svl7 Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 When I recently disassembled my system to take a look at the mobo, I realized that I have a bluetooth module, lol, didn't know this... I didn't order (and pay) it when I configured my M15x in 2009, hahaha, and I had it all the time, lol.Anyway, I recently thought about getting an Intel 310 SSD (mini PCIe) for additional fast storage (as long asI can find a nice deal), now mrrey question... this should work in the slot where I currently have the bluetooth module, right? Would be great for having the OS (or maybe second OS) there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iloveb00bs Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 hahah, isn't the bluetooth stardard on all alienwares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svl7 Posted July 16, 2011 Author Share Posted July 16, 2011 Apparently not, at least not in Switzerland, it would've cost additionally $50 or so, can't remember it exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder StamatisX Posted July 16, 2011 Founder Share Posted July 16, 2011 Very interesting, I am curious as well cause I haven't heard of anyone installing one to an M15x/M17x-R2. My only concern is if the bluetooth slot is mSATA compatible.... I would also consider buying one since I don't use the bluetooth card that came with my system and I have it removed from day one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svl7 Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 Chances are that there's no mSATA support... but it would be great! Hopefully I can find out more about this soon. Will let you know in case I got more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mw86 Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 That would be really cool hope it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder Michael Posted July 17, 2011 Founder Share Posted July 17, 2011 That'd be a nice experiment! eager to hear your results! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svl7 Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 I was just on the phone with the Alienware support... I really hate the European support guys, they're stubborn and have no idea about the systems. I asked them whether the mPCI-e connection where the bluetooth module is plugged in was mSATA capable. The answer was "you can't put non-original hardware in your system or you'll loose your warranty. After discussing for a while he said he'll look it up, then he answered: "The bluetooth module is connected by mini PCI-express" ... wtf? Very helpful indeed... He didn't give me any additional information, and he said that no one would have the information which I was looking for, and again, that I couldn't just use non-Dell hardware.It's just crazy, in the US they have the policy that you're allowed to change GPU, CPU etc on your own, the new parts have no Dell warranty of course, but you won't loose your system warranty on the rest of the parts... (that's officially described like this in the Dell community forums) and here it's just like" ask a stupid question and you might loose your warranty". So I still don't know whether it would work or not, probably not, but it isn't confirmed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder StamatisX Posted July 18, 2011 Founder Share Posted July 18, 2011 I suspect that sandy brindge based mobos have more chances for mSATA compatibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mw86 Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 (edited) If it did would you see ssd speeds similar to desktop PCI express ssd's? They are know for nearly double to triple the transfer rate of sata3. Edited July 18, 2011 by svl7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svl7 Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 No, but about the same performance as with my Intel 320 drive, here you can see some benchmarks of the 310 series. Lol, I accidentally posted my answer in your post, sorry, must've clicked on "edit" instead of "reply" and did't realize it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strigae Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Can't remember what size the M15x supports but could also get one of these: RENICE X3 50/70mm MINI PCI-E SATA SSD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svl7 Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 Hey Strigae, nice to see you here! Thanks for the link. Do you know whether it would work at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strigae Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 HeyI'm not 100% sure. It seems like the M15x's mini pcie slots use the pci interface. The SSD should be using the same atleast.Although not sure if the system will accept it even if it's compatible with everything else. You know, bios white/black lists ect.I'm thinking of trying sometime when i get time. Unfortunately that won't be soon enough im afraid.First thing is to make sure its using PCI and not USB. Some info about the pcie slots:Added 3G/WWAN Connection to M15x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xeroxide Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 i remember wanting to try this out a while back before i did the dvdrom -> ssd mod.not sure who it was but someone tried it and i still remember the results. it doesn't work in the bluetooth module, however it did work in the wifi slot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svl7 Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 Oh, really? It works with the wifi slot? Wow, that's interesting! Btw., nice to see you here! What are the speeds of an SSD plugged in the dvdrom connector? I thought the ODD was SATA I... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder StamatisX Posted July 26, 2011 Founder Share Posted July 26, 2011 The speed should be SATA II, it's the ODD that is SATA I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xeroxide Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Oh, really? It works with the wifi slot? Wow, that's interesting! Btw., nice to see you here! What are the speeds of an SSD plugged in the dvdrom connector? I thought the ODD was SATA I... thanks well here's a bunch i just downloaded ran this morning. when i spring clean sometimes next week, perhaps i'll swap the drives to see if there's any change in performance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xeroxide Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 (edited) sorry double post pls delete Edited July 27, 2011 by xeroxide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svl7 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Oh, impressive, that's cool! Speeds are ok, thought it'd be slower in the ODD slot. Thanks for the pic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder StamatisX Posted July 27, 2011 Founder Share Posted July 27, 2011 According to the benchmarks it is SATA 2 so you are good to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svl7 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Yeah, for a drive in the optical drive slot... but I'm still wondering a bit about the mPCI-e SSD. If I can grab one really cheap I'll just slap it in and see whether it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
widezu69 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I'm tempted with on of these too. I'm curious to see whether it would be able to run an OS off of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svl7 Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Yeah, that's what I was thinking too... but I guess it won't work. Apparently it should be possible in the M14x, but I doubt that our mobo will support it.I quickly looked at the datasheet of the Intel 310 SSD and there's the pinout, I guess if I do some measuring at the different pins while the system is running I can find out a bit more... if the voltage pins are different than in the datasheet, mSATA won't work, otherwise there's a slight chance.I don't have a lot of time at the moment, but I should be able to test it in a couple of weeks. The only problem is that the measuring is only possible when the system is running... so I'll have to disassemble half of the system and turn it on. The easiest way of course would be to simply buy a mSATA card and test it, lol. If I come across a cheap one I might buy it just to test whether it works or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AssimilatorX Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I know this tread is old. I Just had a similar experiment with a Broadcom HD decoder from dell. (It did not worked in the Bluetooth's socket) But it did recognized and installed, in the half mini pci-e wireless card's socket. I not using the bluetooth and i have the socket empty because currently using a Dell Wireless + BT combo (Broadcom BCM94313HMGB) But is really interesting that any wireless card i stick there is working even a crappy ralink usb ones. and the mini pci-e diagnostic cards too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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