Hello all,
I would like to do some upgrades to my Alienware 18, first I will post my current specs, then explain what I would like to change, but would appreciate your advice on what you think would work best.?.
My current specs:
Alienware 18: 4th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4910MQ, 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz, 2TB RAID 0 (2x1TB 5400RPM) + 80GB mSATA SSD Caching, Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BD-ROM, DVDRW, CD-RW), Dual NVIDIAGeForce GTX 880M 16GB (2x8 GB SLI), Windows 8.1 64-bit English
The Upgrades I am considering:
1.) First, the most logical & obvious upgrade would be to swap my current 2TB RAID 0 (2x1TB 5400RPM) HDD's for 2x1TB SSD's... The SSD's I am strongly considering are Samsung's 840 EVO found in this LINK . My question is, in that size of storage would these be the best SSD's to buy for optimal performance gains, or would you be able to recommend something better? Removing the Blu-ray drive is not an option for me, so RAID 0 would have to be achieved only through 2x1TB SSD's.
2.) Now that out of the way, I am wondering if I leave the current 80GB m-SATA SSD used as a catching device; what role would it play with the new 2x1TB SSD's installed.?. I don't think using it as a 'catching' device would do anything to speed up the new SSD's, so would it then just be switched over to 80GB m-SATA storage?? Also, strongly considering swapping that out with Samsungs 840 EVO 1TB m-SATA. Now if I do make the change to the 1TB m-SATA found in this LINK , what would be the best choice as to install the OS on? The 2x1TB RAID 0 SSD's, or the 1TB m-SATA?? Which option would in your opinion give me the best performance?
3.) I would like to upgrade my RAM to 32GB. What is the BEST ram I can upgrade to? I assume the motherboard can handle 1866MHz vs the current 1600MHz, & would obviously prefer 1866MHz. I am lost when it comes to choice of RAM & would be very grateful if someone could provide a few links to top choices on this.
4.) I want the best CPU, the current 4910MQ is great, was going to get the 4940MX but I read a lot of complaint on overheating, thus choosing to stick with what I currently have. Does anyone know if there will be a better CPU released than the 4940MX? Is that the best one?? Curious on your feedback on this.
5.) I want to liquid/water cool the laptop. Asetek is the only company I managed to find that could possibly have a custom patented kit for Alienware 18, I know for a fact they have it for the old Alienware M18x, but still need to verify if they developed one for the new Alienware 18 that I currently own. Here is a LINK to their website. I will only complate this final upgrade after I swap out the CPU. Until then, can anyone provide links to other companies they may know of that offer liquid/water cooling kids for the new Alienware 18?
Thank-you all very much for your advice in advance.
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Upgrading my Alienware 18: Need advice
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