E6520 Owner's Thread

Hi,

I plan finally to install a SSD (between Samsung 840 evo or pro or Intel 530) and wanted to know if I need to get the laptop upgrade kit which has the spacer or it is not really needed?
My HDD is about 8-8,5mm thick but the SSD are around 6-7mm thick and was wondering what best to do.

Can you advice on guide detailing how to to afresh W7 installation and settings to look after? I have read to disable auto partitioning and now that I have to change in the bios to run on ASCHI...

Thanks

 

The standard SSD/HDD are 9mm and the "thin" variants are 7mm. I have used both the Samsung and Intel drives in the E65XX and the are fine without any optional install kits. With that said, I did make and attach 1.75mm rubber washers to each mounting hole location on the base on the drives.

Another option that works is standard 2.0mm thick 3M double-sided tape. You keep ONE side of the tape unpeeled and attach (2) 3-inch pieces equally spaced on the top side of the drive (opposite of the mounting holes). This creates a cushioned spacer for the SSD when you slide it in to the system base, but you must remember NOT to remove the outer tape skin or you will have a "stuck" drive to contend with.

Scott-

PS: Windows 7/8 can sense an SSD during install and adjust for its use (disables disk defrag by default, etc.). If you have already set the BIOS up, you should be fine with the clean Windows install.

 

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the advice, appreciated.

Chris

 

New BIOS update (A19)
Link: A19

 

Guys I wish someone could tell me if the ExpressCard 54 slot in our E6520 has standard 2.0 support, that is theoretically USB 3 cards could top 5Gbps transfer rates.

Is this confirmed? I can't find any statement on this, as some users have experienced transfer speeds equivalent to USB 2!!

- What is the truth?
- Are there any specs too look for before buying a ExpressCard 54 USB 3 card?
- What real-life transfer rates can be expected? (Just tested a USB 3 card -PCI Express- on my desktop computer with transfer rates whopping to 70MB/s !!!!!!)

Thanks!

 

Yes, it has 2.0 support, but do not expect 5Gb speeds. There is data bus overhead and device specific fluctuations to consider. I get about the same real-world speed as the eSATA port, which I am happy with since it is obviously much faster than standard USB2.0. Look for cards with he NEC chipset like this one: Ind 54mm Express USB 3 0 PCMCIA 2 Ports Card NEC Chipset | eBay

Scott-

 

Scott, good to know! What MB/s transfer do you achieve, when copying from an external USB 3 drive to your laptop? Could you test a large file copy? This will ensure maximum throughput will be shown, avoiding file system overhead when copying hundreds tiny files.
This morning I got a 70MB/s with my desktop PC (I know, a completely different story)

Thanks

 

Found this review:

I have bought this one here in Italy with the NEC chipset

 

Scott I have received my expresscard today, however I can't figure how to properly insert the card.
If insert normally, the system will not recognize it. If manually pushed in the slot, forcing it to the maximum extent, it will work, however once the pressure it is released, the card will be slightly rejected back (by the inner spring I suppose) disconnecting it.

It looks like:
- the card is slightly shorter
- I'm mistaken somehow.

Is there a particular procedure t to insert the card correctly?

 

Maybe the Laptop's internal cage is mounted incorrectly? BTW the card will eject once you pull the USB cable out, although it should stay inserted! The spring/lock will not hold the card!
What can I try to allow the card to be inserted correctly? I guess it is roughly 1/2mm length missing to allow the connector to work properly...