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    So what are half sized slots are good for?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by chx1975, Mar 22, 2011.

  1. chx1975

    chx1975 Notebook Consultant

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    I some Dell laptops like the E6420 (new Sandy Bridge) with 2 half size slots. Why? What can you put in those? Of course, one WiFi. But the other? Just puzzling. The full sized slot can get an SSD (mSATA or next month the CoreStore MV SSD from SuperTalent) or WWAN but half? There are (very few) half sized WWAN cards but it won't work due to SIM signals not connected. The only half sized upgrade I saw, the BroadCom HD helper chip make no sense with the Sandy Bridge CPUs.
     
    chx1975, Mar 22, 2011
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  2. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    may be a TV tuner?

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    ramgen, Mar 22, 2011
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  3. chx1975

    chx1975 Notebook Consultant

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    Won't a TV tuner need an antenna connector to the outside?

    Your answer, however lead me to another post on the forum, saying the three slots are labeled WWAN, WLAN and WPAN and then further search revealed the third is occupied by a BT card. Interesting... that does not mean i stopped being curious what could it be used for :)
     
    chx1975, Mar 22, 2011
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  4. ViciousXUSMC

    ViciousXUSMC Master Viking NBR Reviewer

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    wifi, bluetooth, gps, probably some other stuff too like maybe a ram disk.
     
    ViciousXUSMC, Mar 22, 2011
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  5. chx1975

    chx1975 Notebook Consultant

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    RAM disk? Tell me more.
     
    chx1975, Mar 23, 2011
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  6. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    Have you heard anything about google or wikipedia so far?


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    ramgen, Mar 23, 2011
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  7. chx1975

    chx1975 Notebook Consultant

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    ... RAM disk in a half mini PCIe ? Care to show what Google search results anything useful? There is Intel Turbo Memory which is slow and low capacity. That's not a RAM disk either.
     
    chx1975, Mar 23, 2011
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  8. ViciousXUSMC

    ViciousXUSMC Master Viking NBR Reviewer

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    Should be able to find things like adapters to convert to other formats if you wanted to try creative stuff like a ram disk.

    the DIY VDock thread may be a good source of information.
     
    ViciousXUSMC, Mar 24, 2011
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  9. davepermen

    davepermen Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    there are halfsized ssds, too.

    but the main design idea is always the same: two halfsized ones, one for wifi, one for simcard cellular web access.
     
    davepermen, Mar 24, 2011
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  10. shakennstirred

    shakennstirred Notebook Evangelist

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    yeah i gave up on the tv tuner for that reason and you need to cut hole for said antenna
    bluetooths a good one, saves having a dongle , or said ramdisk(ram disk no good if you have a ssd harddrive though, as i findout after getting one lol, it requires services that you need off for the ssd to run)
     
    shakennstirred, Mar 24, 2011
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