Can I use a laptop PCIe SSD connection, for something else?

[Xanthe_2871]

Hi, the laptop I'm considering buying has a PCIe SSD, and a regular hard drive. If I install some SSD or just use the hard drive, can I remove the PCIe SSD and use that slot for something else, like a graphics card or something? 

[Unimaginative Name]

A laptop 'PCIe' is just an M.2 slot with PCIe bandwidth. You can put a bluetooth or wifi adapter there but because it's a laptop, there's no point as it will already have those capabilities. I'd just leave the PCIe SSD as a boot drive/application drive and use the other slot as file storage.

[cynexit]

Sure you can, there are lots of people doing exactly that with an intel NUC, the only thing you have to remember is that the port is most likely not a standard PCI slot but an m.2 slot.
The issue is that you will have to keep your laptop open constantly and it needs to be slightly elevated to leave room for the m.2 to pcie card and the pcie riser you need to connect.

Example with an Intel NUC can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/JHoIy

 

EDIT: Granted, this only works if the m.2 port is not under the keyboard but on the backside of the laptop, but it is in most cases...

[Unimaginative Name]

5 minutes ago, cynexit said:

Sure you can, there are lots of people doing exactly that with an intel NUC, the only thing you have to remember is that the port is most likely not a standard PCI slot but an m.2 slot.
The issue is that you will have to keep your laptop open constantly and it needs to be slightly elevated to leave room for the m.2 to pcie card and the pcie riser you need to connect.

Example with an Intel NUC can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/JHoIy

 

EDIT: Granted, this only works if the m.2 port is not under the keyboard but on the backside of the laptop, but it is in most cases...

I had no idea that we even a thing. That's pretty cool, albeit impractical.

[grimreeper132]

42 minutes ago, cynexit said:

-SNIP-

I guess it's bad that I am annoyed that they haven't done the easy solution for that to make that work with the lid closed, by cutting a small hole into the lid, so you the end of the extender is flush(ish) with the lid and then use it like that in a way where you could easily swap the GPU if you want and also for the fun of it