Very useful, to the point, no wasted time! Like everybody else I have cloned drives maybe a few hundred times and I always learn a thing or two I didn't know before on your vids. I used to be a Microsoft MCSE, the main thing I learned is there are no command line tricks, no magic nor sorcery to fixing Windows when it gets wonky which it inevitably does. I (used to) just keep a reserve drive with a Clean Windows install, programs pre-loaded and clone it over when Windows needed fixing. Although now, that just seems to get more difficult to do all the time. Not even the Samsung "Magician" cloning program works for that, and they make the SSD drives! I have not tried Todo if its easy as you say I'd switch over completely. But Macrium program seems to work the best of all the clone programs I tried, backup is fast, restoration is almost as fast too.
Just got a x17 R2 with 1TB SSD and 64GB RAM and bought Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB off amazon, but didn't realise it didn't come with a heatsink. Saw your video and straight away ordered it. Appreciate it!
I got same configuration and bought on Amazon same Samsung 980 pro, did you do clone process? And put the Samsung on ssd1 slot? Any improvement? Thanks
@@alejandrobarreto7787 No brother, I bought this as a second drive since Alienware's configuration for a second drive is expensive than buying off at Amazon. So I didn't clone it, configured it got storing games. And as for the performance the SSD that comes with is a Samsung PM9A1, which is basically the OEM version of the 980 Pro so the specs are similar. And you can view and control the retail 980 Pro in the Samsung's Magician but can only view the status of the OEM SSD in the software. That's the only advantage to the retail 980 Pro version.
The clone process is so easy its well worth doing if you need to change your primary drive. If you get stuck just add me on instagram and I can help you through it
Thank you for this video bro! I didn't realise the ram was upgradable, that's great news. Also will you be able to do a video on re pasting the x17 R2? Your tutorials are awesome I love how you baby us through the steps. So I can definitely trust to follow your instructions when re pasting. I know it's a hard and tedious job on this laptop
Super helpful vid. I Just ordered the x17R2 and i got 2tb hard drive so i don't think i have to worry about that any time soon. i only got 16gb ram though because that was on sale (of course i just learnt if i had waited 2 days then i could have gotten the 32gb on sale...) so seeing how easy it is to change out makes me feel reassured in case I have to do it in the future. I'm hoping to have use it as my laptop for a while.
@@MashITTech I've just gotten 32gb ram on sale so I'm going to upgrade that myself as i need more for the multitasking i do, just one more question. Everything I've read warns about Electrostatic discharge, how worried do I need to be? I don't want to ruin my very expensive laptop.
Thank you and yes I did consider it but unfortunately all the ssd with built in heatsinks are too think to fit in the laptop as you have hardly any space which is why I had to get the copper plates. The plates drop the temps by about 10c so we’ll worth it for the price
With so many people complaining about this laptop I was worried I made a mistake ordering it. Glad you choose to keep it and upgrade it as that means it was obviously working well for you. Didn't go with the 4K version as I'm only going to be using this for gaming and my only real concern is gaming related as such. Meaning I have to figure out how I'm going to go about getting the 10TB worth of games installed given there isn't enough space. Likely going to have to go with the external drives I've already been using though I haven't shopped around for anything in about 2 years. Meaning hopefully, they have better options at small sizes than the 5GB Western Digital drives on the market. If not, I'm probably just going to make a M2 external drive as I ought to be able to use 4 of those in 1 housing around the same size as my current drives, though I'll have to figure out how to power and cool them in this kind of configuration. Anyway, will look around your channel to see if you covered portable storage options with this kind of use case. Not sure if it's a good idea to use a NAS and hotswap files on the fly given the writes might damage the drives, though I'm only saying this as it might be a good idea to cover such things as I don't see anyone covering it. Use to have to do this on the daily with smartphones as they wouldn't allow you to store apps on the expandable storage for them. So you'd basically just run some software to more or less hotlink files or outright swap files from one drive to the another during the use. Off chance you read this, sorry. I just woke up. Put more words than needed and I know it.
For the moment your best bet is 4tb in the machine and a couple of fast externals, I like the Samsung T7's. I am sure soon we will start seeing single sided 4tb SSDs and as soon as I find any I will let everyone know as there is a lot of people in the same situation
Got mine with 32gb ram and the 1tb ssd. Added a wad 850 2tb for games. Was the sweet spot for me !. I still wish the build quality was the same as the x14 !
yeah that is true. I wish they could make the option of plugging in a charger for more power or capping the system back to 130w with the USBC, it would make it really versatile
Opened up the X17 R2 I just purchased and went to upgrade the SSD and no screw in the second slot. Where can I get the screw and what size is it? GREAT video BTW!
Oh that's really annoying! Mine came with a screw. You need a flat head M2.0 x 2.5mm, you will be able to pick up a small pack at most hardware stores or amazon/ebay.
Hello Dave. Subscribed and appreciate very much your straight talk and insight. Question: I just purchased the x17 R2 with the i9. Could you share any detail settings on what you did specifically to reduce thermals? What under voltage setting etc, approx? I’m very worried that I have made the wrong purchase and seriously concerned of overheating, over time.
Hey, thanks for sharing these types of videos for us viewers! Question: I know that you said the 12700 and 3070 Ti were the best bang for buck combo, but I was wondering if the 3080 ti would be worth it for the extra ram? Did you notice any noticeable improvements for video editing and rendering? Also, I haven’t looked into builds in 7 years. Do you think a laptop is worth getting over a desktop, or are desktops still much cheaper spec for spec? And last question: what was your reasoning for getting a laptop over a desktop?
Ok, I am on my phone so will answer as best as I can but.. the 3080ti will give you better video editing performance due to the 16gb of vram especially for heavy 4K editing or above. If you are a heavy video editing then you can definitely make the argument for spending the extra, but it doesn’t make sense for gaming or other 3D work. A desktop is still a cheaper option for sure but the reason I got the laptop is for convenience, I edit in the office, at my house, at Gary’s office so being able to throw my laptop in my bag and edit or game everywhere is so handy. I have even built tiny powerful PCs but it still isn’t as convenient
@@MashITTech perfect answer, and thank you for taking time to answer despite being out haha. Yes, I edit videos in 4K but I’ve had to make proxies because my current setup is too weak, so it’s good to know the 3080TI with the extra VRAM will benefit my editing experience. I may just go with a laptop like you… i work 70-80% from home, but I feel I would regret going with a desktop if I needed to do a little work out of town. Subscribed. Thank you!
Awesome video !!! I have a question regarding the ram could I perhaps throw in 32GB Ddr5 5600mhz option instead of the 4800mhz? Apologies I’m 2 years late on this haha couldn’t afford it back then lol.
Hello nice video, keep it up! I have a question tho, since I´ll get a x17 r2 this winter i wonder if I should pick the i7 or the i9. I heard the i9 gets way hotter, but how much better is the performance even compared to the i7? Greetings from Germany
Hello to you in Germany :) Now the i9 is essentially an i7 with higher turbo's and unlocked multiplier. The problem you have is the laptop can only handle 115w of CPU heat. Even the i7 does not hit full clocks at 115w so you are wasting your money going for the i9 as it performs marginally better
This is an excellent video, very well explained. I am really smart, so I know how to do this already. But i can imagine if a very smart person wasn't sure on how to do this, they could watch this video and then know how to do it. But i already know how to do it.
Thank you for all your videos, especially the Alienware x17 R2. I purchased one as soon as the 4k screen became available. As I've watched your reviews and comparisons, I noticed I don't get as high benchmark results as you. Have you optimized any settings to get those benchmark numbers? I purchased a "loaded" system as I use it for my work which involves a lot of scientific computing as well as graphics in addition to some gaming. Nvidia RTX 3080Ti 16Gb 4Tb Raid 4k screen 64 Gb RAM i9 12900HK Again, many thanks for your channel!! David
Ok, sorry I didn't get the notice when this went up so just watched it - where did you get the sweet Alienware desktop - my X17 R2 didn't have that. ha ha ha PS your videos helped me to chose my X17 over some other available options. The X17 seemed to be my best choice for all the various tasks I perform and game with high fps and smooth action. Thank you.
So glad I was able to help. The wallpaper only comes on the 4k model. I did host it for a while but it got removed. When I get a minute I will repost it and send you a link 👍
@@MashITTech Great! I just got my X17 R2 with 2 TB of storage, I also wanted to ask you if I had to swap out both drives? or can I just add one more and call it a day with RAID0 on
Nice and useful video. But i still have a question how to choose correct RAM f.e. I need 64 for unreal engine. but what frequency should I search for? do you know limitations?
Enjoyed upgrading my X17 R1 with 64GB Kingston Fury DDR4 Ram and 4TB Samsung 980 Pro. The part number for the SSD thermal plate can be found on Amazon. Part # Dell C99KM. At the time I needed mine, Dell was out of stock. As well, of course after I ordered my R1, they came out with the R2 the following month smh.
Hello, great vid! I'm planning to get one as well and I'm going the same route of getting the cheapest hard drive and memory options. I'm also considering the cheapest screen option to save further since I'll be using external 4k monitor. Would you say that's a good idea or should I get a better screen option instead?
Hey David was curious what did you end up finding to be the prime overclock for you through msi afterburner on your alienware x17 r2? (core clock & Memory clock)
I have an alienware x17 r1, not r2. Are these parts still compatible with the r1? I would like to upgrade my storage space to hold more games. Whenever I launch Star Citizen, it sends me a message saying "To impove performance it is recommended to free up at least 8 GB of physical system memory before continuing. Currently you only have 6.6 GB available (of 16 GB installed)." Which component do I need to install to remedy this problem? Sorry I am not computer literate. Thanks! Great vid!
hi. great video. lots of great videos. i've been out of touch with PC stuff for so long that i'm practically a novice, so trying to learn a lot. i'm looking to buy the x17 r2, and going upgrade to use 2 x 4tb wd black sn850x. i've seen it done on other channels, but more amateurish. but you seen to indicate it isn't viable to use greater than 2tb. could you please indicate if you think using 2 x 4tb wd black sn850x would be possible / impossible / viable / unviable? and you refer to a previous video where you replace ssd rather than clone it, could you provide a link please? thank you
hi! Love your videos! This video is the reason I bought a new 2 tb ssd to add to my x17r2. But I have an issue. I tried the set of steps you mentioned in the video and did everything the same way, but the drive does not show up in disk management. Is there any way to check if the ssd is properly connected apart from opening up the laptop and reconnecting the ssd and booting up the laptop again to check?
Great info! Question: I got a 1 TB WD SN850X and my X17 R2 has a stock 1 TB drive (not sure what stock model is as I haven't looked). Would it make more sense to clone and then use the SN850X as my boot drive with a second partition for games, since it would be faster than the stock drive (I am assuming)? Or keep stock drive as boot and put games on the SN850X as a secondary drive? Thanks again for the informative vid!
Definitely use the sn850x as the boot drive as that is where you really want the speed! The games drive won’t benefit as much so makes sense using a cheaper drive for that 👍
@@MashITTech I thought about cloning the stock drive to the new one, but I think I'd prefer a clean install. You mention you made a video on this but I'm not finding it - if you have a moment, would you mind replying with the link to your video? Thanks again!
I upgraded to two 2 TB sn850x and 32 gb ram as you recommended. But ran into the blue screen of death so now it’s with repairs to do a fresh install of windows 11
@@MashITTech oh my goodness i wasn't expecting a response but thanks for the offer. I just took it to a local store to do it now i am watching the X16 review on your channel with my X17 R2 it runs perfect!
Thank you for the Guide! I want to swap my iMac 24 for an alienware x17 r2. Interesting that you have both Machines. What do you use each for? and if you could only have one, which would you choose?
Hi Jacob, the iMac 24 on my desk is for studio use. It has my scripts bullet points in word, audacity running to record the video audio and it also gets used a lot for researching during video shoots. I would struggle to only have one machine due to the nature of my job but if I had to choose one it would be a x17r2 4K as it cuts through my work and I can game on it
What is the best starting Configuration to buy, if you want to Upgrade? 1)Hdd: 512 -> 2 TB is only 200€ at Dell. Seems fair, and then add another 2 TB on your own? 2) RAM: 16 -> 32 is 300€. Seems too expensive? Better to add your self?
it would be minimal depending on how much you are currently using. If you are going from 16 to 32 you will see some increased FPS in some games but 32 to 64 will give no benefit to games, only specific applications such as Video editing, VMs, some development etc
Hello mash it! Could you please tell. How much would you recommend taking my alienware x17 r1 to the service center for repasting and dust cleaning,? 2. What thermal paste would you recommend for this laptop? maybe some gallium-silicone would do?
Hi Andrii, your laptop isn't that old does it really need a repast already? are you temps getting worse? I would just get a can of duster gas and blow out the vents and clean the fans. Also did you undervolt the CPU like in my X17 r1 deep dive video?
@@MashITTech While I'm playing on Mux switch( gpu only) I have annoying stutters(hickups) and cpu heats up and sometiemes even hit 90-100 celcius on thermal balanced mode in games like God of War. So that has become a trigger for it. I haven't actually undervolted it. It was recommended by dell support assist so idk that's why I'm puzzled
It will hit those temps, that’s normal as dell just let it boost. Give it an undervolt, it will make a massive difference. If that doesn’t solve it add me on Instagram and I will help
Great video! I did about the same thing to my X15 R5 except I only installed one 2T SSD but same ram. Is any other configuration I have to do on my ram? I’m fairly new to the PC world. On one of my games it still reading 8g. How do I allocate more ram for gaming?
I have a similar Alienware, however, I found CL38 memory. Kingston Technology Fury Impact 64GB 4800MT/s DDR5 CL38 SODIMM XMP Ready Laptop Memory (Kit of 2) KF548S38IBK2-64 and 2x SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 2TB PCIe NVMe Gen 4 Gaming M.2 Internal Solid State Hard Drive Memory Card, Maximum Speed, Thermal Control, MZ-V8P2T0B.
After Upgrading the SSD, is it better to do a clean installation or is cloning okay? My tool kit will arrive tomorrow, therefore I will upgrade the ssd tomorrow
Hello! I've just bought the same Crucial 64gb 4800Mhz.and I have the Same Alienware X17 R2 with 16gb from of manufactures. I just want to upgrade my laptop like yourself in this video with same rams but I've been experiencing an issue and my first question is: how long does it take for the laptop to boot the first time with the new 64gb ram???? Because when I installed the ram, the screen were all the time in black and nothing appeared.. i waited like 5 minutes. Do you know what the problem might be? Thank you so much!
Thank you for the video, I want to upgrade my SSD, from 1 TB to 3TB. I want to add 2TB in my slot one and keep the old 1TB as storage in slot 2. I check the link you provided and some of the reviews for the SSD aren't great. Do you recommend buying the SSD from dell? and eventually, I also want to upgrade my RAM from 32 to 64.
Oh I will have to have a look at the amazon reviews but I have used about 5 sn770 and 5 sn850 over the last year on various laptops and they have been great whilst also running a lot cooler than Samsung 980pro and I was always a big Samsung ssd buyer in the past. Don’t ever buy from dell, they will only sell you the same sn850 or Samsung 980pro but at massively inflated prices! Ram wise it’s very easy to upgrade the ram as per the video but if you don’t need it now wait for the price to come down a bit as ddr5 is still expensive as it is so new
@@MashITTech Thanks once again, I will buy this one from your link and get the tool kit to install it myself and you explained it very well in the video.
@@MashITTech I need your help. So I used the EaseUS to clone my 1TB ssd with the OS to the 2TB but now I have two ssd with OS on it. It does not allow me to format the old SSD with the OS.
@@guysketch9720 are you booting from the new 2tb? If so you will need to use diskpart to wipe the old 1tb. Add me on instagram if you need help doing that
Just wanted to report back and say what a refreshing change after using the WD SN850X :)- I have one question though, Apart from EaseUS , if I decided to do a manual install, the disk is not being detected when trying a new Windows Install.. Have you seen this too? Windows 11 pro not from the Restore option. But if you think Cloning might be the best option.
@@MashITTech I figured it out.. You will need to change in the BIOS from RAID to AHCI / NVME and perform a Clean install ... Gonna be doing it this weekend :) - Cheers! :)
Hey, your satisfied with Windows 11 on this machine? Im experiencing some blue screens randomly that appears that is been caused by poor power management on windows 11.
I've seen that a lot of laptop tech youtubers recommend setting battery theshold to prevent it from charging to 100% and prolong battery longevity. Have you ever tested it with laptops( especially with alienware ones?) Would you recommend doing it?
IF you use the laptop as a desktop replacement and rarely use it on battery (like most gaming laptops are used for) then it id definitely worth it. But if you use it on battery regularly then it doesn't help as much
Would recommend talking to the battery manufacture as this varies. Some batteries it matters, some it doesn't. The batteries I use doing that would violate the warranties on them. They also recommend that a full charge and discharge happens at least 3 times very 3 to 6 months rather than this. Leaving the batteries at 80% would have no real cost nor benefit. Keep in mind that Dell will have different parts from different manufactures in the same models of the computers. Alienware is likely doing the same, which means this question isn't easy to answer without knowing what battery is in your specific computer. If you don't know how to check for this, it's normally always labelled on the batteries themselves.
Hello, I just bought the Alienware x17 r2 with 1tb of storage. Can i just buy one 2tb ssd and that way have a total storage of 3tb? Or do both drives have to use the same amount?
Oh what an idiot, I forgot to include the raid section. Thanks for mentioning it. Don’t bother, it gave no extra speed and makes your life more difficult if a drive fails or if you want to add a different capacity drive later. Read and writes were almost the same I was so disappointed
Yes here is the link: Alienware X17 / X15 SSD upgrade featuring Gen 4 M.2 NVMe ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_8KjrisaJbM.html In this video I did a fresh windows install but you can clone the x17r1 like in this video if you prefer 👍
Hi there. Great videos. Just got a X15 R2. I have noticed that the charger doesn’t click into the charging port. there is half a mm space. Beside, when I close the panel and lift up the laptop to put in the bag, the panel hangs around and doesn’t really close. Do you have these issues with ur laptop?
my charging port sits snugly right into the laptop. You cannot see any of the barrel connector. The panels aren't magnetically held so there may be some play but I have tried to recreate that with mine and the hinge is so tight that it stays closed even when I flap it around
@@MashITTech Thanks man. I have replaced it once already as the speaker was not working properly and the hinge was not tight, the replacement has the same hinge issue. I know you have already opened your X17 R2 to upgrade RAM and SSD, is there anything that can be done to tighten the hinge? I am not really confident to open it and try it myself 😆
hmm not sure, you don't see the hinges when you remove the base panel. You also need to remove the rear vent grill to get to the hinge. If I get a chance I will take a look for you
yes, it is still a great screen especially for gaming. If you plan to do a lot of work too you might want to consider 4k but 360hz is the best option for pure gaming
David, my friend, I did something stupid, please help me! I used my friend's bootable flash drive to format my Alienware x17. Now all my essential software is gone including the command center. I tried to install it separately but it says it's incompatible. What should I do? Is there any way I can restore my laptop to its original state?
I have the same machine and one of the speakers is producing distorted sound. Is that something I can order and fix myself? It’s out of warranty but not sure where the speakers are and if it a laborious job
My R1 2021, starting to get orange along the frame, I tried to swipe it off with acetone it worked but it comes back. Anyone having the same problem? I’ve been using it for 1 year 5 months
Any tips on the Alienware m15 R5 ryzen edition for the thermals I was wondering if maybe under volting the cpu with help with thermals any advice would be appreciated
I have a video on that, it’s old but still relevant: Alienware M15 R5 Deep Dive - Tweaking, Upgrading and Battery Life ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZUv0C_FWQHU.html
Hi. Waiting for Dell to ship my m17 r5 with 500gb option. Does Dell also not include the heatsink in this model? And is the ssd that comes from Dell slow?
Dell only usually includes the SSD for the drives you buy from Dell, so the secondary slot will have no heatsink. The heatsinks I have linked work well and are cheap or you can contact Dell and ask for one. The drives Dell supply are average and they use multiple model so there is no way to know how fast it is without testing it when it arrives
@@MashITTech Wow. Thanks for the heads up. So I am assuming the ssd bracket is something I must also buy? I was able to buy the heatsink for $4.00 shipped from Dell. Does it come with the thermal pad?
One question. I saw in your video for alienware m15 r7 that the laptop comes with a copper plate for the second empty ssd slot. Is it for all alienware m15 r7s?
Hi Mash IT, Thank you for your video. Does your Alienware X17r2 have problem with the left speaker. Mine sound cracked. One more thing, the 2nd GPU fan doesn't work, now it stop although I update Bios to the latest version. Just bought it 2 weeks ago.
Send it back. Dell has a 30day return for any reason. Their "techs" are dreadful so I would not even bother with them. Just send it back and order another. BUT, you are under a time crunch so don't dilly dally on this.
@@MashITTech That sounds strange due to the seller they told me 9/10 alienware laptop get the problem of the left speaker. I think - like you say - I should contact Dell Viet Nam. Hope they would fixed it. Thank you.
I returned my x17 r 2 mine, has same problem, on the left speaker Dell send me new unit after 6weeks, the new X17 got same problem, I find in the second unit when I opened the case to install a new ssd, there was a piece of washer for screws when they asamble, this little piece is allocated just on top of the speaker creating an noise, my recommendation is open the lid just removing screws and check if something on top of the speakers they are just facing up whe you open the case, try before stay for hours dealing with Dell and wait weeks like me for a simple issue, piece of debris just on top of the speaker
The SSD heatsink is Dell part no. CM99KM. Skip all the hassle I went through and just quote this to your dell Spare Parts person. Not sure why spend 5k on a laptop to use a thirdparty heatsink that needs a rubber band to hold it on... My X17 came with what appears to be an OEM version of the Samsung Pro SSD range as it looked similar and performer the same as the additional 980 pro I installed (just under 7000 read speed👌)
The heatsinks that come on some SSDs are designed for desktops and therefore are way too thick for a laptop. That plate I used was a slim copper plate very similar to the OEM plate that Dell used and dropped the temps by over 10c 👍
there is no limit, the trouble with most 4tb is they are double sided. You can use the p3 plus 4tb as that is single sided but not the fastest performer
Bro, I just upgraded to 64 gb 2 days ago. Although, I'm having an issue with backlight bleed at the bottom of the bezle. It's a 360hz screen. How much is normal? I might return it if it's not normal. Thanks!
