Hi all, first post. I currently have an Alienware Aurora R7 that I purchased from Amazon back in 2018 and I would like to either upgrade the existing SSD or add a new one. The specs of my R7 are:

• Intel Core i7 8700 (6-Core/12-thread, 12MB Cache, up to 4.6GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology)

• 16GB 2666MHz DDR4 up to [64GB], Dual Channel (additional memory sold separately)

• 256GB [PCIe] (SSD) M.2 Boot + 2TB 7200 RPM SATA HDD 6GB/s storage, Tray-loading DVD Burner

• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5

I had a look at the Service Manual and it appears my Storage Specs are the following: one M2 drive slot, two 2.5 inch drive slots, one 3.5 inch drive slots, and a slim drive slot for an optical drive. I assume the M2 drive slot is currently taken up by the 256GB SSD, and the 3.5 inch by my 2TB SATA drive. (I don't know much about computers so apologies if I sound like an idiot)

So based on the above and browsing the forums, it looks like my options are:

- replace the M2 256GB SSD with another M2 SSD of higher capacity (I was thinking 1TB) and either reinstall Windows 10 or clone the drive (not sure how to do this)

or:

- install a 2.5 SSD (again a 1TB) into one of the (presumably) available 2.5 drive slots. So I would have my 256GB M2 for the operating system, a 1TB SSD for games, and my 2TB SATA for other storage.

So my questions are:

1. am I correct in my options above? Did I miss any?

2. which of the above would be the easiest for a novice like myself to install? Ease of install is my primary consideration, even if it costs more.

   1. if I went with replacing the M2, how hard would it be? In the past I've had nightmares with replacing boot drives and reinstalling Windows and trying to find all the install disks for all the program files that are on that drive. Someone suggested cloning instead, but I don't know how to clone a drive and have no idea how hard it would be. I always get worried when I have to mess around with a boot drive.

      1. If I did decide to go this route, can anyone suggest any good cloning programs that are easy to use for novices? And would any NVME (I assume those are the same as M2) SSD on Amazon work? (e.g. Samsung 970 EVO?) 

   2. would it be easier to just get a 2.5 inch SSD and install it into one of the 2.5 inch drive slots? That way I end up with 2 SSDs + the SATA. Is this just a matter of sliding the drive into the slot and plugging it into the motherboard and then turning on the computer and it would detect it? Would I need to purchase anything other than the drive, like an enclosure? Someone told me I have to buy an enclosure or is that only to fit it into a 3.5 inch slot?

      1. If I went this route, should any brand of 2.5 inch SSD on Amazon work as long (eg Crucial MX500?) as they have the 7mm to 9.5mm spacer that I apparently need? Any good brands people can recommend?

Apologies again for being stupid I would just have paid to get Best Buy to install it but because of Covid they have a 2-3 month waiting list for Geek Squad so I'm going to have a go at doing it myself. Thanks for any help and thank you for your patience.