How to add an additional ssd in Alienware Aurora R7 (and other machines)

A week ago, I added a 1 TiB ssd to my machine. Surprisingly, I only found an instruction for Aurura R6. Although most steps are the same , there is one caveats in docking ssd and some others that weren’t explicitly addressed in the video but made my confused. So I wrote them out in this post and please, watched the video as well before opening your machine to get a general feeling. It’s less than 5 min.

Step 0: buy the correct ssd and ssd cables

Alienware Aurora R7 has restrictions on what ssd to use. I opened a technical request for Alienware tech support and a guy named Allan wrote back: “The ssd can get up to 1 TB SSD, just make sure that you don’t purchase this models: Samsung EVO or Samsung PRO ssd, this specific models are not compatible with alienware systems.” This might change in the future, so ALWAYS confirm before the purchase. As for cable, What you need is at one sata data cable, one power cable and if your machine’s disk slot is 3.5 inch, you also need a ssd case to fit the 2.5 inch ssd into the slot. Those can be brought in a disk mounting combo for around 10 dollars in Amazon.

This is what I bought: The power cable is of a different type from the one in video. I was worried at first but then I found R7’s power has two sockets to accept each one type of the power cable. I guess it’s the same for other machines as those sockets seems to be pretty standard. But I recommend you buy the one in the video because this one turns out to be only long enough to reach one disk slot.

Orange wide cable is sata data and the other is power. Power cable has one input and two outputs to power up two ssds. I only want to add one ssd so one output is wasted.

Step 1: open the machine

Simple, just follow the video: remove one screw in the back -> remove side panel -> unlock two locks in the back -> rotate power out -> (and remove the black supporting column, if needed) -> disk slots and sockets for cables are now exposed! If it’s the first time, removing the side panel and rotating power out could use some force and you might hear loud sound of metal and plastic squeezing, it’s okay, as long as you move slowly.

Remove this upper screw and side panel can be removed. Then slides the middle and bottom locks upwards, power can be rotated out.

Power is rotated out. For R7, no need to remove the black supporting column in the middle lower level, disk slots and cable sockets are already exposed.

Step 2: setup ssd and connect cables

Again, follow the video, except for R7, the blue ssd fitting case can be draw out instead of fixed in the disk slot. This makes docking ssd much easier as I can fit the fitting case first and then insert it the into slot.

Draw the blue fitting case out and fit ssd into it. Then insert them back to disk slot.

Now, you can connect the cables, socket for sata cable is deep inside the machine and power socket is somewhere in the power. Don’t worry about upside or downside, or insert into wrong socket. If you can connect the cable to socket, you are doing it right. Watch the video for their exact location in R6 and R7.

sata socket is deep inside

Power socket near the power. It’s hidden inside power case at first, I dragged it out. Also my power cable is short, so I can only connect it to socket after rotate power back to closed position.

As mentioned in Step 1, one output is wasted as I only add one ssd.

Step 3: close case

Just reverse what you do in Step 1. Close the side panel is tricky because it needs to fit so many sockets. My solution is to first fit the bottom sockets, then slowly close the middle, then upper parts.

Fit the bottom sockets first. Once fit, side panel should be able to hangout itself like that. Then as you slowly close the panel, the middle sockets should fit then the upper ones with a clear metal clipping sound.

Step 4: initialize the ssd and creating a new volume (“disk”) upon it

After you reboot the computer (for my R7, it runs a hardware check before showing the login window), the ssd is recognized but not useful to the system because it’s not initialized. To do it in windows 10, simply go to disk management, initialize it and assign it to a volume (like added it to exist disk “D”) or creating a new volume. I prefer later because the existing volume “D” is based on hdd and I don’t want to mix hdd and ssd up.

right click on “This PC” to go to “computer management -> storage -> disk management”

Find newly added ssd, in my case the 931.51 GB “disk 1”, initliaze it. MBR is an old standard in the 90s! Choose GPT.

Create a new volume on the initialized disk 1, use default setting unless you know what you are doing.

Hooray! New volume is good to use. You can format it, rename it and do whatever you want to do with it from now.

Hope it helps and enjoy the new ssd!