4 Posts
0
3123
17 R1, need to understand additional drives
I'd like to upgrade the laptop with an additional HDD, hopefully an SSD. I'm new to upgrading Alienware, and don't know where to start. I contacted DELL and they recommended adding a 2nd drive external via usb-c (which the laptop does not have). My question: is there slots/openings/place for an SSD additional drive?
-Tim
U2CAMEB4ME
4 Operator
4 Operator
•
6.2K Posts
0
February 15th, 2020 07:00
Welcome to the Dell Community @TimRjr2
Interface: SATA 6 Gbps
Hard drives: Up to three 2.5-inch hard drives or solid‑state drives.
NOTE: The third hard drive/solid‑state drive is optional and can be installed in the optical‑drive bay.
mSATA: One mSATA full mini-card
Alienware 17 Specifications:
https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_alienware_laptops/alienware-17_reference%20guide_en-us.pdf
You can find the caddy and other accessories at the Parts People.
Alienware 17 R1 Secondary Hard Drive Caddy Carrier - 2nd HDD - FN03H:
https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=20986
Alienware 17 Owner's Manual:
https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_alienware_laptops/alienware-17_owner%27s%20manual_en-us.pdf
Best regards,
U2
DELL-Cares
Moderator
Moderator
•
25.7K Posts
0
February 15th, 2020 06:00
We tried reaching you on a private message but did not receive a response. Please feel free to write back whenever you are available.
TimRjr2
4 Posts
0
February 17th, 2020 15:00
Thank you: I was able to find a YouTube video how to disassemble the beast and now I understand much more. Looking at the Parts People for upgrade parts for the Alienware and also now know that there is a mSATA MINI that fits my Latidude E6430. Upgrades are in order!
mattyb3
5 Practitioner
5 Practitioner
•
1.5K Posts
0
February 17th, 2020 18:00
If you're interested later, you can put up to a GTX 1070 into the R1.
TimRjr2
4 Posts
0
February 18th, 2020 07:00
Thanks, I'm not as familiar with what that would mean for what we do. We live-stream using the laptop. What would this do for the streaming?
- Tim
mattyb3
5 Practitioner
5 Practitioner
•
1.5K Posts
0
February 18th, 2020 12:00
If you're just using the PC for Live-streaming then a decent GPU isn't required, unless you're live-streaming gaming. The CPU is more important for live-streaming so an i7 4910MQ or 4930MX processor would be a good upgrade if you are using using a 4700 or 4800.
TimRjr2
4 Posts
0
February 18th, 2020 13:00
Thank you. OBS video processing has been assigned to the nVidia card as our inputs are 1080p, our stream is 720p, and our recording is 1080p. We also use Davinci resolve to edit the recording and re-format for uploads. You have helped me to look at other improvements to this system. I know that the SSD will help with recording: but the rest will need to be considered separately.
Regards,
Tim
mattyb3
5 Practitioner
5 Practitioner
•
1.5K Posts
0
February 18th, 2020 19:00
No problem. The CPU is a relatively simple plug and play process, You'll just need some decent thermal compound. The GPU replacement can be a more demanding task as you need modded driver and an unlocked BIOS to make it work. It isn't too hard but can be overwhelming for people who haven't tried it before.
If you're doing video processing then you may want to look at having 32gb of memory, if you don't have it already.
SinoPhil
10 Posts
0
March 26th, 2023 12:00
Hello & thanks for the explanation.
I am still not entirely clear: for an Alienware 17 R1, if I want to replace the optical drive and replace it with a HDD/SDD - what caddy exactly do I have to get?
Is it the one "Alienware 17 R1 Secondary Hard Drive Caddy Carrier - 2nd HDD - FN03H" which you mentioned in your original post?
Sorry for being so pedantic about it, but I want to be sure..if it says secondary hard drive, it gives me the impression it is for one of the two hard drives, not the optical drive..and I have bought the wrong parts before..
Thank you!
Philipp
mattyb3
5 Practitioner
5 Practitioner
•
1.5K Posts
0
March 26th, 2023 14:00
@SinoPhil you need an optical drive caddy like below, not the one you listed in your post.
These are pretty generic and fit just about any optical drive bay but there can be different height ones. I'm pretty sure the 17 R1 doesn't have the slim style so you should be good with anything.
You will need to use the optical drive cable and the bracket that sits around your current optical drive so don't throw these away.