mSata SSD on the M14xR2- questions

[axlastro]

Hey guys, I'm going to purchase an mSata drive for my M14xR2. Can you confirm that the mSata will work as a stand alone hard drive and I could install the OS on it, as I've heard some mSata packing MB's only support it as a caching drive. I'm looking at the 128gb ADATA SX300 as it's the cheapest in my country. I know the M500 Cricial is already available and I'm tempted to order it online, but I'm not sure if it will work as desired, so that's why I'm thinking of trying the Adata before buying.

If anyone could confirm the mSata port will work as a stand alone drive, I'd be thankful.

[Mark Carlo Roccograndi]

Currently I use my 30gb SATA along with configuration with the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software and it works wonders with maximizing your larder main HD's speed and power.

[axlastro]

Well, I just bought th eADATA SX300 and I it's great. Not tested it yet, but windows experience index is 7.9

[ratinox]

Yes, it works as either a cache (RAID mode w/ Intel Smart Response) or as a dedicated drive (AHCI mode w/ SRT disabled). I'm currently running with a Mushkin Atlas (SandForce) 120G for the system drive and my stock Seagate 500G drive for games and media.

[SynxUK]

I just joined the forums,

My setup is a little unorthodox, I purchased my M14XR2 with the Samsung 256gb SSD and then purchased the Intel 525 240gb MSATA SSD.

My Samsung contains the OS, software and media.

My Intel contains everything and anything game related.

So in answer to your question, yes, it works as 'mass' storage.

[James Dingle]

I have the m4 Msata in mine the only issue I had was I did a bios update and it stopped working. I ran the dell diagnostic at boot up and it came back to life, bit weird but hey ho it's okay.

[axlastro]

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11:48:51		alexander	Initial Question/Comment: .
11:48:56		System	You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
11:48:56		System	Connected with Mohammed Moinu
11:49:11		Mohammed Moinu	Hi Alexander
11:49:34		Mohammed Moinu	Welcome to Dell Parts and Accessories Chat! My name is Mohammed Khaja (1800 289 3355 at extn. 4166820) and my e mail id is [email][email protected][/email]. I am pleased to be your Dell.com Sales Chat Expert!. How may I assist you today?
11:49:58		alexander	I have an Alienware M14xR2 laptop and I'd like to install an mSata SSD, which I'm going to use as a BOOT drive for OS. I have already consecuitively installed two mSata A-data sx300 128gb SSD's but they both failed after a few weeks of use I'm now looking for a more reliable upgrade. Can you confirm that the intel 525 mSata 120gb drive will be compatible with my alienware m14xr2 ?
11:50:39		Mohammed Moinu	Sure, I will be happy to help you with that
11:50:54		Mohammed Moinu	Let me pull up that laptop details
11:51:59		alexander	ok
11:53:24		Mohammed Moinu	Alexander, I see this laptop is compatible up to 32GB mSATA drive only
11:53:49		Mohammed Moinu	However if you want to install SSD than you have an option to install up to 512 GB SSD
11:54:52		alexander	I see. So you are saying that even though I was able to install the 128 GB ssd
11:54:57		alexander	It wasn't compatible
11:55:03		alexander	And thus caused the drives to fail?
11:55:39		Mohammed Moinu	Alexander, SSD and mSATA drives are 2 different things we are talking about
11:56:04		Mohammed Moinu	We have an option to install up to 512 GB SSD however it can take only 32GB mSATA drive
11:56:40		alexander	I see. I wanted to upgrade the mSata slot and keep the HDD
11:57:01		alexander	I was telling you that I installed an Msata drive (the small ones)
11:57:11		alexander	With sizeof 128GB
11:57:18		alexander	And they worked
11:57:40		alexander	But for some reason they stopped working after a few weeks
11:58:01		Mohammed Moinu	Sure, I think that could be the reason that the drives are failing as we are installing more than it's capacity
11:58:02		alexander	The first one just stopped working and the replacement began to show bad sectors
11:58:16		alexander	So it seems the machine can recognize the 128 gb drives
11:58:26		alexander	But it probably does some damage to them?
11:59:14		Mohammed Moinu	Yes Alexander, That seems to be correct
12:01:00		alexander	But then why is the m14xr2 available with 64GB ssd option?
12:01:11		alexander	Or am I wrong?
12:01:34		Mohammed Moinu	Let me check that for you
12:03:29		Mohammed Moinu	I see that the new Alienware M14X laptops are compatible up to 256GB mSATA Boot
12:03:41		alexander	I too have information from other M14xR2 that they run successfully a 120 gb mSata SSD
12:03:51		alexander	Most of them use the Crucial M4 Msata ssd
12:05:29		Mohammed Moinu	I am not sure about the technology of the drive however i see that the new models are compatible up to 256GB mSATA Boot
12:07:31		alexander	New models meaning m14xr3
12:07:40		alexander	They are different chipset I think
12:08:13		Mohammed Moinu	Here is the link for it : [URL]http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dkcwg25bb&model_id=alienware-14&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&link_number=114648140[/URL]
12:08:42		alexander	Is there a clear statement that the m14xr2 isn't compatible with 120gb Msata or you are just assuming, given that it isn't available as an official upgrade?
12:10:39		Mohammed Moinu	It does not show under the system compatibility and we don't recommend to install more than what it's designed for
12:11:39		alexander	I see. Thank you.
12:11:50		alexander	Another question
12:11:54		alexander	It's about the ram
12:12:05		alexander	I already have one single chip 8 GB
12:12:19		alexander	It's dell certified Hynix memory at 1600mhz with CL11
12:12:48		alexander	When installing a second chip, should I get the same
12:12:57		alexander	Or any 1600mhz CL11 memory will do
12:13:13		alexander	I mean - if the latency is the same and the clock is the same, does the brand matter
12:13:54		Mohammed Moinu	Yes, You can install any capacity and brand RAM with the same speed and that would be good
12:15:23		alexander	Thank you for that.

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How about that? They said that the m14xr2 isn't compatible with more than a 32gb mSata drive...

[SynxUK]

Classic Dell... The customer service agents don't know their own product line...

They offer 32 and 64gb caching options (probably where the customer service agent was getting confused.)

They also offer a 128 and 240gb boot option with a HDD for storage.

As mentioned in my above post, I've been using (and recommend) the Intel 525 240GB MSATA. No issues at all. Very fast MSATA and Intel's software, the 'Intel SSD Toolbox' allows you to keep an eye on performance and its lifespan.

[axlastro]

I will probably get the 120 gb Intel 525 as I don't want to spend too much. My only concern is that my mSata port might be faulty thus killing ssd's. I have no means to test it for now so I just might risk it and buy the intel ssd.

[SynxUK]

I'm no expert, and legislation is different depending where you live, but are you not able to make a record of what is happening and explain the situation with Dell? I would have thought that if a defective port is causing damage to your property (the MSATA) then they would be liable to fix the fault or replace/refund the MSATA? This is providing that you could prove it is definitely the port and not some other factor.

Like I said, I'm no expert, but it maybe something to think about and ask someone about.

[axlastro]

It seems that I don't have warranty so I don't know what could Dell do about it then. The odd thing is that when I check my service tag online, it says I have NBD warranty until 8/14/2013, but when I called and asked them to call in an technician, they said that my service tag was actually locked as the machine is accounted as "returned" and it should be in their warehouse, you know for refurbishment or whatever they do with the returned units. I'm currently contacting global support and they seem more cooperative. They asked me for my invoice of purchase and now they are checking the situation and if possible they will offer me an extension of my warranty, which would be the best case scenario. I'm not sure if they would do that though, as the machine has been returned and probably might have some hardware issues. I don't know how to diagnose my mSata port - is it possible to measure the electrical voltage somehow with a multimeter ot I could ruin my MB if I short circuit something.

[Quix Omega]

This is definitely not true, you can use any msata drive you like. It's possible you have an issue with your specific laptop, it's more likely that two msata drives you tried were defective.

I've been using a 256GB A-Data SX300 in my M14x R2 for 8 months with no problems.

[axlastro]

OK, so I got the Intel 525 120 GB and only time will tell now. I'm curious though - how does setting the bclk at 105 affect the ssd - I mean the mSata port is on pci-e interface , which does get multiplied too. Is it safe to O.C. by using bclk multiplier then?

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