[Guide] Install High Sierra or Mojave on the Dell Optiplex 7010 / 9010 Desktop PC - Revision II

[trs96]

Any NVMe (boot capable) preferably NVMe on the system board systems out there? Been tried?

Most Haswell refresh H97/Z97 etc. or newer can boot from NVMe drives either via a PCIe adapter or an onboard M.2 slot. Many are using those right now as NVMe SSD prices get lower and lower to almost Sata SSD levels. A 512 GB HP EX 950 sells for 88 dollars right now on Newegg. It is TLC Nand flash but that is still a great deal if you need a larger boot drive. The 5 year warranty is about two years longer than most Sata based SSDs will give you. So you really can't lose here. In 5 years from now NVMe read speeds will probably be around 8GB/s or more so you'd want to upgrade by then.

 

[Grizz]

Most Haswell refresh H97/Z97 etc. or newer can boot from NVMe drives either via a PCIe adapter or an onboard M.2 slot. Many are using those right now as NVMe SSD prices get lower and lower to almost Sata SSD levels. A 512 GB HP EX 950 sells for 88 dollars right now on Newegg. It is TLC Nand flash but that is still a great deal if you need a larger boot drive. The 5 year warranty is about two years longer than most Sata based SSDs will give you. So you really can't lose here. In 5 years from now NVMe read speeds will probably be around 8GB/s or more so you'd want to upgrade by then.

trs96,

I know the OP7020 has Q87. Know which of the OPTIPLEX familes have the H97 or Z97?

This looks like an AWESOME board -- with an awesome price tag too... LOL

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075RJHN2D/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Too rich for my blood.

Grizz

 

[trs96]

I know the OP7020 has Q87. Know which of the OPTIPLEX familes have the H97 or Z97?

This looks like an AWESOME board -- with an awesome price tag too... LOL

I think that all of the 7020/9020 Dells are Q87. There's no way you need a Z390 system or even an NVMe drive for what you are doing. Stay with your Sata SSD and keep some money saved for a rainy day.

 

[Poli169]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/163642297074 @trs96 what do you think of this for a start point I would try and offer less.

 

[Grizz]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/163642297074 @trs96 what do you think of this for a start point I would try and offer less.

That is a good price for the chasis - provided the MB and PS both work.

Would certainly allow you to customize the RAM, HDD and CPU.

Grizz

 

[Poli169]

That is a good price for the chasis - provided the MB and PS both work.

Would certainly allow you to customize the RAM, HDD and CPU.

Grizz

These use regular ram right now laptop? I'm planning on getting a 16gb kit for my 9010 mt so I could reuse the 8 gigs from that one on this.

 

[Grizz]

These use regular ram right now laptop? I'm planning on getting a 16gb kit for my 9010 mt so I could reuse the 8 gigs from that one on this.

Yes..

Dell OptiPlex 9010 (Ultra Small Form Factor) | Memory RAM & SSD Upgrades | Crucial.com

Crucial Memory and SSD upgrades - 100% Compatibility Guaranteed for Dell OptiPlex 9010 (Ultra Small Form Factor) - FREE US Delivery.

www.crucial.com

I have 16GB of RAM in mine, and it is quite fast enough with the Samsung EVO 850 SSD and the Core i5 3475S.

Did not require me to add a PCI Video Card to the system.

Grizz

 

[trs96]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/163642297074 @trs96 what do you think of this for a start point I would try and offer less.

It may be worth a gamble. It looks like they didn't even bother to blow the dust out of these. You'll have to clean it up if you buy one. The worst thing that could happen is that they've bent some pins when removing parts. So make sure they have some kind of return policy that is workable if that has happened.

 

[trs96]

These use regular ram right not laptop?

Yes these are taking full size 240 Pin desktop ram modules so you could swap your other ram into this USFF.

 

[craighazan]

Question for other NVMe SSD owners. Was Trim automatically enabled and does your NVMe section in System Info say Apple SSD Controller ?

Yep, my Kingspec 128 was automatically trimmed and had the Apple SSD controller. I received my HP EX920 256GB but haven’t installed it yet. I’m sure I shorted my 7010 motherboard and am waiting for a replacement.