Msata question

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
136
I have a Clevo P150HM, prostar branded, I would like to know if I can install an Msata SSD into the Msata slot that is normally used for the wireless 3G antenna in some models. Does anyone know if this will work or if it will not work because something in the BIOS?


Thanks
^_^
 

anikhtos

Senior member
May 1, 2011
289
1
0
I have a Clevo P150HM, prostar branded, I would like to know if I can install an Msata SSD into the Msata slot that is normally used for the wireless 3G antenna in some models. Does anyone know if this will work or if it will not work because something in the BIOS?


Thanks
^_^
well the manual says the antenna is in mpcie slot not msata slot

from wikipedia

Despite the mini-PCI Express form factor, a mini-PCI Express slot must have support for the electrical connections an mSATA drive requires. For this reason, only certain notebooks are compatible with mSATA drives. Most compatible systems are based on Intel's Sandy Bridge processor architecture, using the Huron River platform. But for a mSATA/mini-PCI-E connector, the only prerequisite is that there is a switch which makes it either a mSATA or a mini-PCI-E slot and can be implemented on any platform

so i imagine that is a no???
 

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
136
well the manual says the antenna is in mpcie slot not msata slot

from wikipedia

Despite the mini-PCI Express form factor, a mini-PCI Express slot must have support for the electrical connections an mSATA drive requires. For this reason, only certain notebooks are compatible with mSATA drives. Most compatible systems are based on Intel's Sandy Bridge processor architecture, using the Huron River platform. But for a mSATA/mini-PCI-E connector, the only prerequisite is that there is a switch which makes it either a mSATA or a mini-PCI-E slot and can be implemented on any platform

so i imagine that is a no???

Yeah but it is the Sandy bridge CPU, so I guess I will need to open it up and look to see if there is the correct connection? Since it looks like it is a purely electrical connection I am looking for I am not sure if I could tell by just a quick glance, anyone know anything else?
 

beginner99

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2009
5,239
1,617
136
yep looks like it is wired for USB only no actual PCI bus, so it might work with a TV tuner, but no wifi cards or Msata SSD's. Damn, guess I need to save up for a large SSD or replace the bluray drive with a caddy :p

replace optical drive. Do you ever use it? I don't. Doesn't hurt to have one in a desktop but in a laptop it is just a waster of space, weight and power.
 

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
136
replace optical drive. Do you ever use it? I don't. Doesn't hurt to have one in a desktop but in a laptop it is just a waster of space, weight and power.

I would have preferred to just pick up an 80GB Msata SSD ($180) and pop it in as a boot drive, this way i need a caddy (45 bucks) and an SSD ($100-150) and lose being able to watch my bluray collection :p

Though I guess I can pick up a USB external enclosure for the Bluray drive for 20 bucks or so and keep it. Only thing to do now is find a caddy that fits :D
 
Last edited:

rabbitz

Member
Dec 21, 2011
93
0
0
I would have preferred to just pick up an 80GB Msata SSD ($180) and pop it in as a boot drive, this way i need a caddy (45 bucks) and an SSD ($100-150) and lose being able to watch my bluray collection :p

Though I guess I can pick up a USB external enclosure for the Bluray drive for 20 bucks or so and keep it. Only thing to do now is find a caddy that fits :D

ebay caddy = $10-$15, ebay external dvd/bluray enclosure = $10-$15

128gb 2.5'' sata3 ssd on sale = $120-$150

The ebay ones work just as well... the newmodeus ones are nice and fancy (the cover has an led light that glows when there is hdd activity!!) but if you want something that just works... they are both pretty much the same. All the extra 'hardware' that you need to attach to the caddy to get it to fit in your laptop are already attached to your optical drive.. so you can just swap them over.