Check out if your netbook has a mini PCIe slot

Did you know that some netbooks come with mini PCIe slots that can be used to upgrade the little computers with various parts? You can find bellow the most important netbooks models that come with such a feature, and here are some of the tweaks you can use this mini PCIe slot for:

• you can add a SSD storage module (up to 128 GB , but it is quite expensive)
• you can add an internal 3G modem
• you can add a Bluetooth module if your device doesn’t have one
• you can add the Broadcom Crystal graphics accelerator that will make you netbooks capable of playing 1080p content and some HD flash clips (costs around $30-$40 on eBay)

Remember that performing these upgrades requires some computer skills and will results in loosing warranty, cause you’ll have to get the back of the mini-laptop off in order to access the mini PCIe slots.

And the list, of course:

Asus 7″ series: 1 available, free (very early models only)
Asus 9″ series: 1 available (occupied by SSD)
Asus 1000HE: 1 available (3G available in Europe; cannot import; 2 slots)
Asus N10: Unclear; appear to be 3, but one seems to be designed for SSD only
Acer 8.9″: 2 available in 3G-enabled models; otherwise 1 (tnkgrl has added a slot successfully)
Acer AOD150: 2 available (3G available in Europe; cannot import; still 2)
Acer AOD250: 1 available
Acer AO532h: 1 available, untested
Dell Mini 9: 3 available in 3G-enabled models; otherwise 2; WIFI is half-height
Dell Mini 10: 3 available in 3G-enabled models; otherwise 2; WIFI is half-height
Fujitsu U2010/U820: 1 available (free) for 3G, both on WWAN model and original.
Gigabyte M912: 2 available
HP 2140: 1 available [2150 model will have 3G]
HP Mini 1000: 2 available in 3G-enabled models; otherwise 1
HP Mini 210: 2 slots, one for WiFi and one free
HP Mini 311: 2 slots, both USB + PCI-E, whitelist present, hackable
HP DV2: 1 available
Lenovo S9: only 1, USB+PCI-E, no whitelist
Lenovo S10: 1 available (3G available in Europe; cannot import; 2 slots)
Lenovo U150: 2 available (one is for a half PCIe occupied by the WiFi card)
LG X110: 2 available (3G and WIFI seem to be the only configuration) [AT&T will sell it]
MSI Wind 9″ and 10″: 1 available (3G available in Europe; cannot import; 2 slots)
OCZ Neutrino: 2 available (WIFI is half-height)
Samsung NC10: 1 available (3G available in Europe; cannot import; 2 slots)
Toshiba NB100: 3G available in Europe; cannot import; 2 slots

And stay tuned, we’ll keep updating the list with new models once they come out.

Source: Pocket Tables (via EEEPC.net)

Popularity: 3% [?]

Tags: mini PCIe, netbook upgrades

Last updated: February 10, 2010 | Published: February 9th, 2010 | See the comments or add yours!