Alienware Alpha R2 Solid State Drive Replacement Repair Guide

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

                          15 - 30 minutes

Sections

Solid State Drive
7 steps

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Introduction

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.

What you need

Step 1

              Solid State Drive

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

Unplug the device.

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

1024

Step 2

Flip the PC upside down.
Unscrew the case screws from each corner of the bottom of the case using a Phillips #2 screwdriver.

Flip the PC upside down.

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

Step 3

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.

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.

Step 4

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.

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.

Step 5

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.

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.

Step 6

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.

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.

Step 7

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.

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.

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

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                    Andrew Pham Garcia

Member since: 10/02/2020

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                       University of North Texas, Team S1-G10, Raign Fall 2020                        

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What you need#

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Introduction

What you need

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