Dell DKJCG 1.6TB Mixed-Use TLC NVMe for Poweredge Server SSD

Advanced NVMe SSD

Brand Identity & Product Classification

• Manufacturer: Dell
• Part Identifier: DKJCG
• Drive Category: High-performance Solid State Storage

Storage Architecture & Build Details

• Total Capacity: 1.6TB
• Interface Protocol: PCI Express Gen 4.0 x4 with NVMe support
• Drive Format: U.2 form factor, 15mm height
• Memory Type: 96-layer 3D NAND TLC flash
• Shock Resistance: Rated at 1000G
• Reliability Metric: Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) of 2 million hours

Performance Metrics & Operational Efficiency

Sequential Throughput

• Read Speed: Up to 3500 MB/s
• Write Speed: Up to 1700 MB/s

Random Access Capabilities

• Random Read IOPS: 400,000 (4K blocks)
• Random Write IOPS: 118,000 (4K blocks)

Energy Consumption

• Active Power Usage: 15 Watts
• Idle Power Draw: 5 Watts

System Compatibility & Integration

Supported Dell PowerEdge Platforms

14th Generation Servers

• PowerEdge R440
• PowerEdge R640
• PowerEdge R740xd
• PowerEdge R840
• PowerEdge R940
• PowerEdge R940xa

15th Generation Servers

• PowerEdge R6415
• PowerEdge R6515
• PowerEdge R6525
• PowerEdge R7415
• PowerEdge R7425
• PowerEdge R7515
• PowerEdge R7525
• PowerEdge R960

16th Generation Servers

• PowerEdge R660
• PowerEdge R660xs
• PowerEdge R6615
• PowerEdge R6625
• PowerEdge R760
• PowerEdge R760xa
• PowerEdge R7615
• PowerEdge R7625
• PowerEdge T560
• PowerEdge XE9640
• PowerEdge XE9680
• PowerEdge XR7620

Cloud-Ready & HPC-Optimized Nodes

• PowerEdge C6420
• PowerEdge C6525
• PowerEdge C6620

Dell DKJCG 1.6TB Mixed-Use SSD Overview

This category centers on the Dell DKJCG 1.6TB Mixed-Use PCI-E Gen4 x4 TLC NVMe solid state drives purpose-built for enterprise class PowerEdge servers including 14G, 15G and 16G generations. Products in this category are targeted at deployments that demand a balance of sustained throughput, consistent low latency, and enterprise endurance for mixed read/write workloads. The descriptor “Mixed-Use” highlights these drives’ suitability where read and write activity coexist at moderate to high levels — database indexes, virtual machine boot and storage volumes, caching layers, and transaction logging are representative workloads. Because they use TLC NAND and NVMe over PCIe Gen4 x4, these drives provide a strong cost-to-performance ratio for datacenter architects who require capacity, reliability, and predictable service quality without the premium of higher-end write-optimized parts.

Design and Form Factor Considerations

Drives in this category are engineered to integrate seamlessly with PowerEdge server chassis and backplanes. The form factor and connector options that Dell ships for server-grade NVMe typically support hot-swap operation and compatibility with native server sleds or caddies. Thermal design is a key aspect of server NVMe integration: server airflow, sled thermal pads, and carrier metalwork are considered to ensure these TLC NVMe modules operate within Dell’s recommended temperature windows under sustained load. System administrators planning to deploy multiple 1.6TB mixed-use NVMe devices should plan airflow and ambient temperature budgets, since NVMe devices running at sustained Gen4 throughput can generate measurable heat compared with legacy SATA SSDs.

PCIe Gen4 x4 Interface and NVMe Protocol

The PCIe Gen4 x4 interface multiplied theoretical bandwidth per lane relative to Gen3, enabling higher sequential throughput and improved queue depth performance. NVMe as an interface protocol reduces command overhead and exploits parallelism across modern CPU and storage stacks, translating into significantly lower I/O latency and far greater IOPS per watt than older interfaces. For mixed-use drives, the combination of Gen4 x4 and NVMe yields a device that can sustain heavy mixed transactional workloads while reducing CPU cycles wasted on storage interrupts and legacy command translation. This matters most in virtualized environments and high-concurrency database systems where total system efficiency is essential.

Performance Characteristics

Category models are tuned to deliver consistent performance under mixed workloads instead of maximizing a single benchmark metric. This means sustained sequential throughput, solid random read performance, and predictable write caching and garbage collection behavior to prevent severe latency spikes. Unlike client-grade SSDs that optimize for bursty consumer workloads, mixed-use server SSDs emphasize consistent tail latency, stable throughput in sustained writes, and deterministic response times during drive maintenance tasks such as background garbage collection and wear leveling. In practical terms, this behavior translates to fewer application timeouts, smoother VM migration, and steadier database query response times when these NVMe drives are used as primary volume storage or cache tiers.

Compatibility

This product category explicitly targets compatibility with Dell PowerEdge 14G, 15G, and 16G systems. Compatibility extends beyond physical fit: firmware level interoperability, server RAID/HBA controller support for NVMe pass-through or NVMe RAID solutions, and system BIOS and firmware release compatibility are all part of an enterprise validation matrix. Server ecosystems evolve over multiple firmware revisions; the drives are typically qualified against specific server firmware stacks to ensure predictable behavior with Dell OpenManage tooling, lifecycle controllers, and firmware update pipelines. IT procurement should ensure that server firmware is current and that any required firmware or driver updates are applied before mass deployment to maximize compatibility and supportability.

Use Cases

Mixed-use NVMe devices in this category support multiple deployment patterns across the compute stack. They excel as primary datastores for virtualization platforms where multiple VMs generate sustained random and sequential I/O, as performance cache layers in hybrid storage architectures that combine high-capacity HDDs with NVMe caching tiers, and as local fast storage for containerized workloads that require rapid instance provisioning and low-latency storage. They are also appropriate for moderately write-intensive database roles such as OLTP indexes and log buffers, where the ability to sustain mixed I/O without severe latency degradation is essential.

Data Center

Choosing mixed-use NVMe drives is a tradeoff between capacity, performance, and cost. The 1.6TB capacity point is designed for dense deployment where balancing per-drive capacity and per-drive performance is important. Lower per-GB cost versus higher endurance drive classes can yield significant savings when scaled across many servers, while still maintaining the performance characteristics required by most enterprise workloads. Total cost of ownership calculations should include procurement price, expected lifespan under target workloads, power consumption differences compared with alternatives, and the operational cost of replacements and management. For many organizations, the mixed-use tier offers the sweet spot between conservative endurance and modern NVMe performance.

Comparative Positioning Against Other Storage Options

Compared to consumer SATA SSDs, mixed-use NVMe in this category delivers far superior throughput and lower latency. Versus write-optimized enterprise SSDs, mixed-use drives sacrifice some endurance and peak sustained write capability in exchange for better price per gigabyte and strong mixed workload performance. For organizations that require the absolute maximum write endurance or the longest media retention windows, higher endurance drives remain the right choice, but mixed-use NVMe is often the practical choice for mainstream application and virtualization workloads where balanced performance and cost are paramount.

Compliance Considerations in Enterprise Deployments

Security and compliance are central concerns when managing server storage. Drives in this category support enterprise workflows for data sanitization, encryption and secure retirement. For regulated industries that require proof of secure erasure, ensure your procedural documentation and tools capture cryptographic erase logs and retention proof. Additionally, include NVMe device lifecycle events in audit trails and change management documentation to meet governance and compliance requirements.

Integration with Hybrid and Cloud Architectures

These NVMe drives play an important role in hybrid architectures where on-premises performance is combined with cloud scalability. They are frequently used for local acceleration of workloads that have latency sensitivity or for transient data that is later tiered or replicated to cloud object or block storage. Integration considerations include replication lag, bandwidth between on-prem and cloud endpoints, and ensuring consistent encryption policies across tiers. Properly architected, mixed-use NVMe can significantly reduce the on-prem footprint required to achieve application SLAs while letting cloud resources absorb long-term archival and burst compute needs.