15 R3, compatible SSD for boot drive C and SSD for 2 empty slots

Question

I was trying to see what drives my laptop is able to take. I wanted to know if my C drive was able to take a maximum of 2TB by samsung, and i was also looking to see if the 2 extra SSD slots compatibility for samsung brands and what their maximum storage capacity can be.

filbert · Accepted Answer

Here's what Dell's specifications say for your laptop:

Table 1. Storage specifications

STORAGE TYPE	INTERFACE TYPE	CAPACITY
One 2.5-inch hard drive	SATA AHCI 6 Gbps	Up to 1 TB
Two M.2 2280 solid-state drives	SATA AHCI 6 Gbps PCIe NVMe up to 32 Gbps	Up to 1 TB

You may ignore the 1 TB figure. Yes, you may use a 2 TB M.2 drive for your C: drive. In fact, you may go all the way up to 4 TB if you wish. The second M.2 drive may also be up to 4 TB.

You may also be able to add a 2.5" SATA SSD, but of course it would be much slower than the NVMe drives. However, if you have the optional 6-cell battery rather than the 4-cell battery, it might block the space where the 2.5" drive would go. (That's the case on many laptops, but I'm uncertain about your model. You would be able to tell when you open the case.)

Note that if the laptop was originally ordered and delivered with a single M.2 drive, there will not be a heat sink cover for the second drive. You will need to buy that separately. They are available on Amazon and elsewhere.

Follow the disassembly and reassembly steps in Dell's Service Manual.

Whenever touching components or working inside a computer, wear a grounded wrist strap, also called anti-static wrist strap, ESD wrist strap, or ground bracelet. It's a cheap and sensible precaution. Rest the laptop on an anti-static mat or at least a reasonable alternative such as corrugated cardboard.

Mr. Spock · Answer

sorry if it wasant included, Alienware 15R3 Model

filbert · Answer

Yes, any M.2 2280 drive. But, PCIe NVMe drives will be faster than M.2 SATA. There is more information on your laptop in this thread.

Mr. Spock · Answer

GREAT! so knowing this will it be able to take this kind of M.2 drive or are all M.2's compatible for my device? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RK2SR23/ref=twister_B0BRQ9ZZ3D?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

Mr. Spock · Answer

awsome so i just ordered the drive as shown for the secdon extra ssd slot however i see there is a smaler ssd slot? would like to know the model compatibilty. Also would any heat sink work for the M.2 ssd's? when i ordered the laptop it didnt come with it

Alienware

15 R3, compatible SSD for boot drive C and SSD for 2 empty slots

Was this post helpful?