2 TB SSD compatibility with Optiplex 3090 Micro

Question

I just bought an Optiplex 3090 Micro with a 256 GB SSD installed. I am hoping to replace it with a 2 TB SSD. However I'm confused about which SSDs are compatible with this computer.

I do see on a Dell "Setup and Specifications" document that the following SSD type is listed as compatible with the Optiplex 3090 Micro:

M.2 2280, Class 40 solid-state drive PCIe NVMe Gen4 x4 Up to 2 TB

This is confusing to me for a couple of reasons. For one, all the other SSDs listed as compatible are Gen3 and limited to 1 TB or less. And elsewhere the specifications say that the computer's PCIe bus supports "up to Gen 3.0". So I'm confused about why only a Gen4 2 TB drive is listed as compatible, when the computer only supports up to Gen3.

Also, if I enter my computer's Service Tag number and look for compatible SSD upgrades, I see drives that match the Gen3 compatibility listed in the specifications (and only up to 1 TB). But no option at all appears for a 2 TB drive.

Can anyone tell me which, if any 2 TB drives are compatible with a Dell 3090 Micro, and if so whether it is necessary that the drive be a Gen 4?

Thanks for any help you might be able to give.

bradthetechnut · Answer

Gen4 is backward compatible with Gen3. You still might only get Gen3 x4 speeds. Another user had the same problem with the documentation you're seeing. User tested and is only getting Gen3 speeds from Gen4 SSD. Seems to be an error with Dell documentation.

Optiplex 3090 & 7090 Spec Sheet lists Gen3 SSD's. I've also seen the Gen4 references in the Setup and Specifications Guide.

In the spec sheet: M.2 2280, 2 TB, Gen 3, PCIe x4, NVMe, Class 40 SSD

dhjk · Answer

Thanks for your response, but I still feel somewhat confused about which drive would be compatible with the Optiplex 3090 Micro. The spec sheet you link to does show that the 2TB, Gen3 drive would be compatible with the Optiplex 7090 Ultra. But somewhat oddly, the same sheet lists no 2TB drives as compatible with the Optiplex 3090 Ultra. That somewhat adds to my confusion, but also that is a slightly different model than mine - I have the Optiplex 3090 Micro.

dhjk · Answer

Also, I just got off of a rather frustrating chat with Dell support. All the agent would do is to repeat the info in the specification sheet for my model. (I had already looked at this, and in fact referred to exactly this information previously in the chat.) He didn't seem to get my question about why this one - and only one - compatible SSD choice is specified as PCIe Gen4, when the computer itself doesn't support PCIe Gen4. The document you link to makes me even more suspicious of the Gen4 requirement for my particular model, but the agent would only insist that the spec sheet is correct.

I guess I feel pretty sure than the 2TB Gen3 drive would work, but it would be nice to have a little more confidence given how expensive these drives are.

Anyway thanks again for your comment.

bradthetechnut · Answer

Shoot, while scrolling through the spec sheet, I managed to miss the "7090" and "3090" headings.

Don't know if this will help any, but I looked at the Setup and Specifications Guide for the 3090 SFF. It also listed 1TB as tops for M.2 SSD.

dhjk · Answer

I got a better reply from Dell support. They tell me that the Dell Optiplex 3090 micro is compatible Gen3 SSDs (M.2 2280, PCIe x4, NVMe) up to 1 TB capacity, but for 2 TB it has to be Gen4.

bradthetechnut · Answer

Ok; thanks for the info.

dhjk · Answer

Just to clarify, I believe what Dell support is saying is that a 2 TB, Gen 3 SSD in this computer is not a tested configuration, and that they advise sticking with tested configurations.

Optiplex Desktops

2 TB SSD compatibility with Optiplex 3090 Micro

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