Are Dell Precision 7920 workstations compatible with SSD7000/SSD7500/SSD6540 Series NVMe RAID Controllers and Enclosures? 

Compatibility Status: Compatible (Data RAID)

Link to Compatibility Report: 

Note: The compatibility reports we provide are based on the target platform/motherboard research, using the manufacturer’s official specifications and product documentation.

Summary: Dell Precision 7920 workstation platforms are capable of supporting HighPoint SSD7000 series NVMe RAID controllers. SSD7500 series controllers can also be used with this platform but will be unable to operate at full speed, as the systems only provide PCIe 3.0 connectivity. The SSD6540 series NVMe RAID enclosures utilize a PCIe Gen3 x16 NVMe HBA for external connectivity, which appears to be compatible with this platform. The current motherboards used by 7920 workstations utilize the Intel C621 chipset (Intel 600 based systems are known to be compatible with HighPoint NVME products). The motherboard’s BIOS provides UEFI support and provides option ROM settings for legacy devices, but it is not clear if it provides UEFI option ROM support.

Manufacturer Documentation: https://dl.dell.com/topicspdf/precision-7920-workstation_owners-manual_en-us.pdf

1. PCIe Host Interface: Dell 7920 platforms supports PCIe Gen3 (PCIe 3.0), and provides 2 or more PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 electrical) slots. Some systems appear to provide 4x x16 slots (dual CPU’s systems).

2. Boot RAID Support (NVMe arrays used to boot a system): Dell 79020 platforms can support bootable NVMe arrays. The BIOS appears to provide UEFI option ROM support.

3. Data RAID Support (NVMe arrays used for data storage): There are no apparent restrictions for data-only storage configurations.

4. Recommended Controllers:

• Bootable Configurations: SSD7103, SSD7505
• Maximum Performance: We would recommend the SSD7101A-1. Cross-sync is possible for systems that provide multiple PCIe 3.0 x16 slots with x16 bandwidth. Note: most systems are shipped with a Graphics Adapter installed into one of these slots.
• Maximum Storage Capacity: We would recommend the 8-port SSD7140 (M.2), though customers could also use the SSD7540 (backwards compatibility with PCIe 3.0).
• External Connectivity (NVMe Enclosures): SSD6540 (4x U.2), SSD6540M (4x M.2), or the SSD6540S paired with the SSD7184 RAID controller (4x U.2 or M.2, depending on which drive bays the customer is using).