miniPCIe SSD for Studio 15

Hello NBR users,

I have a few questions regarding a potential upgrade for my Studio 15. I would like to add a miniPCIe solid state disk to the only empty slot remaining so that I can run Ubuntu off of it. The SSD in question is this one.

Given that my S15 has a Bluetooth and WLAN card, I know that it must have one full height miniPCIe slot available. I found information on the Studio's slot configuration from the manual (excerpt below):

source: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/1535/en/SM/minicard.htm#wp1181360

What I want to know is this:
- will the SSD in question fit in that slot? Is it a "full-size" miniPCIe chip?

- is it possible to place a half-size card in a full-size slot (it looks like there is not difference between chip sizes other than length)

- does anyone know if the Studio 15 BIOS can boot from miniPCIe? If the option isn't there, would it appear with the upgrade?

Thanks for answering my questions!

 

That SSD is too large. For whatever reason, "full-height" on an SSD is larger than the Studio 15's full-height slot. The full-height slot on the laptop is equivalent to a half-height SSD, like this one: http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=023036&cid=990.545

As for using a shorter card in a full-size slot, yes and no. The card will fit into the slot and work, but the anchoring screw will not have anything to hold the card to, so it will be at the mercy of gravity unless you find some other way to hold it in place. Assuming you manage to keep it from falling out of the slot, though, it should work just as well as if it were in an appropriately sized slot.

 

OK, but from what I am reading, that is a half-size card... that will not fit in my full-size slot either.

The full-size miniPCIe chip I need should be about 5.1 cm in length... but I don't even know what official size that is.

Besides that, do you know whether the Studio can boot from such an SSD?

*EDIT*

Never mind, it looks like the Super Talent SSD you mentioned will fit. The problem is that it uses a customized IDE interface for use with the Dell Mini 9.

http://www.supertalent.com/products/ssd_detail.php?type=Half mini PCIe

Here you see that it is specified as being 5.1 cm in length, so it should fit into the slot.

However, my question about booting from such an SSD still stands.

 

I have no answers for that, I'm afraid. I guess someone's going to have to be the first to try it.

 

My understanding is that the mini-pcie connector used for SSD is proprietory and incorporated to house SSD in netbook systems.

Doesn't mean you can't add SSD into your system. Could do it by swapping out the 2.5" HDD with a 2.5" SSD (eg: OCZ Vertex) and putting the 2.5" HDD in hotswappable optical bay caddy.

 

I think so too, but maybe there are SSDs out there that are compatible. There are certainly models that match the physical specs...

That is true, but given my space requirements (320GB and counting), replacing my HD with an SSD is not a viable option. Besides, I only want a ~16GB SSD that will allow me to speedily boot Linux.

 

In my previous reply, the suggestion to place your existing 320GB drive in an optical bay caddy (in place of the optical drive), and put a 2.5" SSD such as an OCZ Vertex where the HDD was.

That way get os and application speed via the SSD, a data repository from the HDD, and ability to hotswap back in the optical drive when you may need it to load software onto the SSD or watch DVDs.

Only other way around it, given that the pci-e slots on a notebook do not appear compatible with pci-e SSD, would be to perhaps use a SATA PCI-E SSD, running wires to the other SATA I/O pins, putting the pci-E SSD where you have room, and enabling the extra sata ports. Info below would help you if you want to do it, though might be a little different too for your ICH9M chipset. If you can get it all to work, you'd be a pioneer showing the way to others.

• flash_con SATA pins. Note the the SATA TX/RX pins as are on the PCI-e SATA SSD.
• ICH8M SATA I/O pins you'd want to attach the SSD to
• ICH8M enabling SATA controller info to enable the port of interest.

There's some fast expressport SSDs coming soon too which might be a goer you can boot it AND hopefully the makers don't put a huge obtrusive plastic handle on it.