then whenever it runs, it will go from it? If so, this just means I should save all things I want to run very quickly in a folder in the SSD and other stuff should just go in the normal HD, right?

    Thanks so much for any answers you guys have :)
     
    insidemanpoker, Apr 23, 2011
    #1
  2. BeastRider

    BeastRider Notebook Evangelist

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    Check the SSD thread to which SSD is best for you. Any 2.5" SSD will fit. If the XPS says it has 2 drive bays on the manual (I believe it does) then it is a simple task of inserting the new drive into the new slot (may require placing the drive into a bracket of some sort, please check youtube for videos on how to do this if you want). IMO it doesn't require much technical skill, if you know how to use a screwdriver then you're good to go. You have to do a clean install or re-install of the OS to your new SSD. The 500GB hard drive will then have to be reformated as well (making sure you back up all your important files of course) as it will serve as a data drive and no longer contain an OS. An OS is the actual Windows 7 which requires the CD to reinstall Windows on to the new SSD.

    Please take note that you may want to place the new SSD in the slot where the old 500GB is in, and move the 500GB to the empty second slot.

    Hope this helps. Cheers. :)
     
    BeastRider, Apr 23, 2011
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  3. user44

    user44 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Do you know if there are still problems with putting a SSD togheter with the 640 toshiba HD? (I saw a post about clicking noisies there but never saw more info about it)
     
    user44, Apr 23, 2011
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  4. Gazzajagman

    Gazzajagman Notebook Guru

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    I have a OCZ Vertex III installed as my boot drive and my Toshiba 7200 rpm 640GB mechanical untit as my data drive, seems to be working fine in my XPS-17.
     
    Gazzajagman, Apr 23, 2011
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  5. pr1970

    pr1970 Notebook Geek

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    Crucial c300 ssd works fine with the toshiba. Think it was an isolated case rather than a general problem. Perhaps even fixed with the bios upgrades?
     
    pr1970, Apr 24, 2011
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  6. user44

    user44 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thank you both for clarifying.
     
    user44, Apr 24, 2011
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  7. gull_s_777

    gull_s_777 Notebook Consultant

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    Vertex III + 640GB toshiba 7200RPM === no problem here...
     
    gull_s_777, Apr 24, 2011
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  8. Gazzajagman

    Gazzajagman Notebook Guru

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    Does anyone have the bios settings for the vertex III SSD?
     
    Gazzajagman, Apr 24, 2011
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  9. firesyde424

    firesyde424 Notebook Guru

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    There is a documented issue with the current generation of CPU power management and SSD's. It can cause a 20-50% loss in bandwidth and response time in SSD's. It's possible you may not even notice unless you use benchmark software because SSD's are so much quicker than standard hard drives.

    As long as you are okay with the loss in power management, turn off anything to do with C-States and "Advanced Power Management" in your BIOS. Some Dell BIOS's do not allow this option. In my SXPS 1647, I had to install a modified BIOS before I could even access the options needed
     
    firesyde424, Apr 27, 2011
    #9