Alienware M17 R4 SSD Slots: Full Specs & Upgrades
Alienware M17 R4 gaming laptop boasts 3x M.2 SSD slots (2x PCIe 4.0, 1x PCIe 3.0) supporting up to 12TB storage. Ideal for gamers stacking Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X drives.
Online availability high; this article details slot types, heatsink needs, and RAID potential for ultimate storage speed.
Slot Breakdown
Slot 1 (Gen4 x4): Primary boot. Slot 2 (Gen4 x4): Secondary. Slot 3 (Gen3 x4): Near battery.
- 2230/2280 sizes
- PCIe NVMe only
- Heatsinks pre-installed
Recommended SSDs
High-endurance drives prevent thermal throttling during raids.
- Samsung 990 Pro 4TB
- WD SN850X 8TB
- Thermal pads required
Installation Guide
Easy access via bottom panel; 10 screws total.
- Update BIOS first
- Secure with screw
- Dell Storage Manager
Performance Optimization
RAID 0 across slots hits 14GB/s reads.
- Enable in BIOS
- Clone drives
- Benchmark with CrystalDisk