XPS15 9550-4945 32GB "Cache" SSD upgrade

Due to some discount, i get the XPS15 9550-4945 a bit cheaper, but this is not my prefered system.
However, i want to change that when i get it next week.

So i'd like to use it like this:
- i7, 16GB RAM, 4k, 54Whr
- >> 256GB SSD in m2 slot for OS
- >> 1TB HDD as a D: Drive

It has the SSD "Cache" 32GB + 1TB HDD running in something like a Raid?
I want to replace the 32GB with a 256GB SSD, which one should i get? PM951 or SM951? With or without NVME?
Is it possible to use the SSD as one partition, the hdd as the other, without performance issues? (heard something about X Number of PCIe Lanes)
I also read controversal issues about the bios config with this combination, one say "raid" has to stay on, which makes no sense for me,
others state AHCI has to be on, but there can be issues with NVME drive.

What about the installtion of Windows? When i create a recovery media of the given installation and i change AHCI/RAID i might get some trouble...
If i download a blank Win10, will it be activated on Microsoft? And i need the new Drivers for the SSD during the Windows Installation?


Plus another (not so important question)
Can i replace the Battery later on? (i know the 2.5slot is gone then) And how much is the 84 Battery?


Sorry about so many questions, my last Laptop upgrade was 4 years ago, where things seemed to be much easier
I know some things have been asked often, but i can't find the right answers -_-

 

Yes, like RAID. The tech is called Intel Smart Response Technology (SRT), which has been around for a few years. It does exactly what you think. Your system sees and interacts with 1TB of storage. But Intel SRT intelligently decides what should go on the faster 32GB SSD cache for fast access, based on most frequently-used files.

If you're de-coupling the SSD + HDD, then I'd recommend you try and get a 5400rpm HDD if possible. In general, they run cooler, quieter, and use less power than 7200rpm drives. If it's not possible (e.g. the laptop only comes with 1TB 7200rpm drives), then I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Get either a Samsung SM951 or a Samsung 950 Pro, in at least 256GB. That should run you around $200. Skip the Samsung PM951. It uses an older controller that is far slower than the SM951 or 950 Pro.

Those drives are M.2 form-factor NVMe drives. The other option is M.2 form-factor AHCI / SATA drives, which are going to be far slower. Moving forward, pretty much all new systems are going to support the faster M.2 NVMe standard.

Yes. This is absolutely what you want to do. Put your OS / applications / games (anything with a load time) on the fast SSD.

Put your bulk media (photos, videos, movies, music, pr0n, etc) on the slow mechanical HDD, where storage is plentiful and cheap. Speed doesn't matter for this content anyway, because a 4GB BluRay MKV rip will play back equivalently well on a slow HDD or a fast SSD. Speed doesn't matter for bulk media content.

You will not get any slowdowns from PCIe lanes, interfaces, drivers, BIOS settings, etc. This is the way to do it.

** - As a general rule, anything that gets on your computer through an installation (e.g. running some kind of EXE or Setup.EXE) goes on your SSD. Anything that puts on your computer through drag-and-drop goes on your slower mechanical HDD.

When you get your new SSD, you'll want to re-install Windows from scratch, and configure your system properly from the start.

I started typing instructions, and it turned out to get pretty long So see next post for guide.

Don't count on replacing the battery. Yes, technically, a different battery will fit. But you might have trouble finding parts.

Dell currently isn't selling that battery as a standalone part. And the laptop is so new, that you won't find that battery on the aftermarket (eBay), where someone salvaged a working battery out of an otherwise defective Dell XPS 15 9550 and sold it for parts.

Maybe in a year or two, you'll have better luck. But for now, you're probably stuck with whatever battery you have.

 

Re-Installing Windows 10, after an M.2 SSD Upgrade

You'll need at least one 16GB (or larger) USB Flash Drive. USB 3.0 drives make this process a lot faster. Here's a list of steps below:

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Preparing for the Re-Install
1. Go on Microsoft's site to download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. This will automatically download Windows 10 64-bit for you, and create a bootable USB flash drive ( link)


2. Go to http://support.dell.com to download the drivers for your system. You'll want:

• Audio: Everything
• Chipset: Everything
• Modem / Communications: Driver for your card. You probably have a Dell Wireless 1830. Get both WiFi and Bluetooth drivers. They may be in separate files.
• Network: Everything
• SATA: Intel Rapid Storage Technology (save this for later)
• System Utilities: Intel HID
• ST Microelectronics: Everything
• Video: Intel HD Drivers
• Video: Get nVidia 960M drivers directly from nVidia, through the GeForce Experience (link)

Save these to a USB Flash Drive (it can be your Windows 10 Setup USB Flash Drive, in a sub-directory).


3. Download any internet-based applications you want (e.g. Google Chrome, Avast Antivirus, Steam, League of Legends client, WinRAR or 7zip, etc). If you have a lot, you may need a larger (or separate) USB Flash Drive.

4. Take the Intel Rapid Storage Technology file. Extract it, and save those extracted files on a USB Flash Drive. It can be either on the root directory, or in a sub-folder. You'll need that for Windows 10 setup to recognize an M.2 NVMe SSD.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re-Installing Windows 10

5. Shut down your computer. Remove power cable.

6. Open up the laptop chassis. Install / swap your new hardware upgrades into the laptop (M.2 SSD, RAM, etc). **BE SURE TO REMOVE YOUR MECHANICAL HDD FOR NOW*** Explanation below.

7. Put bottom laptop panel on, secure only 1 or 2 screws (you'll need to come back later).

8. Boot into BIOS (hit F2 during boot process, on Dell logo screen. If it gets to some kind of Windows boot screen, you missed the timing window).

9. Configure:

• System Configuration --> SATA Operation = AHCI
• Secure Boot --> Secure Boot = Disabled.
• Boot Sequence --> Boot List Option = Legacy

10. Exit BIOS. Put Windows 10 USB Flash Drive in. Hit F12during startup (Dell logo) for One-Time Boot Menu. Boot off of the Windows 10 Setup USB Flash Drive.

11. Choose to install Windows 10:

• Product Key: Choose Skip (Windows 10 will eventually automatically read the product key stored in BIOS, or use your hardware fingerprint to validate your Windows 10 license).
• Type of Installation: Custom (not Upgrade)
• If your M.2 NVME drive isn't listed, choose Load Driver. Put in the USB Flash drive where you copied those extracted Intel Rapid Storage Technology files.
• Your drive should be detected. If this isn't a new drive, Delete all partitions on there.
• Install windows on the unpartitioned space.

12. Windows 10 will install, and complete the setup process. Should take about 30-45 min.

13. Power down the laptop. Unplug power. Open the bottom lid. Put your mechanical HDD back in. Close up the lid (fully; all screws) Plug power back in.

The reason for doing this is that Windows will put the bootloader information on the "first" drive it sees in the system. And you don't have any control over what Windows Setup sees as the "first" drive. This may result in a situation where your bootloader is stored on a different drive than your core Windows OS files. This is undesirable.

By having only one drive in the system during Windows Setup, you force everything (bootloader, OS files) to go on one drive.


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13. Copy over all of the Dell Drivers you downloaded in Step 2. Install them. You can choose avoid rebooting until all drivers are installed, and then reboot at the end.

14. Install all of the applications you downloaded in Step 3.

15. Install / configure any other software, applications, games, etc you want. Put them on your SSD, for speed.

 

WOW! This is definitely the best response i ever got in any board! You just threw out every answer i needed and saved me hours of work Thank you very very much!!

 

You're very welcome!

You asked good questions (and the right questions). So it was easy to help.


Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

Thank you so much for this topic, and the help from kent1146. Exactly the information I was looking for.
I just got my brand new Dell XPS 15 9550 with 1TB HDD + 32GB SSD cache. Because I have been using windows on SSD for many years, this combination of cache didn't satisfy me.

I'm looking to replace the 32GB too but I have some additional questions:
-Does it effect dell Waranty? If I replace the SSD do I still have the waranty from Dell?
- Do I have to look for a specified kind of SSD to work properly? The SM951 or 950Pro is quite expensive, can I use the 850EVO instead?
(such as this one
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-m...11,p_89:Samsung,p_n_condition-type:2224371011)
Thank you so much for the help!

 

No, swapping the SSD will not affect warranty. The only exception is if somehow you cause damage to the laptop by replacing the SSD, or if the SSD itself is the cause of the damage. Then, obviously, Dell will not cover those damages under warranty.

It's also worth noting that the SSD itself will be covered by the SSD manufacturer warranty, and not Dell. So if something goes wrong with that SSD, you'll need to go through Samsung to get that SSD replaced.

There is one caveat here... If you ever need to send your laptop into Dell for service (rather than get onsite technician service), restore your laptop to as close to factory hardware configuration as possible. If you send your laptop in with a self-installed Samsung 950 Pro in there, there's a good chance you won't get it back. It's not anything nefarious... It's just that it may be faster and cheaper for Dell to just give you a refurbished unit, than to try and repair whatever damage you have. And if that's the case, they are just going to look up the configuration you originally bought, and pull one off the shelf.

You can put other SSD models in the XPS 15. However, they will be M.2 SATA SSDs, instead of the much faster M.2 NVMe SSDs. The difference is in the ballpark of around 500 MBps vs 1500MBps maximum sequential read speeds. To be honest, you probably won't notice much real-world difference between those two types of drives. So if you need to buy something like a Samsung 850 EVO M.2 for budget reasons, it wouldn't be a bad idea. You just don't get the personal satisfaction of knowing that you have "the best."



Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

Thank you so much. So can I buy the 850EVO in the link I provided above? Or I have to buy the much more expensive 950Pro one?

 

Updated my post. Read up for answer.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

Thank you, I got it now.

 

You can't buy the msata 850 evo that you linked. You need the m.2 one.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rue&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_2&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

Thank you. Only after that I found out mSata and M2 are different.

 

Hi sinnyle and Fant,

I first want to say this post is extremely helpful. I am doing the exact same thing with an XPS 9550 and m.2 Samsung EVO 850 (250gb). I am having issues with Step 1. I have a 32gb 3.0 flash drive that I purchased for the recovery drive. I followed your link, download and run the tool, accept terms, click "Create installation media for another PC," hit next for languages, and I get the error message of needing "We need 8GB of space." I remind you that I have a brand new 32gb usb 3.0 flash drive installed, with the full drive free.

I also tried creating a recovery drive with the Windows tool, and I get the error "We can't create the recovery drive. A problem occurred while creating the recovery drive."

Do you have any advice?

Thank you so much in advance.

 

If your machine came with the WD10SPCX - WD Blue 1.0TB hard drive that is a low power 5400 rpm. I took one out of my 9550.

A step by step guide of Windows 10 install here may be of some use to you.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/nbr-windows-10-clean-installation-guide.781178/

 

Thank you for this, I have a few questions,
I am replacing the 32gb with a 850 evo m.2 and was told to use the intel rst program to decouple the cache drive, before removing it? or is that what step 9 essentially does after i have replaced it?
I am also replacing the 1 TB hdd with a samsung 850 evo ssd. can i just plug that in at step 13 or do I need to do another step?

Thank you very much

 

I'd just take the 32GB cache and the 1TB drive out, put the 850 evo m.2 (I have the same model in my 9550 - 500GB) boot up - enter BIOS and change from Raid to ACHI. Plug the USB key in- tap F12 on reboot and load Windows that way. When finished with the install then pop the SATA drive in - leaving it out for the install ensures no boot files go on the 2nd drive. Mine boots from the M.2 and I use my SATA drive for data storage.

Hope this helps.

*Edit* I'd use the latest BIOS before doing the install, not sure if you've done that.

 

awesome, I will update the bios this morning! thanks so much

 

Is this drive compatible? Its the Sandisk Z400S 256GB M.2 SSD - 546MB/s Read

http://www.cclonline.com/product/20...56GB-M-2-2280-SATA-Solid-State-Drive/SSD0413/

 

That is an m.2 2280 size drive so will fit in the m.2 slot and work ok. It's not as fast as the Samsung drives as it isn't NVME - that model is a SATA drive but is less expensive than the Samsungs.

 

Thanks for the quick reply, I don't think I need the extreme speeds as I am going to use this for basic computing. 546mb read and 340mb write should be enough for me

 

I'm using the Samsung 850 EVO which is also a sata drive and has similar speeds to your Sandisk. It's perfectly fast enough for me for day to day use and costs less so it's a good compromise IMO. The Samsung has some software to increase speeds called 'Samsung Magician' where is uses some of your Ram to cache data to be written to the drive - or something like that! (But it only works on Samsung drives).

 

I already have a 960 GB SanDisk SATA SSD. I am in 2 minds on what to do, either I buy a 256gb M.2 SSD and install Windows on it, Keeping the standard hard disk storage or I change The standard hard disk to this 960 GB SSD. What do you guys think? Pros and cons please

 

Hey guys i have a couple questions,

After removing my WD Blue + 32GB m.2 i installed a 950 Pro 512GB and a Samsung EVO 1TB
after speaking to a Level 1 Dell support they told me that to enable NVMe you need to install Windows on BIOS mode Raid On and identify the NVMe drive using the F6 RST Drivers.

Speeds are fine im getting 2.5GB's Read and 1.5GB's Write but i dont know if its ok to install it this way,
Samsung Magician doesnt recognize my 950 pro correctly, image included and after sleep the speeds lower to 800MB's write and read.

here is a link to images showing how the 950 is not recognized and speed tests before and after sleep
http://imgur.com/a/NKkd0

Btw, i cant install the Samsung NVMe Drivers since it can't recognize the 950 pro aswell :/

Thank You.

 

I have to say that anyone forking out for a laptop of this spec should do it justice and install an NVMe drive for the few extra quid it costs. Take the hit now rather than upgrade again later.

Oh my, how full of crap dell reps are, they have no bloody clue whatsoever!

Total disinformation again.

Set the laptop to AHCI, make sure secure boot is still on and legacy is off.
Grab the correct ISO from my sig (it is UK English but you can put additional language packs in after install) as this has the intel raid boot drivers pre installed so it detects your 950 pro during setup
Make sure your windows USB stick has been setup to install in EFI mode (it should be fat32 or fat32 large if the sticks over 32gb if it has been done correct as per image in section 5 of this link http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html )

Install windows & install the 950 pro driver form samsungs website, then magician will see it correctly.

Buy 2 beers, one for you and one for me then drink them both

 

I realy dont understand how is this possible, NVMe is suppose to replace AHCI so why do i need to install it as AHCI?

does any one have a technical overview why its possible and if it runs everything normaly without issues?
i just can't wrap my head around changing to AHCI mode to enable NVMe while NVMe is suppose to replace AHCI ...
or am i getting it all wrong?

 

Raid doesn't allow the NVMe driver to be installed as it installs a raid driver to run things, as you found out.

As a test and to humor me right click start and press run, type msconfig and hit enter. press the boot tab and tick safe mode, hit ok and let it reboot into safe mode. once in safe mode reboot again and go into the BIOS (you must go into safe mode desktop 1st or this won't work) to enable AHCI, reboot into safe mode and follow the instructions I gave to untick safe boot then it will reboot into windows.

Now windows will install an NMVe controller to run any NVMe devices it finds bypassing AHCI for the 950 while AHCI takes care of the sata based drives.

You can now install the 950 pro driver that will replace the windows NVMe controller and let it show in Magician.

 

I just want one simple answer, no matter what dell tells me.

i need to install Windows as AHCI and install the NVMe controller and not touch it any more right?

 

Would this be possible?

1. Deactivate the RAID in the BIOS
2. Install a 850 Evo into the m.2 bay instead of the 32Gb drive
3. Clone the Hdd to the 850 Evo with the Samsung drive migration tool
4. Set the 850 Evo as boot disk
5. Set the HDD as D: and wipe it

 

Hi Razor2.

I guess this would be possible but would depend on the size of the m.2 drive you install to do a copy from the 1TB - you could use disk management to shrink first I suppose but there's nothing like a proper clean install with only the files you actually need drivers/apps etc.

If it were me I'd disable Raid - remove both drives - install the 850 Evo - do a clean install. Finish the clean install and reconnect the 1TB (if you still want to use it) and then format it and use it for bulk data. With it being left connected when you do the install (no matter what method you use) Windows may write boot files to it. I've done this method on a 500GB 850 Evo m.2 and it works very well.

Hope this helps

 

Yes is the simple answer, windows installs the "Standard NVM Express Controller" under storage controllers when the laptops in AHCI mode. When you then install the Samsung 950 pro specific driver it replaces the windows one.

If you follow what I said in my last post you can switch it to AHCI without a reinstall via safe mode

 

Thanks man, really appreciate all of your help!

 

This is a very helpful thread.

1. Do the models that ship with the ssd (i7) only come with the caddy, cables, screws, and spacers nowadays? This is a new order.

2. If I get the base model (i5 /1tb), obviously the ssd is plug and play but can I use the 1tb drive as my storage drive - since its the weird disk/ssd combo? I've never had something like that before.

 

Yes, you can install a m.2 SSD like a 256GB one and use the 1tb WD Blue as bulk media storage, after using the WD Blue ive noticed it lags alot so i switched to a 1tb ssd.

 

so the stock 1tb is a wd blue?

I'm leaning towards the i7 so I will be getting the pm950 256gb ssd, and planning on installing a 1tb 5400rpm drive. only one on the market is a wd blue. Did you really find it that bad for media? photos, movies, etc? Which 1tb ssd did you use?

 

Most of the ones that ship with the SSD only do not come with the caddy and cable. It has a bigger battery that takes the place of the mechanical hard drive. If you wanted to run a mechanical hard drive not only would you have to order the caddy and the cable, but you'd have to order a smaller battery. There is also a battery swap thread on NBR that you could post in.

 

if your getting the model with 84wh batter and a 256gb ssd you wont have a hard drive caddy and no sata connector

 

I did that. The computer works great. Use Macrium Reflect. After you clone the drive and restart, the PC should already boot from the SSD. Also - 0. Detatch cache SSD in RST soft.

 

I would buy the M.2 and swap to the ssd as well. without the cache i think the hdd will be a dog. I swapped both and this thing is plenty fast for me!!

 

Not sure why everyone is upgrading to M.2 NVME drives ... they cost twice as much as M.2 SATA drives and only offer performance difference in benchmarks ... no real perf difference in day to day operations no?

 

Thanks for the write up! Will come in use when I stick my 950 PRO in.

Wondering if we need to undo any of the BIOS changes you mentioned after the drive is inside the laptop? In my case, I plan to use just the SSD and remove the HDD altogether.

 

I am installing a 850 evo tomorrow when it gets here. Your post notes leaving secure boot on, but kent's long guide on page 1 says turn it off? So it seems like that doesn't matter?

Also, besides the intel raid drivers is there anything different (or extra) in your iso? Do I need your iso vs the windows website one if I am just installing an m.2 850 without nvme?

Once you have windows up and running on your ssd, and you plug back in your 1tb, the boot sequence should already be set to boot that drive or no? All we did was change ahci, etc, but not the drive boot order. In this case, since the 1tb still has windows installed (I plan on wiping it at this point and using as storage), do we need to change the boot order?

 

if secure boots left on and you put the 1tb back in it wont have a secure bootable partition so it wont show in the boot order.
Turning secure off and legacy on are an easy out to using the correct USB setup

 

So in the process of upgrading my drive now. I can't select legacy boot option? The UEFI is checked and the the uefi under boot list option is the only one. The legacy boot option is grayed out.

Do I need to do this now? Or can I select legacy boot after everything is installed, and I reinstall my 1tb for storage?

Installing 850 evo and my flash drive are in the computer right now. AHCI, secure boot off.

 

you do not need to go into legacy, it should be installed in secure boot mode, use my ISO (pick your version in my sig) and burn it to USB with RUFUS (use this guide http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html)

to be honest you do not need to uninstall the 1tb, just pick the correct drive to install windows onto.

forget that guide.

From memory all you need to do under drive mode is pick raid or AHCI insead of the smart cache

 

Thanks, I just went ahead am installing now. I'll just reenable secure mode later, and set the correct boot order so I can reformat the 1tb after I'm running off the ssd for windows.

Since its an old school 850 not an nvme, I didn't even need to install the rst drivers, windows recognized it right away. I'll do all the driver installs once windows is installed.

 

if you enable secure and cannot see the drive it means it didn't install in EFI, this is why I suggest having legacy off - secure on to start with.

 

Edit: Ha, you must be right - my 1tb drive is not being recognized after 'reinstallation'. Should I just reinstall windows with both installed, and just select the right drive like you suggested?

Edit 2: just reinstalling now. Cleared all the partitions on both drives on the windows installer so I had unallocated space on both drive 0 (ssd) and drive 1 (wd 1tb). We'll see if windows recognizes the 1tb drive after everything is installed (on the ssd obviously) and I can format it then.

Edit 3: Installing drivers now, the 1tb drive is showing up under device management and Intel rst is showing the drive as available. Should be able to format and utilize now. Thanks for the help gonzo! I'm gonna go ahead and delete the original post below so people don't get confused.

For anyone else upgrading the cache drive follow the steps below.

1. Setup your USB stick from the MS website and create the boot media, add drivers to the USB stick from the Dell website. Or download gonzo's iso.

2. Remove the cache drive, install your new ssd. Don't bother unplugging the 1tb drive.

3. Turn on computer, hit f2. Change to ahci. Leave secure boot and legacy alone.

4. Install Windows. Custom install. At the screen where it asks what drive, go ahead and select drive 0. Should be your ssd with all unallocated space. If you have used it before, go ahead and delete all of them. Delete your partitions on drive 1 also.

5. Finish install, install drivers. Reformat drive 1 from the disk management tool.

Hopefully that helps.

 

Windows can see the drive but you removed the partitions so it won't show in explorer yet., right click the start button and go to disk management, normally it will kick in the found drive popup when it opens and will ask you what to do with it, the defaults will be fine for your needs. If not it will be in the main disk management window for you to setup.

you don't need RST installed as you have nothing to manage any more

 

Yup so that was the case now when I installed 'properly' as per your instructions. Quicker and less screwing around too. Previously, the intel RST and BIOS would find the extra drive, but it wasn't showing up under the disk management screen or the hardware screen in windows.

By the way, anybody who hasn't used an ssd and usb 3.0...its insane fast. Windows installs in like 5 minutes and boot times are crazy. WIth all the reboots with the drivers, it would have taken me hours on an older computer with windows 7.

 

Hi all knowing peer, there was a mention about installing os on one USB and the Intel rapid Tech. on another? Is this correct? A total of two separate USBs will be needed to complete this or will we need just one USB and save the Inter files within the same USB we are saving OS on? Also, if we get the USB recovery provided by directly will we have to do anything or use that alone for all of the set up? Thanks!