m15 R3, Storage Upgrade Question

How do I tell which type of drive mine came with? Trying to figure out so I know which type to buy for the second drive..

Thank you very much, between your and the other person's response I got the answers I needed. I appreciate it!

Hi @KanesInferno  your disaster recovery plan should include a clone of the OS(C:) drive so that if your original drive cannot be recovered, just swap in the clone and you are up and running within minutes. Generally, the 1TB and 2TB drives have improved read/write performance, and there are fast and ultrafast M.2 drives. It pays to research what you want to use the system for, for high performance gaming, users get the ultrafast drives.  

Thanks to you both for the help, I was able to successfully install a new drive tonight. I used THIS drive. I now have one 2230 space open. 

One last question, I noticed the drive that was pre installed had a gold plate over it, will it matter that my newly installed one won't? If so am I able to get one of those?

Hi @KanesInferno  have a look on your existing item for part number. Should be Dell M.2 2280 SSD Thermal Shield RT4G1 0RT4G1. This item is sold on eBay and an internet search on "Shield RT4G1" will reveal sellers [Example]. Dell seems to think that SSD Thermal Shield is required, but only provides it with their 'as delivered' system. 

The M.2 2230 slot can be used for more storage. Windows 10 has the option to use virtual RAM. If system has the maximum physical RAM installed, slower virtual RAM offers expansion option with ultrafast M.2 2230 card. 

Thank you! I may be ordering that part, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Another question then.. if my system came with the 512GB storage and I added the 1TB storage, if I decided to use my last storage spot later how much could I add? I honestly doubt I'll end up using it but would like to know in case I come across a deal and decide to. Also, if I did that would that one need a plate over it also, or just the two that always do in the pictures?

Hi @KanesInferno  finding the fast or ultrafast M.2 2230 NVMe Gen3 x4 card will be the first hurdle, and this will dictate your selection of storage capacity, usually maximum of 1TB. The Dell M.2 2230 SSD Thermal Shield 8856F is available. This item is sold on eBay and an internet search on "Shield 8856F" will reveal sellers [Example]. Dell seems to think that SSD Thermal Shield is required, but only provides it with their 'as delivered' three drive system option. 

@DELL-Chris M   @Alienware-Eimy   @Alienware-Joe   @JOcean 

The m15 R3 Dell Support Storage says that there is a three drive storage option (SSD-1, SSD-2 & SSD-3). But the SSD-3 storage is not included in the Dell Support M.2 solid-state drive installation and removal instructions. 

If any user has the m15 R3 three drive storage option, please post an image of how the system board's absence of the SSD-3 single securing screw in the white spot, allows the M.2 2230 SSD + heat sink to be installed. Thank you. 

Look at the support page section on installing the M.2 2230 WWAN/SSD. Note that the drive is not held down at that notch in the drive but held down by the heat shield. The mounting post is slightly higher, or right if you prefer, and that shield does the job. In fact the mounting post is labeled H5 I believe (Heat Shield).

Hi @JOcean  thank you for sharing update. 

The Dell Heat Thermal Shield 8F83M is used to secure the M.2 2230 wireless wide area network (WWAN)/solid-state drive. Thank you for the extra information to use mounting post labelled H5 on the system board.

For the online discussion that there is room to install a M.2 2242 solid-state drive, at a pinch, guess the Dell M.2 2230 SSD Thermal Shield 8856F can be used? 

Possibly, however that shield is specifically made for the 2230. I suspect that it might take a bit of modding to adapt it to a 2242.

Hi @JOcean  there was speculation that the notch in the 2242 would use the mounting post labelled H5. Agree with you, that it might be possible. 

Just an update @crimsom , I got the 2280 thermal shield in today and installed it. I greatly appreciate your assistance!