Solved! Mini PCIe - SSD card on Notebook and if it has HD interface difference

xin008

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Hi,

I'd like to know more about the relationship about the mini PCIe and the HD interface. I read some info on Wiki and other places, but it doesn't seem it has the answer.

I see that there are Solid State Drives (SSD) with Mini PCIe interface. However, it seems it that it would also "sub-divided" into SATA and PATA bus. huh.. I am a little confused.

The reason I ask is that I want to know if I can insert a SSD with Mini PCIe to my Dell Latitude notebook. To be exact, I want to know if I can insert on the Mini PCIe slot that's for WAN in the Dell system. I don't have a WAN card. It is empty. I wonder if I can make use of it.

First, I thought Mini PCIe itself is already a "bus" or a connection type, it would act like external USD device. I thought I can insert the SSD with mini PCIe to the WAN slot.

However, I was checking out NewXgg.com and a few other places. It would sub-divide it between PATA and SATA. So, does it mean it would have a different interface? My Dell Latitude has the older PATA internal harddrive. Not sure if it really matter if I can use either SATA or PATA SSD card with Mini PCIe.

Would you please help me out?

Thanks

 
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Julian22

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Me too, would love to hear if anyone knows about this? I'm using a Studio XPS 1340 (lovely machine by the way!) and have a free mini pcie port for wan and if I could put a ssd chip in there that would be awesome! Any help very much appreciated! Thanks.
 

wuzy

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PCIe based SSD are bootable so no problem plugging in a mini-PCIe into a spare slot in your laptop and load your main OS onto it.
$/GB-wise tho OCZ Agility (Indilinx based SATA SSD) is the better option.

They designate the empty/2nd mini-PCIe slot for WAN usage due to marketing. mini-PCIe is universal.
 

shugav

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IF YOU GET A PCIe Mini SSD and install it into a laptop i would not work!!!!
the Mini PCIe SSD must have a SATA CONTROLLER ! they are not on the market yet!
SAMSUNG IS MAKING ONE!

PLEASE DO NOT CONFUSE THE PEOPLE!.
read here
http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-mini-pcie-ssd-up-to-64gb-of-super-compact-storage-2347726/
 

shugav

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IF YOU GET A PCIe Mini SSD and install it into a laptop i would not work!!!!
the Mini PCIe SSD must have a SATA CONTROLLER ! they are not on the market yet!
SAMSUNG IS MAKING ONE!



http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-mini-pcie-ssd-up-to-64gb-of-super-compact-storage-2347726/
 
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RemdA

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i don't see the relavence for the last comment to our subject here but...
so if i'll buy Not the samsung one is there any benefits using ssd speed wise?
 

shugav

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This is the idea of the SSD much faster than HDD 5400rpm , 7200 rpm.
Also you are not limited by the SATA and SATA II cable.
There are different Read/Write speeds of the SSDs also you should look into that.
The point here is that Samsung is the ONLY one making a SSD PCIe Mini with a SATA CONTROLER what makes it compatible with a LAPTOP"S mini PCIE SLOT which is made only for WIFI CARDS AND BLUETOOTH , but now with the above mini card from SAMSUNG you will be able to use this slot for an SSD on a LAPTOP/NOTEBOOK . Which is not possible because the current PCIe SSD are made for netbooks ONLY and not for laptops .
 

shovenose

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that was the first post here that ACTUALLY IS RIGHT AND MAKES SENSE!!!
 

chidino

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Hi. I apologize if this is the wrong thread to post this into, so if I need to re-post please let me know.

I, like the others asking here, have an open PCIe slot that would be perfect for a small SSD -- 64gb should be fine -- to use as my boot device and to run programs off of. Magnetic storage is data storage... I can either live with my current storage or upgrade. But what I want is the promise of an SSD as a boot device. How, exactly, do I do that on a laptop? I can expand my magnetic storage: I want to be able to use an SSD (with it's inherent advantages) as the system disk.

Is there anyone who knows the answer to this? The Samsung testimonials just 'mention' that these things are secondary storage on a laptop. Is it a question of chipset support? I'm confused...

 

Maverick4396

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It's a question of the laptop mini PCIe slot not having a built in SATA hard drive controller in order for it to even begin to be able to handle the SSD correctly. The samsung device referenced is the only mini PCIe SSD that will have a built in SATA controller to aliviate the issue of the mini PCIe slot in a laptop not having that capability built into it.

The mini PCIe in a laptop was originally envisioned to be merely a peripheral device interface (such as Graphics cards, bluetooth, Wifi cards, etc.) and not to be a hard drive controller.




EDIT:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227441&cm_re=mini_pcie_ssd-_-20-227-441-_-Product

apparently there is currently one product on the market, but it doesn't fit into every laptop. It has a built in PATA (parallel ATA) controller. This PATA will likely be slower than an SATA controller, but could work for you if it fits in your machine.
If you have the capability of putting two hard drives in your laptop (which many newer ones do) then you can always put an SSD in one slot and a regular 2.5" laptop drive in the other. If not then the samsung device when hits the market is likely to be the exact thing you will need to get an SSD into your laptop.