Hi @LifelongGamer welcome to this user to user discussion forum. This is not Dell Support.
Dell Support for Alienware m15 R4 Storage says the Two M.2 2280 slots will both support 2TB PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe drives and the M.2 2230 slot will support 512GB PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe drive. Vendors (e.g. Corsair) may recommend a higher capacity NVMe drive can be installed, such as 4TB or 8TB.
Check the fast and ultrafast M.2 2280 NVMe read/write speeds, and you will find that the 1TB and 2TB capacities have the best speed. Decide if you want drive to support AES Encryption (e.g. Samsung 970 EVO Plus) to secure data if laptop stolen. The Windows log-on password does not encrypt the drive.
The ultrafast NVMe is always a good investment, especially for the M.2 2280 OS(C:) drive. Having purchased a new 1TB or 2TB M.2 2280 NVMe drive, check that it comes with free clone software and instructions. Install clone software and Restart (not Shut Down). Then put new drive in the second M.2 2280 slot and use clone software to create a new M.2 2280 OS(C:) drive and Shut Down. Then remove original OS(C:) drive and insert the clone OS(C:) drive. Keep your original original OS(C:) drive somewhere safe as part of your disaster Recovery Plan.
Get another ultrafast M.2 2280 NVMe drive and install this in your second M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 x4 slot for extra storage capacity. Use Windows 10 Disk Management to GPT initialise storage drive and assign a drive letter.
Please click on Kudos to say thank you for response from another user. Please share an update on progress, so that other users derive benefit from your experience. Thank you.
The drive can be replaced with a larger capacity M.2 SSD, but larger won't mean faster - it's model-specific as to what performance you'll see. SSDs are generally fast, but some manufacturers' drives are faster than others.
The service manual shows the install process, which is straightforward.
Hello, I see you are looking for technical assistance. If you need our help, you can start a private message with us and we will be happy to assist you.
crimsom
7 Technologist
•
6.1K Posts
1
April 15th, 2021 14:00
Hi @LifelongGamer welcome to this user to user discussion forum. This is not Dell Support.
Dell Support for Alienware m15 R4 Storage says the Two M.2 2280 slots will both support 2TB PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe drives and the M.2 2230 slot will support 512GB PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe drive. Vendors (e.g. Corsair) may recommend a higher capacity NVMe drive can be installed, such as 4TB or 8TB.
Check the fast and ultrafast M.2 2280 NVMe read/write speeds, and you will find that the 1TB and 2TB capacities have the best speed. Decide if you want drive to support AES Encryption (e.g. Samsung 970 EVO Plus) to secure data if laptop stolen. The Windows log-on password does not encrypt the drive.
The ultrafast NVMe is always a good investment, especially for the M.2 2280 OS(C:) drive. Having purchased a new 1TB or 2TB M.2 2280 NVMe drive, check that it comes with free clone software and instructions. Install clone software and Restart (not Shut Down). Then put new drive in the second M.2 2280 slot and use clone software to create a new M.2 2280 OS(C:) drive and Shut Down. Then remove original OS(C:) drive and insert the clone OS(C:) drive. Keep your original original OS(C:) drive somewhere safe as part of your disaster Recovery Plan.
Get another ultrafast M.2 2280 NVMe drive and install this in your second M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 x4 slot for extra storage capacity. Use Windows 10 Disk Management to GPT initialise storage drive and assign a drive letter.
Please click on Kudos to say thank you for response from another user. Please share an update on progress, so that other users derive benefit from your experience. Thank you.
ejn63
10 Elder
•
30.7K Posts
0
April 15th, 2021 12:00
The drive can be replaced with a larger capacity M.2 SSD, but larger won't mean faster - it's model-specific as to what performance you'll see. SSDs are generally fast, but some manufacturers' drives are faster than others.
The service manual shows the install process, which is straightforward.
https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/alienware-m15-laptop/docs
LifelongGamer
4 Posts
0
April 16th, 2021 15:00
Thanks ejn63 and crimsom.
I just received the laptop today and will work on this when I have time.
DELL-Cares
Moderator
•
27.6K Posts
0
June 6th, 2022 00:00
Hello, I see you are looking for technical assistance. If you need our help, you can start a private message with us and we will be happy to assist you.
JellyGoosed
3 Posts
0
June 6th, 2022 00:00
I also own an Alienware m15 r4, and i want to upgrade the storage, do you have any recomendation?