Aleksei Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 (edited) I have a Dell E5450 laptop, can't find any specs that mention the exact slot types of WiFi and WWAN. Attaching photos. WWAN slot has 5+28 pins, it is wider than WiFi's. My questions are: Is WWAN a .M2 or mPCIe slot? If .M2 - which is it, ".M2 Key M" or ".M2 Key A / E"? I need to know to decide which PE4C to order, exactly (http://www.hwtools.net/Adapter/PE4C V4.1.html#First_Impression). Will it work for eGPU? Will WiFi's slot work for eGPU (that would be a last resort, but still)? Is there a software to determine exact slot type without plugging anything into it? Thanks in advance. I will definitely post a detailed report if I get my eGPU up and running Edited October 31, 2016 by Aleksei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Tech Inferno Fan Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 M.2 Key M. Also, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksei Posted September 6, 2016 Author Share Posted September 6, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, Arbystrider said: M.2 Key M. Thanks. I'm not sure why the key is on the left though. In PE4C's connector it's on the right - Is it supposed to go in upside down? That mini-hdmi cable looks pretty thick, I don't think it'll fit. Thoughts? Edited September 6, 2016 by Aleksei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Tech Inferno Fan Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 Perhaps it is supposed to go upside-down in your case. Use vernier calipers or something to find how much space you have to fit that cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[email protected] Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 it's not Key M . It's M.2 Key B i have the same one and no you don't put it upside-down. big mistake. In this picture you can see the Difference Between A-E(wifi left one) and B(WWan middle one) and M(SSD right one). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksei Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 (edited) They couldn't just make a solid standard socket, could they?.. Anyway, I ordered EXP GDC V8 NGFF version, should fit into one of the sockets. Also will try to connect M.2 SSD tomorrow (just to see if it'll work) - for free Edited September 7, 2016 by Aleksei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[email protected] Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 I don't think you will find an SSD with B key usually they are M+B or M. EXP GDC V8 NGFF will fit in the WIFI slot Key A+E. i have a Hp folio 9480m I wanted to buy the PE4c 4.1 Key M too since i do have a Key M but i found out it's Sata interface not Pcie interface .so it won't work . my bad luck. i'm still confused about it too so..tell me your results. What is the difference between M.2 SATA and M.2 PCIe SSDs? M.2 is the physical form factor.SATA and PCIe refer to the storage interface, with the primary difference being performance and the protocol (language) spoken by the M.2 SSD. The M.2 specification was designed to accommodate both a SATA and PCIe interface for SSDs.M.2 SATA SSDs will use the same controller currently available on typical 2.5 in SATA SSDs.M.2 PCIe SSDs will use a controller specifically designed to support the PCIe protocol. An M.2 SSD can support only one protocol, but some systems have M.2 sockets that can support either SATA or PCIe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksei Posted September 8, 2016 Author Share Posted September 8, 2016 (edited) So I tried that SSD today - it turned out to be a SATA one with M.2 interface. It did fit my WWAN slot (the bottom one in the first post, which is M.2 key B, if you are to be believed ). Not surprisingly, neither Linux nor Windows 7 detected the drive. Windows did detect that something was inserted into PCIE hub, so it installed standard drivers for the hub. I draw the conclusion that this WWAN port has only PCIE interface pinned out (in theory it could also have USB, but who cares). So now I'm on the hunt for M.2 PCIE SSDs (those are expensive! hoping to get a used one) and waiting for my EXP GDC to be delivered. There are numerous youtube videos showing EXP GDC NGFF inserted into WiFi slot, so that's reassuring. P.S. And my laptop specs simply say "2 M.2 sockets available". They are different in width and number of pins. As far as standardization goes, M.2 is garbage Edited September 8, 2016 by Aleksei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[email protected] Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 (edited) yesh it will feet because the SSD that you have is an key M+B it support both but Sata . I don't think you will find a SSD pcie interface that have a Key B. from what i saw all of them are Key M. and the One that have M+B are mostly all SATA. Edited September 9, 2016 by [email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[email protected] Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Hello. just wanted to ask i have a folio 9480m i wanted to buy a Mpcie 8.0 EXP beast for 29€ but i found the another NGFF version that cost double the price 50€ My wifi card is A+E key M.2 but i think the mpcie will work normally!! just want to make sure. can you confirm to me guys. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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