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Dell G15 5521 SE no second SSD?!
Just bought the G15 5521 SE with 3070Ti and 1TB SSD. Was looking into getting a second SSD for the second slot. I've read through most of the posts about the missing bracket. No problem I can get a bracket. But I have come across the manual and several posts and YouTube videos which lead me to believe that the 5521 cannot have a second SSD. Something about the software or motherboard does not allow it. So is there no connector? If there is and I plug in an SSD what happens? Why can't this very strong gaming laptop version of the G15 hold a second SSD?
DELL-Cares
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June 5th, 2022 22:00
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.
Duck_Cat
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June 5th, 2022 23:00
I have not received my G15 yet so I do not have an item tag to link to a warranty. Is there a way for the G15 5521 to have a second SSD installed? If not, please tell me why. I just spent over $2000 on the computer and am considering returning it as soon as it arrives.
Duck_Cat
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June 5th, 2022 23:00
Further, the chart only talks about going up to a 2TD 80mm SSD. Can I not put a 3 or 4 TB 80mm SSD in the slot?
Ray115
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June 10th, 2022 12:00
I'm also confused about this. In the service manual pdf and setup and specifications pdf it seems to contradict itself with whether it's compatible for a second SSD or not. For example, in the setup and specifications pdf at page 15, Storage section it states it 'supports one M.2 2230/2280 solid-state drives.' However, immediately below is Table 11 which suggests there is 3 NVMe slots; a 2230 for the WiFi card, a 2230 for the pre-installed SSD and finally a 2280 which until the 2022 models was confirmed to support a second SSD you could install yourself.
Furthermore, in the service manual under the header 'Major components of Dell G15 Special Edition 5521' it illustrates the location of item number 7 '2280 Solid-state drive' and number 14 '2230 Solid-state drive' in the respective PCIe Gen 4 NVMe slots on the bottom corners of the board.
I haven't opened up my Dell G15 5521 SE to find out for sure about the presence of a M.2 connector but my BIOS thinks there's only one SSD slot.
Could this laptop be upgraded to support a second SSD if the appropriate M.2 connector was soldered onto the board? How could I get the BIOS to recognise this addition?
ejn63
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June 10th, 2022 16:00
These have been reviewed in several places, and unless ordered with two drives will come with only one M.2 connector for a single SSD.
No, you cannot retroactively solder on an M.2 connector -- beyond not being able to buy one unless you have easy access to Southeast China, you won't be able to solder it to the board without causing damage -- and you have no way to know whether a drive would be detected or not short of trying a very expensive experiment likely to fail.
XPS_Man
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June 10th, 2022 17:00
Never checked special edition before, am surprised too.
Only 1 m.2/nvme slot, no second SSD, no second 2.4 inch SSD slot.
It's approx 2100 USD here in India for Core i7 RTX 3070ti 1TB QHD 240 Hz
My suggestion, Don't wait for shipment. Cancel the order and Get an Alienware
Napster_abby
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October 6th, 2022 12:00
I bought a Dell G15 5521 SE few months back thinking that it supports 2nd SSD and now before ordering the drive I opened the device to clean and i saw the there is not connector for 2nd SSD instead there was a small block of rubber as a placeholder to support motherboard. Very disappointed by Dell to not provide this feature in such an expensive device.