Solved! SVT1311M1ES | I am looking to upgrade my storage | Can yous help me identify the ports and what can go in there please?

[spmain97]

This is Sony VAIO SVT1311M1ES - Click here for product specification page from the company

It runs Intel® Core™ i3-2367M Processor on Mobile Intel® HM77 Express Chipset.

I have the motherboard picture here marked 1, 2 and 3.

• 
  1) Port 1 - This laptop has 2.5" SATA Drive installed in it.
  2) Port 2 - A mSATA Samsung PM830 MZMPC032HBCD MINI
  3) Port 3 - A Qualcomm IEEE 802.11b/g/n

Port 2 & 3 says MINI next to it.
If mSATA is connected to port 2, does that mean it's a Mini PCI-E / mPCIe with mSATA controller integrated to it? (In the motherboard?)

The Intel HM77 chipset page says it supports PCI Express Revision 2.0 and Max # of PCI Express Lanes is 8.
Is there anything interesting that can go in these mPCIe 2.0 ports other than mSATA and WiFi cards?

Am I right in thinking that if I remove WiFi card from Port 3, I can add another storage?

Honestly, I have reconfigured the Intel RST acceleration, made the mSATA available for storage, still recognized by the system as Disk 1 and have installed Windows 7 SP1 HP on it.
Installed a 2TB 2.5" SATA Mechanical Samsung Drive in Port 1

What I am trying to achieve here is to buy a bigger mSATA Samsung 860 EVO SATA III mSATA 250GB

This mSATA Samsung PM830 32GB in Port 2 is getting very hot and running constantly at or above 55 deg C / 131 deg F. Is it normal for a drive with no enclosure running Windows 7 OS?

 

[hang-the-9]

Not sure what the big issue is here, replace that 32 gb mSata drive with the larger one, done.

 

[spmain97]

Not sure what the big issue is here, replace that 32 gb mSata drive with the larger one, done.

Ha! I think I am a little too excited about my new hobby and tinkering about the laptop under the hood, and did not convey my queries properly.

My main curiosity would be, what are those Port 2 and Port 3?
If I understand correctly, are those mPCIe ports (Revision 2.0)? Shouldn't mini PCI-Express (mPCIe) and mini SATA (mSATA) are be two separate standards incompatible with each other?

May I ask how come does that Port 2 take a mSATA card? Will Port 3 and take too?

What does Max # of PCI Express Lanes is 8, means? Do I have to watch out for anything whilst buying a new card?

Thanks,

 

[jarotech]

Hi, the best way to learn is to be curious and ask questions, you can always search the Internet for what you don't understand. The PCH can handle up to 8 PCIE ports, with this motherboard, the PCH uses only 3, the WLAN mini-card, the LAN chip and the chip of the Memory Card. In addition, the PCH can handle up to 6 SATA ports, but only two are used, the mini-card mSATA and the SSD/HDD 2.5" SATA. So, the connectors may be of the same shape, but the signals ( connections) are very different between PCIE and mSATA, I hope this answers your question.