Questions on 15r S.E. Please help!!! Thanks!!!

Hey everyone, I'm new to the site, and new to laptops in general. I'm hoping someone might help me out. Sorry if my terminology is off, I'm learning as I go.

I ordered a 15r Spec. Ed. with the i7, 8gb, 1080p screen, and 750x7200 drive. From what I understand this model does NOT come with the "daughter board" which would allow me to add a SSD (cache drive?).

Does this mean I couldn't replace the 750gb drive with a SSD down the road on the one I ordered? Or is that drive still upgradeable on its own, and I just can't install a "cache drive"?

Also, from what I've gathered, the model (U.S. specs) with the 750gb drive comes with no Blu-ray, but the model with the 1tb drive does. Is this correct?

I ask because I ordered mine through Bestbuy (couldn't beat the 0% x 18 months financing), and they're showing 2 15r Spec. Ed. models.

One (the one I ordered) comes with a 750gb x 7200, no 32gb drive, and only a DVD drive. The other model is described as coming with the i7, 8gb, a 1tb drive, the 32gb drive, but also just a DVD drive.

Is this a mistake in Bestbuy's description? Would they have a different higher-end model sans the Blu-ray drive? Every review I've read, and even Dell's page, seems to link the 1tb drive, the 32gb drive, and the Blu-ray. No one at Bestbuy seems to know because they don't stock the Spec. Ed. in their stores, just online. The model #'s are:

I15RSE-4500BK at $1049.99

I15RSE-6167BK at $949.99 (The one I ordered.)

I really appreciate the help.

 

The 15R SE model that you are inquiring about doesn't include a mSATA 32 GB SSD cache drive but its not really necessary since you said you plan to replace it with a SSD. Only the top end 15R SE model configuration contains a 1 TB 5400 RPM drive with a 32 GB mSATA SSD. The rest don't. Most configurations only contain a DVD drive. If you order a 17R SE model with the highest configuration, it contains a Bluray drive. If you really want a Bluray drive, just buy an external drive.

All the 15R SE models only includes 1 SATA hard drive slot so YES!! you can replace the 750 GB HDD with a SSD drive if you so desire but keep in mind most likely you will be sacrificing hard drive space for faster speeds which is worth it to me.

 

@ericdabbs- Thanks for helping me clear this up. So none of the 15r S.E.s are available with the Blu-ray then. That's what I was confused about. I purchased the one with the 750GB 7200RPM, and was I fine with that until I got confused and thought the 15r came with a Blu-ray if you got the 1 TB + 32 mSATA SSD. This clears things up a bit.

As far as sacrificing HDD space, I've been working with an 80 GB drive for the last 5 years, so anything bigger will feel like excess at this point.

Thanks again for your help.

 

I guess I am wrong. If you look on Dell.com, the high end 15R SE model does include the Bluray drive ($1099) version. So there is that option if you want not only the 32GB mSATA SSD cache drive but also the Bluray drive.

I am in the same boat as you, I am still using my Inspiron E1505 from 6 years ago with a 120 GB HDD. I have been waiting patiently for Dell to come out with those Dell promo gift cards with the purchase of a Dell gift card so that I can buy the 17R SE laptop finally. According to last year, it should be coming in the next few days.

 

Yeah, that's what I saw too. But if you look on Best Buy's website, that same laptop with the 32GB mSATA SSD doesn't come with the Blu-ray. If it did I would return this 15r and get that one. $100 for a slower, but bigger HDD, 32GB mSATA SSD, AND Blu-ray would have been worth it to me. I wonder if Best buy made a mistake in their description, or if they sell the top of the line Inspiron without the Blu-ray.