HP Workstation Z1 (1st Generation) -> msata ssd in miniPCIe

[athanaso77]

My product number is A1H69AV but I have upgraded almost everything with

Xeon 1245v2 haswell

Quadro k3100m 

...and almost everything else. 

[iamthedudeman]

All HP first Gen Z1 motherboards are the same. Some with different CPU's , Gpu's etc.

based on the system info from my Z1, there is no reason why it should not support a Pcie Msata ssd. All indications based on the specs seem to support it would. Hp is behind on the literature here.

Just look at your HP performance advisor for your complete specs. All is there for you.

Slot Designation:     SLOT 3
Slot Type:     PCI Express Gen 2
Slot Data Bus Width:     x1
Current Usage:     Available
Slot Length:     Short Length
Slot ID:     0x0002
Slot Characteristics:     •    Provides 3.3 Volts
•    PCI slot supports Power Management Enable (PME#) signal
•    PCI slot supports SMBus signal
Segment Group Number:     0x0000
Bus Number:     0x00
Device Number:     0x00
Function Number:     0x00

bios even supports it. I am going to get one to find out. I will post results here.

[iamthedudeman]

Just enter performance advisor under configuration details.

[athanaso77]

Please let us know here about the results of your test with an msata ssd! 

I am eagerly waiting for your news. 

[XenonXTZ]

miniPCIE in G1 is not mSATA compatible.

[KUEI12]

"miniPCIE in G1 is not mSATA compatible."

I can verify this. I have both G1 and G2's. I tried to run an msata 256gig drive on both. The G1 would not accept it, but the G2 will.

The G2 has 2 mSata slots and the G1 has 3. I am curious what other mSata devices you can use in the other 2 mSata slots of the G1, other than the wifi card.

[XenonXTZ]

I guess among the applications would be WWAN (EVDO, 3G and etc) cards, nothing else comes to my mind.

[RogerWilco]

I haven't posted in this thread for a while now and quite a lot has been covered so I'm going to post some random stuff here.

1) ALL Z1 machines have the same motherboard - regardless of the country you bought it in or the model #

2) ALL G2 machines have the same motherboard as above

3) mPCIe slots have USB connectors or they don't - the original model doesn't = no mSATA, no 3G/4G

4) the G2 machine mPCIE slot does have a USB connector

Without the USB in the original machine, you cannot use mSATA drives or any 3G/4G modem in the slot which limits what you can do with them.

[XenonXTZ]

What USB are you talking about?
And for God's sake just tell me what is the purpose of 3x miniPCIE that do not support mSATA?
Is that to have 3 different WiFi adapters?

[KUEI12]

That's what I am wondering Xenon. What good are these? I spent 3 hours the other day searching the net for items that plug into mSata slots. Aside from Wifi cards and Msata drives ( which the G1 cannot use) the only thing else was port adaptors, which are completely useless on the inside of a Z1. Unless, of course, you wat to remove your video card so you have room to jimmy rig an obsolete hard drive or a row of flash drives. That would be ridiculous. 

I think Roger is adding more confusion to this issue (no offense), primarily because he keeps trying to distinguish between the two units as Z1 abd G2. They are ALL Z1 machines and should be distinguished by G1 and G2. And, from what I know, they both have different mother board identities.

What is really disappointing is the piss poor documentation that HP includes with these VERY expensive products. I DARE you to try and find parts for these machines that they continue to manufacture. Try doing a search for the dual 2-1/2" hard drive caddy or the hinge (found on both G1 and G2) you just supplied me, thank you...671219-001. Go ahead, try to find it. Is this a part that is only sold on the dark web by heroin dealers? This is exactly why HP lost ground to Dell. Lack of customer support. Dell makes complete garbage that I hate, but I can get parts and drivers for any 7 year old Dell pc from anywhere. HP makes top notch products, but their lack of support is why their customers keep fleeing.

I don't want to spend two thirds of my life researching every aspect of my computer. It is a tool. I just want it to work. If a mechanic had this many problems trying to get a ratchet to work, he would throw it away and buy a different one, from a different manufacturer.