Satisfactory MAM Guide: Research, Hard Drives & Best Recipes

Alongside regular milestones, you can research various things found on the planet in Satisfactory and unlock new recipes. You can also find Hard Drives in the world and use them for alternate manufacturing 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: Expanding Your Factory, Power & Logistics) . It may feel a bit overwhelming at first, but here you’ll learn what to prioritize early on.

Satisfactory MAM explained: purpose, build cost, and benefits

Completing the Field Research milestone 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 Plate
• 15× Cable
• 45× Wire

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

The MAM also restores found Hard Drives to unlock alternate recipes. Hard Drives can be found all over the map; there are 118 in total. You’re always offered three recipes to choose from, and you can pick one. As you progress through milestones, new options become available.

MAM research trees in Satisfactory: overview and benefits

Let’s take a closer look at what you can research. Depending on your progress and exploration, you may have already unlocked some of these 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 unfamiliar to you.
• Caterium: A later tree tied to Caterium Ore.
• Mycelia: Everything related to fungi.
• Nutrients: Gather plants that provide healing/food and research them.
• Power Slugs: Strange lifeforms used for overclocking/underclocking.
• Quartz: A mid/late-game mineral with important recipes.
• Sulfur: Focuses 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 likely wondering what to grab first and what to focus on later. It ultimately depends on your playstyle, but these must-have unlocks really pay off:

• Blade Runners: Leg gear crafted from Quartz that lets you run faster and jump higher. One of the best upgrades in Satisfactory!
• Parachute: In the Mycelia tree. Negates fall damage and enables short glides.
• Inhaler: Unlockable across several branches. A healing item that restores your health.
• Rebar Gun: In Alien Organisms. A weapon against local fauna.
• Smart Splitter: Advanced splitter that distributes items more efficiently and supports filter rules.
• Overclocking/Underclocking: In the Power Slugs tree. Precisely tune machine performance — ideal for power optimization.
• Nobelisk: Unlocked via Sulfur. Explosive charges for obstacles; later variants include gas, electric, and nuclear.
• Inventory slots: In Alien Organisms, Quartz, and Sulfur: each grants +6 slots — always useful.
• Zipline: In the Caterium tree. Lets you traverse along power lines — one of the best mobility options.
• Dimensional Storage: In Alien Technology. Works like shared remote storage with extra slots/features.
• Geothermal Generator: In the Caterium tree. Generates power from geysers — ideal as a supplementary source.

Best alternate recipes from Hard Drives: efficient production

Hard Drives let the MAM offer alternate recipes that can make your production chains significantly more efficient. Which ones are best depends on your infrastructure. Because the selection is random, you’ll sometimes need patience. These early alternates are especially strong:

• Cast Screws: Produce Screws directly from Iron Ingots (no Iron Rods).
• Iron Wire: Make Wire from Iron instead of Copper.
• Fused Quickwire: Improved Quickwire recipe using Copper and Caterium.
• Iron Pipe: Produces Steel Pipes from Iron Ingots instead of Steel; costs more iron but saves coal.
• Pure Iron/Copper Ingot: “Wash” ore with water in a Refinery to boost ingot output (from Tier 5).
• Solid Steel Ingot: 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 to bridge bottlenecks via overclocking until you roll the right alternates.

Conclusion: MAM research and Hard Drive recipes in Satisfactory

You should never neglect MAM research — it makes the game noticeably easier, unlocks new items, and streamlines recipes and production lines. Some trees grant extremely useful gear, from more mobility and weapons to extra inventory slots. Rent your own Satisfactory server from us (https://www.4netplayers.com/en/gameserver-hosting/satisfactory/) and explore the alien planet with friends. Split your research focus to reach your goals even faster.