Alienware 15 R3 Ssd Slots
Alienware 15 Ssd Slots Reviews
Alienware 15 Ssd Slots Free
Alienware 15 R4 Ssd Slots
Alienware 15 Ssd Slots Download
Alienware 15 R2 Ssd Slots

There are no differences between the 17-inch Alienware 17 R4 and the 15-inch Alienware 15 R3 in terms of storage options. There are three M.2 SSD slots (2x 2280 + 1x 2260) all supporting the latest PCIe NVMe standard while the 2.5-inch bay is just one. Our unit shipped with HGST 1TB @7200 rpm and 512GB PCIe NVMe Samsung PM961 SSD (2280). Alienware 15 review: We go hands-on with Alienware's 2016 gaming laptop. Reveals easy access to the two RAM slots, the 2.5-inch HDD slot, the m.2 SSD slot and the wireless card. There are 2 x 2280 M.2 slots that can take PCIe 3.0 x4 SSDs (presumably SATA as well), and 1 x 2242 M.2 slot. I'm not sure if that one is just SATA or can take PCIe. There's also room for a 2.5' SATA drive where you can mount a traditional SATA SSD. Mine came with 1 x Toshiba NVMe SSD and a 1TB 2.5' HDD.

AORUS 15 (15-W9, X9, XA, WA, SA) 2x M.2 SSD slots (2280, NVMe PCIe & SATA) $1379.47: AORUS X3 Plus v5: 2 x M.2 SSD slots: AORUS X3 Plus v6: 2 x M.2 SSD slots: AORUS X5 MD: 2 x M.2 SSD slots: AORUS X5 v6: 2x 2280 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (M key) + 1x 2280 PCIe 3.0 x2 NVMe (M key) AORUS X5 v7: 2 x M.2 SSD slots: $2299.00: AORUS X5 v8: 2x 2280 PCIe 3.0 x4.
Alienware 15 R3 - 2016 Alienware 15 (2016), Windows 10. 6th / 7th gen Intel CPU, 1080p standard display and Ultra HD 4K display and 120 Hz TN+WVA Anti-Glare 400 nit NVIDIA G-SYNC Enabled Display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 1000 series with up to 8 GB GDDR5. Alienware 15 R4 (Discontinued) - 2018 Alienware 15 (2018), Windows 10.

The Alienware 15 (2015) How to win easy money at casinos. by Dell is a gaming laptop with a 15.6-inch display, Intel’s processors, and various dedicated video card choices. The 15.6-inch screen has either Full HD 1920×1080-pixel or 4K Ultra HD 3840×2160 resolution. In both cases, the panels are powered by IPS technology which enables wide viewing angles, while the 4K-equipped configurations additionally support touchscreen input. Processor choices are the dual-core Intel Core i5-4210H and an upper-mid-range solution and the higher-end Core i7-4710HQ with four cores. Graphics options are generous. Customers can chose between four GPUs. Namely, the upper-mid-range GeForce GTX 965M 2GB and 970M 3GB and the top-of-the-line GeForce GTX 980M 4GB and AMD Radeon HD M295X 4GB. System memory size is either 8GB or 16GB. That’s less than 24GB or whooping 32GB on some gaming notebook models, but still sufficient for comfortable gaming and heavy multitasking. As for storage space, the Alienware 15 offers a 1-Terabyte hard drive at 5,400rpm, which can be optionally accompanied by a 128GB, 256GB or 512GB solid state drive in M.2 form factor.

Outwardly, the most remarkable parts on the 1.3″ thick seven-pound chassis are the full-size keyboard without numeric pad and trackpad with real “click” buttons. Both the keyboard and trackpad sport LED backlight, with color customization enabled. The Alienware 15 has stereo speakers and a webcam, Wi-Fi, Ethernet LAN, and Bluetooth connections, and an admirable selection of ports and slots including four USBs at 3.0 speed, HDMI and mini DisplayPort video connectors, separate audio out and in jacks, a 9-in-1 media card reader, and the Graphics Amplifier port.

Just like the smaller Alienware 13 and larger 17, the 15-inch version supports Alienware Graphics Amplifier. It’s an external device which consists of a chassis, a built-in power supply and a slot in which you can put a full-blown desktop video card to improve graphics performance of the laptop.

The M15 R3 has, surprisingly, a 2230 SSD slot generally reserved for data storage. It’s a welcome addition to Alienware’s M15 R2 successor that offers the opportunity to install a bonus extra disk for dual booting Linux or archiving media files, downloads and other less pressing data.

Finding a 2230 SSD, however, proved to be somewhat difficult. Availability is so sketchy that Surface Laptop owners were pulling the Kioxia SSD out of a CalDigit Tuff Nano in order to upgrade their machines. With the Surface Laptop Go also now presumably sporting a 2230 format SSD the demand for these tiny disk upgrades is only going to get bigger. I had to reach out to Kioxia for a KBG40ZNS1T02. This tiny 30mm SSD offers on-paper read and write speeds of 2,300 MB/s and 1,800 MB/s respectively and the astute reader will notice the “1T” in the drive name does, indeed, correspond to 1024GB of capacity.

The SSD

In a world of 1TB microSD cards I really shouldn’t be shocked by the size of Kioxia’s tiny SSD… or 2230 format SSDs in general- but this thing is TIIINY. It’s really no small wonder that Alienware decided to bung this extra slot into the R3. They had the space to spare and the option of a separate data disk alongside a boot RAID0 configuration is pretty enticing.

Here it is compared to full sized SD and microSD cards. pic.twitter.com/Rb3D443DOs

— Phil Howard (@Gadgetoid) September 4, 2020

On the top side of the SSD is the memory itself, taking up a majority of the space, with a scattering of passives and ICs- presumably to do with power regulation and conditioning- surrounding it.

Sweet lord almighty this thing is tiiiiinnnnnyyyyy! pic.twitter.com/ZI1O61fEil

— Phil Howard (@Gadgetoid) September 4, 2020

The bottom is completely blank, save for silkscreen and the distinct outline of copper traces and pads underneath the PCB resist. There are some interesting features that might be related to heat disspation. Just as well- SSDs have a habit of getting hot, and there’s nowhere much for the heat to go on this tiny, tiny disk.

Has a little ASCII picture of a spider on the back. Hey little guy! pic.twitter.com/UsF9ekt0rP

— Phil Howard (@Gadgetoid) September 4, 2020

Installing into the Alienware M15 R3

Alienware 15 R3 Ssd Slots

Fuelled by my inability to estimate exactly how long 3cm might be, I quickly ran into a problem installing the Kioxia 2230 into my Alienware laptop. The slot, while labelled 2230 SSD3, is either a 2245 slot or something non-standard.

Apparently so!

Though looking at this photo compared to the size/shape of the actual 2230 SSD does not fill me with confidence.

Nothing a bit of blue-tac can’t fix… pic.twitter.com/bkSJecYREO

— Phil Howard (@Gadgetoid) September 4, 2020

It seems deliberately designed to make it impossible to install a 2230 SSD without an additional bracket- perhaps because it’s necessary for cooling, or maybe another screw post simply couldn’t go where that enticing white dot is placed because there’s something exciting on the other side of the motherboard. I’m not sure.

Suspicion confirmed…. uh @Alienware your m15 r3 2230 slot has a nice white dot exactly where a screw should be…. pic.twitter.com/vC5gWdN4fO

— Phil Howard (@Gadgetoid) September 4, 2020

Stubborn as I am, however, I decided to forge ahead and install the SSD anyway. There’s enough friction on the socket for it to stay put without a screw… although I was hesitant to keep it this way. Nothing a bit of 3M tape couldn’t fit- at least to get things up and running.

Had to employ a little artistic license to secure the tiny Kioxia 2230 SSD into the ostensibly 2230 SSD slot on my @Alienware m15 r3… but… IT’S ALIVE. IT’S ALIVE! pic.twitter.com/vkzLnzwFjO

— Phil Howard (@Gadgetoid) September 4, 2020

Quest For The Bracket

What I actually needed was a specific bracket-and-heatsink doodad which would securely screw onto the SSD and, in turn, secure the SSD down to the mainboard.

Ah! From the @Alienware m15 r3 service manual.

Is it *really* a 2230 slot if it requires an additional part that’s not supplied!?

Also… I wonder if a 2242 SSD would fit. Pretty sure I have a SATA one inside my tiny VAIO. Heck of a chore getting it open though. https://t.co/Fpjfy9lMHspic.twitter.com/uWmwRVJhVW

Alienware 15 Ssd Slots Reviews

— Phil Howard (@Gadgetoid) September 6, 2020

Unfortunately Dellienware still don’t supply the extra sundry brackets and heat spreaders required to fit every unpopulated SSD in a new machine. This frustrat