Inspiron 3670, what is the solid standoff for on M.2 drive port?

* For my notes, click my DELL-name and private message me the Inspiron 3670 service tag number

* Post a picture of what you see. This is what I see in the training document =

https://www.amazon.com/MICRO-CONNECTORS-Mounting-Components-L02-M2S-KIT/dp/B07GN8QHD6/

I am installing an M.2 NVMe drive in my Inspiron 3670 and the stand off post that is currently there appears to useless. I wonder what it's for?

This is what is there =

This is what It should be =

Unknown. The Inspiron 3670 parts page does not list that item nor does it list any available screws? All I can recommend is finding a stand off with threads that fits. Hopefully other Inspiron 3670 can offer 3rd party sites that have them.

That screw is one of the Items that holds motherboard in place.  It prevents undue stress on the board when cards are inserted or removed from the slots.

You need a spacer with threads and M2 3.5 screw to change it out.

If its really M4 not M3 then this should do the trick

https://www.amazon.com/HVAZI-Standoffs-Washers-Assortment-Male-Female/dp/B07MPNVF5T/

This is pretty bizarre. Strange screw with no apparent use other than holding the mother board? Wonder why it's different than all the other mobo hold down screws? Finding the correct stand off/screw is not going to be easy. The male thread on the stand off has to be M4, not M2. So I need a stand off that is M4 male X M2 female, along with an M2 X3.5 screw. All the ones listed on Amazon or the Bay don't list the male thread size for the stand off they sell. It's strange that Dell doesn't offer the stand off and screw. They supply one when the  Inspiron 3670 is configured with the Intel Optane memory.

If they left it blank then the board would crack when cards are inserted and removed from SLOT 1 which you can clearly see in the picture.   Its a Phillips screw because its easier to put that in via robot than a hex standoff is.

Thanks for your input. What my photo doesn't tell you is I actually moved this "tall" screw from the 2230 slot to the 2280 which is 2" further away from slot 1 thus not offering much support for the slot. All the other mobo hold down screws are combo Phillips hex just like the ones holding the side panel on. I don't doubt a screw in this location is beneficial, and probably serves the purpose you suggested when no M.2 drive is present. However, It makes no sense to me to have only one hold down screw be 6-7mm tall, and all the rest are short. A short one would fit and serve the purpose of a hold down screw. My theory is it's just there to indicate the location to install the M.2 stand off when an M.2 slot is populated, either 2230 or 2280 length. 

In any case, it doesn't matter what Dell was thinking, I still have to find the correct stand off and screw to install the M.2 NVME drive. All that I have found so far don't have an M4 male end on the stand off.

The original standoff *does* take an M2 screw even though the threads are impossible to see.  Just try it.

Hopefully I can shed some additional, factual info here. ( @speedstep  with huge text and presenting their opinion as fact, is actually wrong with the information he/she posted!)  The OP, who never followed up after getting correct information from @azak , was mistaken in their initial belief that the standoff doesn't have internal threads.

I am referencing my information from my own direct measurements of actual Inspiron 3670 in my possession, which was originally configured and shipped from Dell with M.2 SSD installed.

The screw in question IS the M.2 drive standoff. The threads for the M2 screw are inside the Phillips head top. See my pics. 

Important to note:

• The standoff height measures 6.64mm, which is taller than many other motherboards (this will be an issue if your Inspiron doesn't already have the standoff. 
• The threads in the standoff for M2 screw, being below the Phillips head, are a little further down than "normal" standoff depth, so a typical M2 x 3.5mm might not be long enough, depending on the way the manufacturer of the screws measure them. 
  • The M2 screw pre-installed by Dell to hold their M.2 SSD is standard M2 thread, and measures 4.86mm total length, with head thickness of 1.5mm, so the length of the actual threaded section is 3.36mm. 
• The screw of the standoff itself, that screws into motherboard, is standard "ATX" 6-32 size (that's imperial now, not metric) with thread pitch 1/32 inches (0.03125" / .7938mm) and NOT M3 which has much finer thread pitch of .5 mm (0.02") 

   

  

   

So, did you find the correct stand off, and if so where ?

How did you solve the problem

The original poster never returned to confirm either way with their experience but if you look at page 2 of the thread, my detailed post from 2019 clearly shows that the included screw from Dell is actually the standoff and has threads inside of the screw below the Phillips screwdriver indentations. 

Despite what others said I did not post that I had the exact solution.

What I did Suggest was generic kit with various standoff sizes.

https://www.amazon.com/MICRO-CONNECTORS-Mounting-Components-L02-M2S-KIT/dp/B07GN8QHD6/

@speedstep , The problem with your posts is this: Your two posts loudly declared a number of things as facts, but your statements were actually false.  

You wrote,

"That screw is one of the Items that holds motherboard in place. It prevents undue stress on the board when cards are inserted or removed from the slots.You need a spacer with threads and M2 3.5 screw to change it out. "

That is WRONG. The screw in question IS the M.2 SSD standoff.

You also wrote,

"If they left it blank then the board would crack when cards are inserted and removed from SLOT 1 which you can clearly see in the picture. Its a Phillips screw because its easier to put that in via robot than a hex standoff is." 

That is also WRONG. That screw has NOTHING to do with the security of the motherboard. Also, the Philips screw style has NOTHING to do with robots assembling the computer (The various components like motherboards, hard drives, fans, etc. that are installed inside Dell desktops have always been assembled in the case by human hand, and there is no evidence to indicate that has changed.)

Look, it's great if you are trying to help people here, but you do the opposite if you just spout off ideas as if they are facts, and behave like you're an authority on all subjects.

If you don't know something for sure, then either don't weigh in to the conversation, or at least make it clear that you are providing your best guess.

Cheers.