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Go to Solutionm15, support two NVMe SSD + 2.5" HDD?
I'm confused over what storage I can use in the Alienware m15.
The manual states:
"Your computer supports one of the following configurations:'
• One 2.5-inch hard drives
• One M.2 PCIe solid-state drive
• One M.2 PCIe solid-state drive and one 2.5-inch hard drive
• One M.2 Intel Optane and one 2.5-inch hard drive
• Two M.2 PCIe solid-state drives"
I notice it does not state anywhere that I can have two M.2 PCIe SSDs AND the 2.5" hard drive (and this is not a configuration I can select when ordering). Is there an actual limitation preventing this?
I currently have an Alienware 13R3 and with both the SSD slots filled, I was thinking that by upgrading to the m15, I can still keep it relatively light but get the benefit of cheap HDD storage.
18205
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Posted December 12th, 2018 05:00
You have noticed that the configuration does not state 2 PCIE SSD drives and 1 2.5" drive. It is not a supported configuration.
I am not a Dell employee...I am forum volunteer
Serious work on an E5430 and constantly building and working on an i5-6500 Desktop
18201
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Posted December 12th, 2018 06:00
I believe the issue is that the HDD covers the second M2 slot. The advantage of no HDD is that you can have the larger battery.
18163
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Posted December 12th, 2018 17:00
Thanks for this. It's in line with what I was expecting but I was just surprised to see the manual doesn't really show this and it reminded me of the times when you had limited SATA cables/etc to connect drives.
Is there also any guidance on the maximum dimensions/size of the 2.5" drive? (ie the thickness)
18242
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Posted December 12th, 2018 17:00
HDD thickness is 7mm
18165
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Posted December 12th, 2018 17:00
@blinky44 wrote:
I believe the issue is that the HDD covers the second M2 slot. The advantage of no HDD is that you can have the larger battery.
Are you sure? I thought the bigger battery clashed with the hard drive slot; and the second m.2 slot was not impacted at all. Can you clarify? (the other solution in the thread is more in line with what I expected).
16354
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Posted April 4th, 2019 04:00
hi, anther simple question:
my hhd slot has not came with cable and bay, wich exactly components must i buy to fit the hdd in the slot?
i'm thinking to buy this one https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=26784 but i'm not sure about it is right for my new m15.
this is my open pc:
thanks
11997
1
Posted April 4th, 2019 19:00
The second NVMe slot is obviously marked and accessible. But, there is no heat shield provided for a second one you might install. Also, there is a place for a 2.5" 7mm drive, if you have the 60Wh battery, which is what mine apparently came with (I bought in a "lightning deal" on Amazon, so I was unsure of all the specs beyond the Amazon page). But, here, unfortunately, there aren't the standard SATA connectors you find in laptops I've had in the past: instead it will need a ribbon connector to a port labeled appropriately on the motherboard. I don't know where to get that, either.
So, in sum, yes, all those configurations are possible. But, now, we need to find out how to actually install the drives we buy: a heat shield for the second NVMe, and a cable or caddy (not sure) for the 2.5 SATA drive. Suggestions?
9900
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Posted July 8th, 2019 17:00
Hi did you ever get an answer to your question? I'm looking too.
9878
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Posted August 6th, 2019 18:00
Yes. It does support two PCIe NVMe SSD and 2.5" HDD/SSD. I have 500GB Samsung 970 EVO and 1TB Adata XPG SX8200 and Seagate 2TB Firecuda SSHD installed. All are working fine. I have my bios setup in raid which is default from factory.
MotorDonkey
61 Posts
18187
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Posted December 12th, 2018 11:00
You can have two M.2 drives and a 2.5" HDD as long as you don't have the 90WH battery. The 90WH battery will cover the HDD bay. 60WH and you're fine with a total of 3 drives.