Satisfactory MAM Guide: Research, Hard Drives & Best Alternate Recipes

Alongside the regular Milestones, Satisfactory lets you research various things found on the planet to unlock new recipes. You can also find Hard Drives in the world and use them for alternative crafting methods to save resources. Both become increasingly important as you progress. So once you’ve completed Tier 1, we recommend taking a look at the MAM (Satisfactory Tier 1 Guide: Expand Your Factory, Power & Logistics) . It can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but here’s what to focus on early.

Satisfactory MAM explained: Function, build costs, and benefits

Finishing the Field Research in Tier 1 unlocks this building for your base. MAM stands for Molecular Analysis Machine — and it lives up to its name: it can analyze and research nearly everything you discover on the alien planet.

Build the MAM with:

• 5× Reinforced Iron Plates
• 15× Cable
• 45× Wire

The MAM interface is divided into different sections that focus on specific areas. You can research step by step to unlock certain aspects of Satisfactory. It’s worth checking back regularly to see which upgrades you can pick up. Some very important parts of the game can only be unlocked here. Once you’ve found a relevant material, it will be added to the MAM.

The MAM also lets you analyze recovered Hard Drives to unlock alternate recipes. Hard Drives are scattered all over the map; there are 118 in total. You’ll always be offered two recipes to choose from at a time. As you progress through Milestones, additional recipes become available.

MAM research trees in Satisfactory: Overview and benefits

Let’s take a closer look at what you can actually research. Depending on your progress and exploration, you may have already unlocked some of these research trees; otherwise you’ll discover them later.

• Hard Drives: Unlock alternate recipes.
• Alien Organisms: Helps you better understand the planet’s fauna.
• Alien Technology: Focuses on technologies you don’t yet know.
• Caterium: A later section tied to Caterium Ore.
• Mycelia: Everything related to mushrooms.
• Nutrients: Collect plants that provide healing/food and research them.
• Power Slugs: Strange lifeforms crucial for overclocking/underclocking.
• Quartz: A mid/late-game mineral with important recipes.
• Sulfur: Focused on explosive items and additional weapons.

A nice touch: the MAM gains more decorative elements as you research — a neat visual indicator of progress.

MAM research priorities: What to unlock first

With so many options, you’re probably wondering what’s worth grabbing first and what to focus on later. A lot depends on your playstyle, but these must-have researches pay off especially well:

• Blade Runners: Shoes crafted from Quartz that let you run faster and jump higher. One of the best upgrades in Satisfactory!
• Parachute: In the Mycelia tree. Negates fall damage and lets you glide briefly.
• Inhaler: Unlockable across multiple branches. A healing item that restores your health.
• Rebar Gun: In Alien Organisms. A weapon against local wildlife.
• Smart Splitters: Improved splitters that distribute items more efficiently and support filter rules.
• Overclocking/Underclocking: In the Power Slugs tree. Dial in machine performance — ideal for power optimization.
• Nobelisk: Unlockable via Sulfur. Explosive charge for obstacles; later variants with gas, electric, or nuclear material.
• Inventory Slots: In Alien Organisms, Quartz, and Sulfur: each adds +6 slots — always useful.
• Zipline: In the Caterium tree. Lets you traverse along power poles — one of the best mobility options.
• Dimensional Depot: In Alien Technology. Works like shared remote storage with extra slots/features.
• Geothermal Generator: In the Caterium tree. Generates power from geysers — great as a supplemental power source.

Best alternate recipes from Hard Drives: Efficient production

Analyzed Hard Drives give you alternate recipes that can noticeably streamline your production chains. Which ones are worth it depends on your infrastructure. Since the selection is random, you’ll sometimes need patience. These early alternatives are particularly strong:

• Cast Screws: Produce Screws directly from Iron Ingots (no Iron Rods needed).
• Iron Wire: Produce Wire from Iron instead of Copper.
• Inventory Slots: Sometimes unlockable via Hard Drives as well — more space is always nice.
• Fused Quickwire: An improved recipe for Quickwire using Copper and Caterium.
• Iron Pipe: Make Pipes directly from Iron instead of Steel; costs more iron but saves coal.
• Pure Iron/Copper Ingots: “Clean” ingot production with water to boost output (from Tier 5).
• Solid Steel Ingot: Make Steel Ingots from Iron Ingots instead of Iron Ore (from Tier 3).
• Wet Concrete: Augment Concrete production with water for higher efficiency (from Tier 3).

Tip: Collect Power Slugs early so you can bridge bottlenecks with overclocking until you find the right alternates.

Conclusion: MAM research and Hard Drive recipes in Satisfactory

You shouldn’t neglect MAM research — it makes your game much easier, unlocks new items, and simplifies recipes and production lines. Some branches provide extremely useful gear, from greater mobility and weapons to extra inventory slots. Rent your own Satisfactory server from us (https://www.4netplayers.com/en-us/gameserver-hosting/satisfactory/) and explore the alien planet with friends. Split up your research priorities to reach your goals even faster.