Upgrade possibilities for Latitude 5290 2 in 1

These can be upgraded to NVMe drives.

There is only one SSD slot, and no space for a larger battery inside - so it's no-go for a second drive or larger battery.

Well, it turned out that the empty WWLAN slot could take another SSD of 2242 size. There are not many SSDs available in this size but Toshiba RC100 NVMe m.2 240GB is one of them. I now have two physical SSDs on my 5290 2-in-1.

Did you have to enable anything in BIOS to get the 2nd SSD slot working?  I had the same thing in mind Upgraded my main SSD and bought a secondary.  Installed both but only the main is recognized.

I don't remember tweaking anything in BIOS. I'm pretty sure it automatically recognized the SSD. What kind of 2242 size SSD did you use?

Did you change the sata drive for one nvme? So it worked? 
i would like to do the same

Hi utopik,

Find the details of upgrade for your system.

Storage:(Hard drive and SSD)

Hello Parnoshree C,

Thank you for the information about upgrades for the Latitude 5290 2-in-1.  Mine comes with a 42 Wh (4-cell) battery, part JOPGR.

Q1: You mention in your post that 51 Whr and 68Wh batteries are available for the 5290 2-in-1.  Would you please provide those part numbers?

Also, can you reconfirm the Max sizes and specs for the TWO different SSD slots in the 5290 2-in-1?

Q2: FOR MAIN SSD slot (2280):

Q2a)  Does it support SSD M.2 2280 SATA or PCIe/NVMe?

Q2b) What is the max supported SSD capacity?

Q2c) What is the latest supported version / speed ?   (x2? x4?)

Q3: FOR SSD / WWAN slot (2230):

Q3a)  Does it support SSD M.2 2230 SATA or PCIe/NVMe?

Q3b) What is the max supported SSD capacity?Q3c) What is the latest supported version / speed ?  (x2? x4?)

Q3c) What is the latest supported version / speed ?   (x2? x4?)

I have a Latitude 5290 2-in-1 and can confirm that the 2230 SSD/WAN slot CAN accept a 2nd SSD.  However, the slot is mislabeled as the slot is actually sized for a 2242 (22mmx42mm) size SSD.

I tested it with a Western Digital 128GB SN520 Series NVMe 2242 sized SSD, model number SDAPMUW-128G.  The 5290 2-in-1 recognizes the drive with no modifications to any BIOS settings.  Best news is that it works with either a SATA M.2 SSD or a PCIe NVME M.2 SSD in the primary 2280 slot (The BIOS screen shows the capability to recognize 2x PCIe NVMe drives, one in the main slot and one in the 2230 SSD/WWAN slot).  I personally tested using both a SATA or a PCIe NVMe M.2 drive in the main 2280 slot and both configurations work.

Basically, the 2242 PCIe NVMe M.2 2242 drive needs to have a physical B-slot and M-Slot.  The typical PCIe NVMe M.2 2242 format cards only has an M-slot (such as the Samsung PM991 MZ-ALQ1280) which will NOT fit as the 2nd SSD port is physically set up for B-slot cards.  Only a few manufactures make a PCI-e NVMe M.2 2242 SSD with both the B-slot and M-slot, and the Western Digital SN520 series is one of those.  NOTE:  A SATA based M.2 2242 SSD will NOT work...M.2 2242 drive must be PCIe NVMe.  So if you are looking to add a 2nd drive to your 5290 2-in-1, it is possible, and the Western Digital SN520 series 128GB 2242 works.

Hope this helps.    

Hello Peeps!,

1. Thanks for pointing out that the slot was mislabeled (viz. that it ought to be a for a 2242 rather than a 2230; seems like a silly mistake on Dell's part).
2. A bit of noob question but: how would one go about securing a 2242 NVMe M.2 SSD onto the board without the metal bracket and M.2 screw that the above illustration seems to come complete with? S:
   
   (photo of what mine will look like when it is opened-up, note the tape in the top left with the absence of both metal bracket and M.2 screw (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻) 
   

    

   
   
   
   

I just got one of these, and it's quite easy to upgrade. So far I've added an Acer 1tb nvme ssd, and an Intel ax200 wifi6 card. I had no problems installing either.

Are Dell 5290 and 5290 2 in 1  same model? Dell 5290 product manual shows upgrade of battery 68 Whr, but Dell 5290 2 in 1 product manual shows battery upgrade up to 41 Whr only.

Despite the same model number, the clamshell 5290 and 2-in-1 5290 are entirely different systems.

As per Battery product page for 4 cell, 68 WHr ExpressCharge Capable Battery: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-4-cell-68-wh-lithium-ion-replacement-battery-for-select-laptops/apd/451-bbzg/pc-accessories#compatibility_section

Compatibility list is 

This product is compatible with the following systems:

• Latitude 5280
• Latitude 5290
• Latitude 5480
• Latitude 5490
• Latitude 5491
• Latitude 5495
• Latitude 5580
• Latitude 5590
• Latitude 5591
• Precision 3520
• Precision 3530

Dell 5290 2 in 1 is not in the list. How did you claim battery upgrade possible???

I got a 5290 2-in-1 a few months ago and am going to replace the battery in it soon.  I was thinking of upgrading the ssd to a nvme also.

I was wondering if you could tell me if the faster ssd has helped with the slow resume time from hibernation?  I have it set to hibernate after an hour of sleep so save battery but I find the time it takes to get the system running smooth again after waking it is pretty long. Do you think an nvme drive would help with that?

Currently I have a Samsung PM871b which is rated at like 500 mb/s read and 300 mb/s write, so pretty slow.

Another question would be heat.  Would an nvme drive make the fan come on more often since it generates more heat that a slower m.2 drive?

Lucky that you were left the wwan antenna leads. I'm actually in the process of installing the WWAN card and the person or seller on eBay sold me one that had the WWAN removed along with the wires. I know it had it before because it was listed in the bios as being installed and the sim card slot was not blocked off. It also has the smart card reader and fingerprint sensor along with the ir camera so I'm pretty sure it had cellular service. I'm assuming they stripped the parts to sell separately. I have read that other's have installed the card and the wires were already in place. I'm having a difficult time finding the correct wires. Does anyone know the part numbers for them? Or the actual location of the second plug on the main board? From pictures I've seen online, it looks like the second one is possibly connected on the back of the main board or somewhere under the ir cam. If anyone can offer any help it would be greatly appreciated.