A quick guide to Express Cards

A number of notebook manufacturers are now including Express Card slots in their newer Models so I thought I would give a basic rundown on what it is and what it does.

Express cards are the replacment technology for PCMCIA cards that run using less power and generate less heat while being substantially faster. Like PCMCIA cards they are Hot swapable and can be installed and removed without restarting the system.

The modules are extremly thin and lite and currently come in two form factors if a manufacturer lists standard expresscard they are refering to the larger form which is 54mm wide and 5m thick. The smaller form ExpressCard/34 is 34mm wide and 5mm thick. The 34 model will work in a 54 slot though it wont work the other way around. The reason for the different sizes is to allow smaller lighter notebooks to make use of the technology without sacraficing space or battery life.

The 54 model can is allowed to generate up to 60% more heat than the 34 counterpart making it useful for items like 1.8" Hard drives which are currently being engineered to work with the new technology. The /34 slot is able to draw up to 1.2 watts while the /54 can draw 2.1 watts.

The reason for the new technology is to take advantage of PCI express technology allowing a data rate of 2.5gbps This makes it perfect for HDTV tuners which were unable to record the high data rate without lag using PCMCIA technology. Unusually the Express card also has a direct link to the usb bus meaning many USB technologies can be converted to this new technology without needing a bridge.

The list of ExpressCard devices is growing but currently the following devices are available:
Sata 2
Sata 2 Raid
Firewire a + b
AVerTV ExpressCard Module
DVB-T tv tuner
HP TV tuner
Smart card reader
Gigabit ethernet adaptor
Flah memory card reader

While ExpressCard adaptors are available for use with both desktop and notebook systems inbuilt is prefered. Here is a list of notebooks that use them. I know i've missed lots please pm me and I will add them.

/34 Notbooks
Sony FE
Sony SZ
MacbookPro

/54
MSI-1039
MSI-1035
MSI-1016
MSI-1047
MSI-1036
MSI-1034
ThinkPad-T43
LIFEBOOK E8020
LIFEBOOK N3510
LIFEBOOK S7020
LIFEBOOK N6110
LIFEBOOK N6210
LIFEBOOK E8020
LIFEBOOK C1320
LIFEBOOK S7020
HP ZV6000
Dell E1505
Dell 1705
Dell XPS M140 (unclear if /34 or /54)

 

That's a great rundown of Express Cards, nice job.

Thanks for your time and efforts,
Chaz

 

very nice job Matt! Thanks for helping clear things up, I might just post this to the front of the site as an article if you don't mind.

 

Nice job!

Allow me to state that you can't use it to fit in a new GPU before anyone asks

 

zv6000 has an express slot but I don't know if its 34 or 54. Anyone knows?

 

Matt,

Thanks, you cleared up a few things for me.

I believe all the new Dell E1x05 lappies have ExpressCard. I've been looking for a ExpressCard that reads CompactFlash, have you seen one?

Hermit

 

i know this may be a stupid question, but can express card slots still use PCMCIA cards?

 

No they cant Elj, I already had somone ask me that Ice-Tea . And Id be happy for you to post it as a article abaxter. Vasil Its /54 I added it to the list. 21st Hermit I know for sure a Japanese company called Hagiwara Sys-com Co Does make a compact flash reader thats expresscard But im not sure if its available in the US Take a look at these two they might support it.
http://www.datafab.com/product/flash_card_adapter_express_8in1.htm
http://www.siig.com/product.asp?pid=1051&catid=128

 

i guess i will have to wait a long time before creative makes a new sound card for notebooks.

In my eager i ordered the notebook version before i even got my dell.

But as time went by my neighbour who also bought the same dell as me..discovered no PCMCIA Slot.. so to my big dissapointment..i had to return the card.

tough luck..

 

Thanks Matt,

Both are EC/34 and hence no CF which is 43mm wide.

I believe my new lappie has the 8-in-1 functionality built in. But it too lacks CF.

Hermit

 

Darn, I know the japanese model does it heres a link http://joshinweb.jp/camera/204/4946865065579.html

 

Great guide Matt.

Just in case anyone wants to see what Express cards are available on the market right now, ExpressCard.org always has a list of cards available, and will update it when new cards are coming out.

SG

 

I'm waiting for a CF reader as well.

 

very nice job, thanks for you time and effort. Well Done. One thing though, are PCI express slots actually on the outside the laptops liek PCIMIA card slots or are they on the inside like Mini PCI cards?

 

They are like the PCMCIA slots but different size

 

Following links on expresscard.org, I found this:
http://www.hsc-us.com/consumer/card_adapter/ExpCF/expcf.htm
I guess you can get a CF reader after all.

 

Thats the same one I posted seven or 8 posts ago TheRunaway. And yep their like PCMCIA cards you just slot them in, The company that makes them seems to be gearing towards selling the adaptors for PC's.

 

It's a pity the makers didn't make the slot so that you can use the standard pcmcia devices and, with an adapter the slot can be converted to use the express cards.
A friend bought a Dell with only the Express slot and now cannot find a wireless adapter to use. He doesn't like the internal wireless adapter and doesn't want to use a usb type. And I have a pcmcia type that he would have liked to use.

 

Hi guys,

Do you reckon video/Graphic cards will ever hit the Expresscard market?

Would it be possible?

 

Nope As Ice tea said it wouldnt really be possible.

 

Aww that sucks.



Oh well, not too bothered as i've got my desktop computer for all the gaming!

 

Very nice review, thank you for putting this together. It has helped answer several questions that have been percolating.

 

Apple's new MacBook Pro also uses ExpressCard/34...

 

what? the dell 1505 doesn't have a PCMCIA slot?

i bought a dell 1505 with the recent coupons, but haven't received it yet.
i've also just barely (2 mins ago) bid on an audigy 2zs pcmcia on ebay.
i hope i don't win!!!
with luck they'll come out with the x-fi Express Card!

 

The Dell XPS M140 has an express card slot. Don't know if it's 34 or 54 though. Haven't had a need for it yet.

 

Wait a minute. That notebook in the first picture looks like my 2+ years old Compal CL50 (mine is branded ChemBook).

Hmm...never knew I had it

 

a good and timely review - the industry has done a horrible job both in getting word out about the change and in getting cards for the new format

unfortunately your review only really needed to say

"nifty new technology with great future promise - but almost completely worthless for the foreseeable future ...."

as of today, and until likely the 3rd or 4th quarter of this year, any notebook with only the ExpressCard format is essentially worthless for a large majority of users out there

 

Thanks for this informative post...learned something new.

 

I dont agree that its entirely useless, I think a expresscard and a pcmcia would be best in a laptop only using the expresscard seems a little silly. It is usefull if you like to have 2 SATA 300 HD's connected or a HD tv tuner.

 

Is the Aspire 5672WLMi 34 or 54? The article was cool,although I must say that I find express card slots a bit useless because nearly everything is built-in. I might use it for an HD-TV Tuner card though. Cheers!

 

Confirmed that it's a 54 in the M140.

 

I just placed an order last night for the Hagiwara ExpressCard CF reader. Should be here by Friday, and I'll be taking it and my week-old XPS M140 to Florida next week. I'm interested to see how fast it is compared to a USB reader. I'll let you know how it works.

 

Does anyone know if Express card puts a load on the CPU similar to USB or is it more like Firewire with little or no load?

Thanks

Robert

 

My Hagiwara ExpressCard CF reader came just after I left for vacation, so, unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to test it out while in Florida. Upon returning home I found it sitting on my desk at the office and tried it out with my CF cards. I works fine, but not really any faster than the Dazzle Thunderbolt USB reader (see below) I'd picked up from CompUSA for $19.99. The best thing about the Hagiwara ExpressCard reader is how thin it is and easily stowed in my case.

 

Everyone I have a major problem... lol I've been using a verizon wireless card to go online via the PCMCIA slot but now I just bought a DELL XPS M1710 without reading the specs on the type of slots it had. Does anyone know what I could do in order to keep using my Verizon Card Air card in the new laptop. I thought about a PCMCIA device that can be converted to USB or a PCMCIA to Smart card converter.

Please advise.

 

Argelys, your easiest solution is to buy an usb wireless adapter - around $25 to 30$. Those pcmcia to usb adapters are very expensive, like $100 and up.

 

Kinda glad to hear the e1505 has both pcmcia and the new expressslot, Seems Ill be set to go for awhile. =D

 

weird that its not in the 17" model

 

We can add W3J to the list of notebooks with an Express Card slots. Unfortunately I don't know if mine(W3J-H002P) is 34 or 54. Seems to be the same width as a PCMCIA card.

 

It's pretty much the same as plane 'ol PCI as far as the OS goes. It's just a different hardware layer.

 

Then it's 54. 34 is a little narrower than a CF card. 54 is almost the same (if not THE same) as a PCMCIA slot.

 

you can add asus S96J aswel

 

anyone know if the HP ExpressCard TV Tuner will work in other laptops (I have a Dell 9400)? The site says only a couple HP Models are compatable.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/product_detail.do?product_code=EP323AA%23ABA&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

 

Unless I missed it in a follow-up post, you can add the Portable One MX (built on the ASUS A8JM) to the list.

 

So, anybody know where one could go to buy an AverMedia Express Card Module? I couldn't even find it on Aver's site.

 

The ASUS A8Jm has one, it's a 54 according to the User Manual.

 

*looks back a couple of posts*

Yup.

 

Hi Everyone, this guide is For Dummies, right? Well, I'm a dummy, and after reading all the posts I still don't really know what an Express Card or PCMCIA card is or what they do.

Help a sistah out.

 

Cyndi, if your laptop's modem goes bad, you can get a modem in the pcmcia format, which will go into the pcmcia slot. Likewise, there are various devices that are made for that pcmcia slot if your laptop does not have the particular device, e.g. network card, wireless adapter, sound card, usb2 card etc.

The Express Card slot is new and there aren't many devices available to use that slot, but no doubt, just like for the pcmcia slot, they will become available.

Hope this helps.

 

It does help, thanks. Doesn't sound like I really need one right now, although my new HP might come with it already.