Dell OptiPlex 9020 Small Form Factor upgrades
Released 2013 · support ended
Chassis variants share the '9020' name: only the SFF (and MT) get 4 DIMM slots/32 GB and 84 W CPUs; USFF and Micro have 2 slots/16 GB and lower TDP limits. The Micro is the only variant with M.2. Nothing is soldered on this board. SFF has two low-profile PCIe slots (one x16, one x16-size wired x4) and a 255 W PSU with no PCIe power connectors, limiting GPU upgrades. Note that the socket on this 2013 Haswell platform is LGA 1150 (Socket H3), not LGA 1151, so 6th/7th-gen Core CPUs will not fit.
Upgrade guide → What fits, step by step, and official documents.
- 4x DDR3-1600 UDIMM, max 32 GB: 4 × DDR3 DIMM · up to 32 GB total · 1600 MT/s
- 1x 3.5" + 2x 2.5" SATA III bays: 3 × SSD / HDD 2.5" / 3.5" (SATA) · up to 2 TB
- LGA 1150 socket, Haswell up to 84 W: LGA1151 (6th/7th gen) · Core 6th gen · max 84 W
4x DDR3-1600 UDIMM, max 32 GB 4 × DDR3 DIMM · up to 32 GB total · 1600 MT/s
Standard 1.5 V non-ECC unbuffered DDR3 only; server ECC/registered DIMMs will not POST. Dell validates 2/4/8 GB modules (8 GB = 32 GB max); 16 GB DDR3 UDIMMs are unvalidated and often quad-rank, which must go in the sockets with white release levers. Install in matched pairs in sockets starting at 1; mixed speeds run at the slowest. Dual-voltage 1.35 V/1.5 V DDR3L is the safest buy. Confirm the chassis: only MT/SFF have 4 slots/32 GB (USFF/Micro: 2 slots/16 GB).
No compatible offers right now.
1x 3.5" + 2x 2.5" SATA III bays 3 × SSD / HDD 2.5" / 3.5" (SATA) · up to 2 TB
SATA 1.5/3.0/6.0 Gbps only; RAID 0/1 on select configurations. No M.2 and no native NVMe or NVMe boot support (an NVMe drive on a PCIe card works only as secondary storage). 2.5" positions likely need Dell caddies/brackets and the second may conflict with the slimline optical drive. 2 TB is Dell's validated HDD ceiling, not a controller limit. No documented 2.5" thickness limit; standard 7 mm/9.5 mm drives fit.
| $/TB | Price | Capacity | Product | Condition | Store | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $16.00 | $8.00 | 500 GB | Toshiba 500GB 2.5" 5400 RPM HDD (7 mm) 2.5" HDD · SATA · 5400 rpm · 7 mm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal |
| $16.60 | $8.30 | 500 GB | HGST Travelstar Z7K500 500GB 2.5" 7200 RPM HDD (7 mm) 2.5" HDD · SATA · 7200 rpm · 7 mm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal |
| $18.00 | $9.00 | 500 GB | Seagate Laptop Thin 500GB 2.5" 7200 RPM HDD (7 mm) 2.5" HDD · SATA · 7200 rpm · 7 mm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal |
| $24.20 | $12.10 | 500 GB | WD Blue 500GB 2.5" 5400 RPM HDD (7 mm) 2.5" HDD · SATA · 5400 rpm · 7 mm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal |
| $40.00 | $79.99 | 2 TB | Seagate BarraCuda 2TB 2.5" 5400 RPM HDD 2.5" HDD · SATA · 5400 rpm · SMR · 7 mm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal |
| $54.72 | $27.36 | 500 GB | WD Blue 500GB 2.5" 5400 RPM HDD (7 mm) 2.5" HDD · SATA · 5400 rpm · 7 mm | New | eBay US +2 | View deal |
| $57.80 | $28.90 | 500 GB | Seagate BarraCuda 500GB 2.5" 5400 RPM HDD (7 mm) 2.5" HDD · SATA · 5400 rpm · 7 mm | New | eBay US +2 | View deal |
| $59.50 | $119.00 | 2 TB | Seagate BarraCuda 2TB 2.5" 5400 RPM HDD 2.5" HDD · SATA · 5400 rpm · SMR · 7 mm | New | eBay US +2 | View deal |
| $64.50 | $129.00 | 2 TB | Crucial MX500 2TB 2.5" SATA SSD 2.5" SSD · SATA · 7 mm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal |
| $94.78 | $47.39 | 500 GB | Seagate BarraCuda 500GB 2.5" 5400 RPM HDD (7 mm) 2.5" HDD · SATA · 5400 rpm · 7 mm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal |
LGA 1150 socket, Haswell up to 84 W LGA1151 (6th/7th gen) · Core 6th gen · max 84 W
Socketed desktop CPU (Intel LGA 1150 / Socket H3), Q87 chipset. Dell lists only 4th-gen Haswell Core i3/i5/i7 and Pentium parts; Xeon E3 v3 and Broadwell refresh chips are not validated and may need a BIOS/whitelist workaround. Stay within the SFF cooler's 84 W envelope.
No compatible offers right now.