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9.0

Possible To Replace SATA 150 Controller On Laptop?  If Not, Which HDD Config Is Fastest?

Asked by BenKellermann in Storage Technology, Hard Drives & Storage, Computer Hard Drives

Tags: sata, controller, 150, 300, hard drive

Hey All -

I've got an Alienware m9750 laptop that's about 2 years old.  At the time, it was one of the best rigs around.  A while back, I swapped around the hard drive configuration to meet my needs. Here's the before and after:

Before  -
x2 300Gb 7200 Hard Drives in RAID 0
     1 Partition for everything

After -
x1 Intel X25-M 80Gb SSD
     2 Partitions on SSD - One big one for OS, one small one for VM
x1 WD 500Gb 5400 plain jane drive for storage.
     1 Partition but does also hold page file

*Note 1*  There was trouble with the X25-M a few months ago, but I have upgraded it to the newest firmware

*Note 2*  Stas on the X25-M (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/Intel-x25-m-SSD,2012.html)

I'm currently running Windows 7 x64 Ultimate and have 4 Gb RAM

Here's the problem.  My SSD is or was a year ago) one of the best around and I payed a good amount for it, however, benchmarks didn't reflect what I was after until I realized that my laptop has a 150GbPS SATA controller (Intel ICH7-M - 27C4).  Is it possible to replace it with a 300?  Is it possible to overclock my existing 150?  

If not, instead of wasting the valuable resource in the X25-M SSD, which config below is the fastest?  If there's not too much difference because of my bottleneck of SATA150, would it be wise to just use my X25-M in a different computer?  

- Go Back to the x2 7200rpm HDDs on RAID 0
- Securely Erase my X25-M to set it back to factory and reinstall everything
- Keep current config
- If keep current config, change Page File
     - Keep it on the 2nd HDD which is a 5400 RPM
     - Move it to the SSD on either of it's paritions
     - Place a page file on each of the drives (5400 & SSD)

Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!
[+][-]10/31/09 11:16 AM, ID: 25710842Expert Comment

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[+][-]10/31/09 11:22 AM, ID: 25710874Expert Comment

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[+][-]10/31/09 12:57 PM, ID: 25711282Accepted Solution

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About this solution

Zones: Storage Technology, Hard Drives & Storage, Computer Hard Drives
Tags: sata, controller, 150, 300, hard drive
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Solution Provided By: garycase
Participating Experts: 2
Solution Grade: A
 
[+][-]10/31/09 01:26 PM, ID: 25711410Expert Comment

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