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    Anyone using an SSD in Alienware Aurora m7700?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by jancg, Jun 11, 2011.

  1. jancg

    jancg Newbie

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    Hello to all!

    I have an Alienware Aurora m7700. Although 5 years old, it is still a great machine. I would like to replace the hard drive with an SSD drive. Has anyone done this already?

    Bought myself an OCZ Vertex II 120 GB. It wasn't recognized by the BIOS :( Are any BIOS upgraded neede/available? The original harddrive was a traditional sata-7200rpm-100Gb. Perhaps (a bit farfetched) the current BIOS doesn't support 120Gb?

    Advice appreciated!

    Jan C. de Graaf
     
    jancg, Jun 11, 2011
    #1
  2. tilleroftheearth

    tilleroftheearth Wisdom listens quietly...

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    It's not the capacity: it's the specific SSD you're attempting to use (with your specific notebook, apparently).

    Recommended: Intel 320 Series @ 160GB capacity. Or, Intel X25-M G2 @ 160GB capacity. (Though I find the better/newer 320 Series to be much cheaper than the G2's).

    Good luck.
     
    tilleroftheearth, Jun 11, 2011
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  3. jancg

    jancg Newbie

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    Since I had a 60gb vertex II available as well I tested it and indeed, as you predicted, it didn't work either. Not detected by the bios.

    Just totday I tested a Intel SSD 320 Series 120gb. Didn't work either :(

    Perhaps I do need a bios update? My current bios =

    Phoenix 4.06CJ15, 5-12-2005
    (smbios version 2.34 whatever that is...)

    Any more suggestions? Anyone has/had this bios and has a SSD running?

    Thanks, Jan.
     
    jancg, Jun 13, 2011
    #3
  4. JPS0701

    JPS0701 Newbie

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    I would like to figure out if an SSD will work in an Alienware Aurora M7700, as well. My 80GB SATA drive bit the dust a few weeks ago. I purchased an OCZ Vertex2 100GB SSD drive thinking this should work with no issues, but as you figured out, it is not detected by the RAID controller, or base SATA controller. I found the latest BIOS by getting the name of the 1.00.09 from Eurocom's site (since couldnt even find that much on Alienware, Sager, or Clevo's websites or FTPs) - then Google-searched it for a download location. BUT... It doesn't help anyway - still not detected either way. I was going to try calling OCZ to see if there was some unknown way of hard setting the drive down to SATA 150 speed, as I read that a lack of an ability to sense anything above its default speed seems to be an issue, but have not, yet. I also havent tried updating the firmware from OCZ's bogus toolbox. Last time I tried that, it hung my PC and ended up RMA'ing the SSD. Apparently, its kinda' buggy, and it cant been seen by the Toolbox app via USB, if you use one of the many hokey USB-to-SATA conversion kits out there, either.
     
    JPS0701, Jun 14, 2011
    #4