Reddit reviews Samsung 850 EVO - 250GB - mSATA Internal SSD (MZ-M5E250BW)

looks like a msata, for a msata SSD.

http://www.amazon.com/mSATA-Adapter-Card-Toshiba-Hitachi/dp/B009BA5JU6

And find an msata ssd.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-mSATA-2-Inch-MZ-M5E250BW/dp/B00TGIVTP2/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1457759197&sr=1-1&keywords=256gb+msata+ssd

Or something, that ebay deal is kind of a rip off.

The Inspiron is quite a beast compared to the Thinkpad but that 4K touch-screen display will mercilessly kill your battery life during lectures.

The Thinkpad looks good, durable and should have a much better battery life. Get the model with an i5 processor to stream smoothly. The HDD is really meh though and you will waste lots of time watching MATLAB loading screen. If you have the money to spend you could get a 500GB SSD like this one and replace the old HDD yourself. If you're really tech savvy then get this instead so you can use both an 250GB SSD and 1TB HDD.

Build quality of the Thinkpad T series is quite legendary so it should last until you at least 4 or 5 years.

$899 NIB currently on BestBuy.com... $737.99 open box... Of course neither of these have SSD upgrade, which I assume is a mSATA like this one.

sure does! its usually has a wwan card in it but if you don't use it (like most don't), you can put in a m2 sata, i used a samsung evo 250GB one like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TGIVTP2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

the slot is under the palmrest and only requires you to remove the keyboard and then the palm rest/touchpad. just be sure to not break the thin plastic by the touchpad buttons :)

[this] (http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Enclosure-Adapter-Support-EC-UKMS/dp/B00LRZPNHM/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1447717941&sr=1-3&keywords=m.2+ssd+enclosure), [this] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00TGIVTP2/ref=pd_aw_fbt_147_img_2/178-3529833-7149620?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MRB28YNPJRZMJJVBYWB) and maybe [this] (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ)

It's easy to dual-boot with EFI.

It can be partitioned however you want. I would put Linux on the SSD and Windows on the HDD, personally, to encourage Linux use. It really helps if you're trying to make the switch to full-time.

You can mount the Windows partition when using Linux, and still use it for storage.

You could probably upgrade either one. Is the SSD a msata SSD? You can get 250gb for $100, they're very easy to swap out.

If the SSD is built in you won't be able to upgrade it, but I'd imagine the XPS 15 doesn't sink that low, haha

Your PC also has a mSATA (PCIe) slot too. No brackets no cables - just pop it in.

https://smile.amazon.com/Samsung-850-EVO-Internal-MZ-M5E250BW/dp/B00TGIVTP2/ref=sr_1_1

And you REALLY NEED THIS:
https://smile.amazon.com/Dust-Off-Disposable-Compressed-Duster-Cans/dp/B00FZYT278

The retina models have mSata ssd's (http://amzn.to/2nEWon6) but if you already have an ssd then I think it's the motherboard. It's a good machine, try to get a diagnostic in another place. if you get a good price for the repair, it's worth it. Also you can try to replace the mSata ssd. Maybe the ssd is dying. Ssd's have a 2 to 3 year lifespan.

This looks similar, would it work?

It's a Lenovo IQ1X0MS

I'm thinking it's mSATA, it's just weird that it says M_2 on the mobo right next to it. If it IS mSATA, then do would this SSD work?

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-EVO-Internal-MZ-M5E250BW/dp/B00TGIVTP2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1493664754&sr=8-4&keywords=mini+pcie+ssd

What aftermarket ssd would work in the wwan slot? https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-EVO-Internal-MZ-M5E250BW/dp/B00TGIVTP2/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1498679085&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=2242+samsung+ssd?

I'm thinking this hdd + leveno's 128gb ssd or this ssd + leveno's standard 500gb hdd. The hdd one gives me more space, but I don't know if its possible, if it supports it.

like this one?: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-mSATA-2-Inch-MZ-M5E250BW/dp/B00TGIVTP2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1457143883&sr=8-3&keywords=m.2+2242

Has anyone tried a mSATA SSD like http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-mSATA-2-Inch-MZ-M5E250BW/dp/B00TGIVTP2/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1457961745&sr=1-2&keywords=msata+ssd&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011 in this slot yet?

Thank you for that info! One last question. I found the below msata ssd. It looks like my motherboard has PCIe and mini PCIe. Would the below work in the mini PCIe slot?

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-EVO-Internal-MZ-M5E250BW/dp/B00TGIVTP2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Aye, I had one of these left over from a dead laptop.

> The gameboy thingy I asked about was mainly to get some more height to it, not to play games, simply "glue"(whatever) it at the bottom, and remove the bottom of the gamecube entirely it would simply give about 3 cm I believe(only height).

Aha, okay! Yes.. maybe a good idea now that I looked a bit more closely at it. You're really have to start measuring a lot and make a very detailed plan!
I recommend lots of drawings, doesn't need to be pretty, but you need to visualize the "GameCube PC" very well.

I would also contact Gigabyte directly to ask for some dimensions. Gigabyte their support is pretty great for the couple of times that I've contacted them before. I actually send an support ticket myself now. Pretending I am planning the exact same. I've asked for dimensions or a blueprint & the connection between the motherboard & GPU. You may also ask and then they might wonder, what's the chance of this happening huh? 2 random people suddenly asking about putting a BRIX inside a GameCube? xD

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The motherboard inside the BRIX got an mSATA SSD mount, which is great! This saves a lot of space. Or well, 7 x 61 x 100mm, which is the standard 2,5" size of an SSD. That's a lot of space considering the space we got!
Here is a comparision of the size, from left to right 3,5" HDD, 2,5" HDD/SSD, mSATA SSD.
You can get the mSATA SSD in 250/500GB if you want, I would recommend 250GB at least, so you can put enough games on it. You have that budget for it anyway.

I am very excited about this, I think it's going to be very fun and I really hope it works out. Time to start planning everything out my friend!
You'll probably will still run into unforeseen troubles.. This happens all the time and just something that you have to live with as a modder! This makes it fun, right?!

I'll let you know when and what Gigabyte replies to me!

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I would personally also start with the tools, you have to likely buy some. I am sure that you don't have a dremel yet, but it's highly recommended. It's a must have for any modder.
Review: Dremel 3000

It's not that cheap, but it's such a nice tool and should last for a very long time. I have been using mine for over 3 years and it's still going strong.
Here is the website & here are all the accessories.

Don't buy the cordless ones, they're not bad. But it's just much smarter to buy it with a cord. It got much more power & it won't die on you when you're busy doing lots of cuts, cleaning up, etc..