Would it be possible to install a second SDD HDD in the WWAN slot?

given that one can add bluetooth, ram and larger ssd to the linux variant, im glad i had not gotten a netbook yet. funky keyboard or not, i suspect ill order a dell mini at some point.

I can’t comment at all on the type of SSD, but it looks like folks at notebookreview.com (http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4578) have benchmarked it and it runs about about as fast as the SSD in the ASUS 4G (about as half as fast as a 5400 rpm HDD):

“For those interested in the speed of the 8GB SSD, hdparm benchmarks the SSD buffered read speed at 26.91MB/sec. For comparison, the 4GB SSD in the ASUS Eee PC 4G performs at 21.78 MB/sec. Meanwhile, a Lenovo ThinkPad T60 with a fast 7200rpm Seagate hard drive has a buffered read speed of 54.62 MB/sec and a Toshiba Tecra A9 with standard 5400rpm hard drive has a buffered read speed of 44.87 MB/sec.”

wow… that’s completely crazy. So you’re saying that it isn’t a STEC controller next to the Flash media but an SST controller? You just confused the hell out of me :(

I’m 100% certain. Imagine the picture of the STEC I posted above. Instead of 2 flash modules and the controller with the STEC logo, the card in the Dell has 2 flash modules and a controller with the SST logo / product number.

Like I said, we’ll keep digging to sort it out.

here’s the spec on that controller: “The SST55VD020 high-performance ATA Flash Disk Controller offers sustained read and write performance up to 30 MByte/sec.”

That’s way off on the read speed, although STEC’s website shows its SSD for UMPC at a read speed of 55Mb/sec. Anyways, something doesn’t make sense here. Are you 100% that the SST controller is on the SSD model itself? Are you sure it’s not somewhere else on the motherboard?

I do have a picture that I was sent from LAPTOP Mag while researching this with them over e-mail today. I’m not going to publish it without their OK, as it’s their picture. Until I get permission, you’ll have to trust me. Believe me, I didn’t make up the 55VD020 part number. ;)

I agree with you in that it’s confusing. We’ll keep digging for more info of course. Since their unit is pre-production perhaps there was a little cobbling of some components?!? If that’s even possible… your point is well taken: why mix and match, if that’s indeed the case.

do you have a picture with a close up of the drive showing the SST controller? I guess I’m really confused now… the whole point of sourcing a drive from STEC is to get the better read/write speeds from their controller. Why in the world would an SST controller be in the SSD?

The controller chip is marked 55VD020, which is SST’s ATA flash controller.

http://www.sst.com/products.xhtml/embedded_controllers/55/SST55VD020

also, I don’t see a PCI interface offering from STEC… there must be a SATA to PCI bridge somewhere in there