CompTIA exam study guide presentations by instructor Brian Ferrill, PACE-IT (Progressive, Accelerated Certifications for Employment in Information Technology) "Funded by the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Grant #TC-23745-12-60-A-53" Learn more about the PACE-IT Online program: www.edcc.edu/pace-it

1. Laptop expansion
options.

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Instructor, PACE-IT Program – Edmonds Community College
Areas of Expertise Industry Certifications
 PC Hardware
 Network Administration
 IT Project Management
 Network Design
 User Training
 IT Troubleshooting
Qualifications Summary
Education
 M.B.A., IT Management, Western Governor’s University
 B.S., IT Security, Western Governor’s University
Entrepreneur, executive leader, and proven manger
with 10+ years of experience turning complex issues
into efficient and effective solutions.
Strengths include developing and mentoring diverse
workforces, improving processes, analyzing
business needs and creating the solutions
required— with a focus on technology.

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– Expansion cards.
– Random access memory.
– Flash memory.
PACE-IT.

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Laptop expansion options.

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The laptop’s small form
factor, and sometimes its
method of manufacturing,
can make its functionality
more difficult to expand.
If increased functionality in a laptop is desired, in
most cases, a technician doesn’t have the option of
just opening the case and inserting the new
hardware. However, in many cases, the increased
capabilities can be achieved through other means.
Laptop expansion options.

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– PCMCIA Card.
» Introduced by the Personal Computer Memory Card Industry
Association in 1990.
• Also known as the PC Card and later as the CardBus.
» Originally, it was developed as a means expanding the storage
capacity of very small form factor devices.
» After its initial development, additional capabilities were added
to the standards.
» It used either a 16-bit or 32-bit data path and it came in three
types.
– Types of PCMCIA Cards.
» Type I: 3.3 mm thick with a 16-bit data path.
• Commonly used as additional RAM, Flash, or SRAM.
» Type II: 5 mm thick with a 16 or 32-bit data path.
• Introduced input/output support to the card. Commonly, these
were used as modems or network interface cards.
» Type III: 10.5 mm thick with a 32-bit data path (CardBus).
• More robust and allowed for full size interfaces.
• External hard drives were also developed.
Laptop expansion options.

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– ExpressCard.
» Developed by the PCMCIA, and introduced in 2003, as the
replacement for the CardBus.
» Has all of the functionality of the earlier PCMCIA Card, but
offers additional performance.
• Can take advantage of internal connections to either the PCIe
or USB bus. This allows for possible transfer rates of 280
Mbps in USB2 mode and up to 3.2 Gbps in either USB3 or
PCIe 2 mode.
» As the PCMCIA disbanded in 2009, this standard is no longer
being developed; however, it is being maintained by the USB
Implementers Forum (USB-IF).
– ExpressCard formats.
» ExpressCard/34.
• 34 mm wide and 75 mm long with a 26 pin connector.
» ExpressCard/54.
• 54 mm wide and 75 mm long with a 26 pin connector.
• Easily recognized by its L shape.
• ExpressCard/54 slots could accept either ExpressCard
format.
Laptop expansion options.

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Laptop expansion options.

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– Small outline dual inline memory module
(SO-DIMM).
» Developed as a random access memory (RAM) solution for the
smaller form factor applications.
» In many cases, it is an easily performed expansion option used to
increase the performance of the laptop.
» So-DIMMs come in different versions.
• 100 pin SDRAM.
• 144 pin SDRAM.
• 200 pin DDR.
• 200 pin DDR2.
• 204 pin DDR3.
• 260 pin DDR4.
– SO-DIMM expansion.
» Increasing the amount of SO-DIMM in a laptop can increase
performance, just as increasing the amount of RAM in a PC does.
• It is not uncommon for current laptops to come with the SO-
DIMMs soldered in place, making it un-upgradeable in the field.
Laptop expansion options.

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Laptop expansion options.

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– Flash.
» It is a type of non-volatile computer memory that was
developed by Toshiba.
• Non-volatile means that it doesn’t require an electrical charge
to maintain the state of the data.
» It is commonly used as a highly portable method of storing data
and applications.
» The most common form factor is the USB flash drive.
» It is reasonably inexpensive and it can operate at high speeds.
» Some operating systems can use flash as RAM.
• Microsoft developed ReadyBoost as a means of caching data
on flash, effectively extending RAM to the flash memory
module. This often leads to an increase in the performance of
the laptop.
» Due to the nature of its construction and operation, flash
memory performance does degrade over time and it will
eventually wear out.
Laptop expansion options.

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Laptop expansion options.
The PCMCIA Card was introduced in 1990. Initially it was deployed with a
16-bit bus and was most often used as means of creating portable storage.
With the development of Type II and III cards, increased functionality was
added to the PC Card. These were superseded by the ExpressCard, which
came in two formats: ExpressCard/34 and ExpressCard/54.
Topic
Expansion cards.
Summary
The small form factor of the laptop lead to the creation of the SO-DIMM,
which is a smaller form factor of RAM. Increasing the amount of SO-DIMM
in a system can be an easy method of improving performance. Over time,
SO-DIMM has come in many different versions: 200 pin DDR, 200 pin
DDR2, 204 pin DDR3, and 260 pin DDR4.
Random access memory.
Flash memory is a type of non-volatile computer memory. This means that
an electrical charge is not needed to maintain the stored contents. It is
relatively inexpensive and fast. It is commonly used to create highly
portable storage for data and applications. The most common form factor
for flash memory is the USB drive. Microsoft developed ReadyBoost as a
method of using flash as an extension of RAM.
Flash memory.

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THANK YOU!

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