NP9150 aftermarket upgrade

I recently ordered the sager NP9150 from xotic ( which I will not likely get until end of June because I ordered it with the 7970M). I was wondering if it would be a better idea to upgrade to an SSD or to get it with the computer? How difficult would it be to install one my self? Is there a place to install one on this laptop if I already have a 750GB HD and an optical drive. Any advice and possibly links on how to do it myself would be greatly appreciated. It seems as though the cost to purchase a SSD after market would be much cheaper.

Sorry I do not know very much about SSD's other than they get faster load times and I want my OS on it, so the more info the better. Thanks.

 

9150 only has one HD bay.

You have four options:
1) HDD only
2) SSD only
3) HDD + SSD (one in optical drive)
4) HDD + mSATA SSD (keep optical drive)

 

What are the down sides to option 4? ( I see now, on the Xotic website they offer mSATA SSD's on the NP9150, not a normal one.) Would it be better for me to get no optical drive and get an external optical drive. I don't think I would use the optical very much, but it would be a pain if I wanted to install a game or if a game required the disk to play.

 

Downsides to option 4 are mSATA SSD's are still expensive for their capacity and are slower than full fledged SSD's.

Most users do SSD + HDD in optical bay then either have an external or not, your choice. No game I can think of requires a disc. Not with Steam, Origin, Impulse, GameFly, Blizzard store etc you can buy a digital version of any game.

If I were buying a 9150 I would go SSD + HDD in optical bay because I have no need for a disc drive (outside of reinstalling the OS which you can either burn it to an iso or create a bootable thumb drive).

 

Can I remove the DVD drive once I get it and move the HD to the optical bay and put an SSD in the HD bay? (I have a feeling the answer is no). Also how much slower is the mSATA SSD?

 

Yes, that's the idea.
You get an optical bay caddy that has the bezel and everything so it looks like a DVD drive but there's really a HDD in it. You want the SSD in the HD bay because it's SATA 3 and you want the SSD to run at full speed. The HDD in the optical drive is only SATA 2 but HDD's never get anywhere near SATA 2 speeds. You just need to buy the caddy.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...42017-60gb-adata-xm13-shopping-msata-ssd.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...gitalssd-bullet-proof-128gb-msata-review.html

Just look for reviews on here.
mSATA SSD's are usually 250/250 whereas an SSD is 520/500ish.

 

where can I get the caddy I need and what is an approximation for the price. I feel like doing it after market is going to be cheaper because it costs an extra 140 for the SSD instead of the HD then an additional $115 to get a 750GB HD in the optical drive. Plus I have heard the Intel 520 is not so good.

Do I remove the HD and install the SSD, and use the optical drive to install the OS on the SSD and then install the HD in the optical drive using the caddy?

 

Talk to whoever you bought it from to get a HD caddy. If you look on Xotic's site it says "Remove DVDRW Drive and Install Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy Only (SKU - S7R951) ( + 15 )"

If you want a 128gb SSD look at this one for $118 (log in to see price) or 256gb for $225 both free shipping.
The Samsung 830 is regarded as one of the top 2 most reliable SSD's out there along with the Crucial M4.

You can do whatever you want.
What you said is probably the easiest.

 

If I did that, how would I install the OS on the SSD? Unless I can install it off of the internet with the product key? Or can I simply transfer the OS to the SSD from the HD.

Edit: NVM I can get an external optical drive for $19

 

Don't clone your OS from a HDD to a SSD always do a fresh install.

If you didn't get an OS with it well then I can't really help there. But if you did, simply leave the optical drive in, put SSD in the bay, insert OS disc and install.

 

I do have the OS with it (it should come with the CD I would imagine, I will have to ask). Since it has not actually gone into build phase yet I have a bit to change my order because I am waiting on the 7970M. I can either pay $45 for the caddy and leave the DVD drive in it or pay $15 for HD caddy and no optical drive and $19 for an external DVD drive. The latter option seems better because it will be a little cheaper, and I will have access to the external drive should I need it.