Member Avatar for SgtMe

I'm thinking of adding a mini pcie SSD to my netbook seeing as they seem reasonably cheap.
I have a spare mini pcie slot but I'm a completely new to this so what I want to ask is this:

  • Can I just get card and fit it? How does it fit? Does it just screw down or is there some kind of bracket i need to get? There just appears to be the connector contacts there inside.

I've done a YouTube search and couldn't find any situation that looked similar. My netbook is a Samsung N220.
If it helps here is a disection video of this netbook.

Thanks
--Mark

Edited by SgtMe
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  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

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Short answer and correction to : laptops very often do have mini‑PCIe (aka “mini‑card”) slots for WLAN/WWAN modules — the Samsung N220’s service schematic explicitly labels two mini‑card connectors (Mini Card 1 = Wireless LAN, Mini Card 2 = HSDPA/WWAN). (s-manuals.com)

Important compatibility point: mSATA SSDs use the same physical mini‑PCIe connector but require the board to route SATA signals to that slot and for the BIOS to support booting from it. Many laptop mini‑PCIe slots are wired only for Wi‑Fi (USB/PCIe), not SATA; the N220 schematic shows the mini‑card functions assigned to wireless/WWAN rather than SATA, so an off‑the‑shelf mini‑PCIe SSD is unlikely to work unless the specific unit is documented as mSATA‑capable. (en.wikipedia.org)

Mechanical/installation notes: laptop mini‑PCIe cards are half‑height/half‑length modules that slide into the slot at an angle, are pressed down and secured with one small screw into a standoff, and (for WLAN cards) have two coax antenna connectors that must be detached/reattached. Service covers and a small Phillips screwdriver are normally all that’s required, but standard safety steps (battery removed, anti‑static precautions) apply. (ifixit.com)

Practical checklist (use before buying): confirm the exact slot wiring in the N220 service manual or Samsung support pages; look for explicit “mSATA” or “mini SATA” mentions; check BIOS/boot options for an mSATA device; or avoid the gamble and swap the internal 2.5" SATA HDD for a standard 2.5" SATA SSD (guaranteed compatibility and much larger performance gain on this netbook). The N220 ships with a 2.5" SATA HDD, so a 2.5" SSD is the straightforward upgrade path. (samsung.com)

Member Avatar for caperjack

its been 2 months ,but this will not work in the laptop/mini laptop as there are no PCI-E slot in a laptop/mini, the youtube video is showing a ram upgrade not a mini ssd hdd upgrade

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