Alienware Alpha R2 Solid State Drive Replacement

Written By: Andrew Pham Garcia
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Alienware Alpha R2 Solid State Drive Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

7

Time Required

15 - 30 minutes

Introduction

The following procedure will guide the reader through replacing the solid state drive (SSD) in the Alienware Alpha R2 desktop computer. The storage drive of a computer is where a computer’s operating system is stored, along with all of the data on the computer. Whenever a computer is booted, the operating system is loaded from the storage drive.

You might be wondering, “why replace a solid state drive”? If your computer is constantly freezing or if there is a long interval of a blank screen when turning on your computer, it is probably due to a faulty storage drive. Fortunately, a replacement solid state drive can return your computer back to its former glory, making your computer boot and function much faster, and saving you a lot time and frustration.

Replacing a faulty drive with a functional solid state drive will increase the speed of your computer, as it will be able to both load the OS faster, resulting in a quicker boot time, and also access files faster, resulting in a snappier response time overall.

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    • Unplug the device.

    • Press the power button and hold it for approximately 10 seconds to discharge any power stored in the device.

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    • Flip the PC upside down.

    • Unscrew the case screws from each corner of the bottom of the case using a Phillips #2 screwdriver.

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    • Pry open the case by splitting the seam at the bottom edge of the PC.

    • Lift the top half of the case to seperate the cover from the rest of the PC.

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    • Press the two tabs located on each side of the CPU fan cover.

    • Lift the fan upwards and out to remove it.

    • (Optional) Pull the CPU's fan cable from its socket on the motherboard.

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    • Disconnect the GPU fan cable from its socket on the motherboard.

    • Press the side tabs of the GPU fan case.

    • Simultaneously lift the fan cover up and forward to remove.

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    • Installing the SSD card without removing the RAM could cause grinding of the edges between the RAM and SSD, resulting in damaged components. However, it is possible to skip this step and move straight to the SSD installation.

    • Pry the tabs on either side of the RAM holder away from each other with your fingers.

    • The RAM should pop upwards to rest at an angle to the motherboard.

    • Lift forwards and upwards to remove RAM from its slot on the motherboard.

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    • Face the SSD upwards.

    • Line up the pins on the SSD with the M2 slot on the motherboard.

    • Gently push the SSD into the slot where the pins line up.

    • Gently press the SSD towards the motherboard.

    • Screw in the retaining screw for the SSD using a Phillips #1 screwdriver.

    • While possible to install the SSD card without removing the RAM, it is recommended to remove the RAM card in order to prevent damage to either component.

Conclusion

Congratulations, You have now successfully upgraded your Hard Drive Disk to a Solid State Drive. To reassemble, follow the steps in reverse order.

Author

Andrew Pham Garcia

Member since: 02/10/20

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