345-BLNV Dell 1.92TB PCI-E Gen4 NVMe U.2 SFF Read Intensive SSD

Product Overview of Dell 1.92TB TLC 3D NAND SSD

The DELL 1.92TB PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 NVMe U.2 SFF 2.5-inch 15mm Read Intensive TLC 3D NAND Solid State Drive, part number 345-BLNV, is designed for exceptional reliability, sustained read-intensive workloads, and optimized performance across enterprise-class Dell PowerEdge servers from 14G through 17G generations. Engineered for structured data movement, virtualized infrastructures, edge-compute environments, and modern cloud-native deployments, this drive leverages the high bandwidth of PCIe 4.0 along with the durability of advanced 3D NAND lithography. The U.2 15mm SFF architecture enables hot-swap capability while maximizing airflow efficiency and system density within standard 2.5-inch storage bays. With enterprise-grade endurance, built-in hardware-level datapath protections, AES 256-bit encryption, power-loss protection, and real-time telemetry, it supports mission-critical applications requiring predictable latency, stable throughput, and long-term operational consistency.

General Features

• Manufacturer: Dell
• Part Number: 345-BLNV
• Device Type: Enterprise Read-Intensive NVMe SSD

Technical Specification

• Storage Capacity: 1.92TB
• Interface: PCIe 4.0 x4 supporting NVMe protocol
• Form Factor: U.2 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF), 15mm height
• Flash Lithography: TLC 3D NAND
• Shock Resistance: 1000 G at 0.5 msec
• Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): 2,000,000 hours
• Optimized for Read-Intensive Server Workloads
• Engineered for Dell PowerEdge servers: 14G, 15G, 16G, and 17G
• Supports mission-critical data integrity and sustained performance
• Enterprise-grade endurance and long-term workload reliability

Interface and Protocol

• Interface Type: PCIe 4.0 x4
• Protocol: NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express)
• High-speed PCIe lanes for accelerated queue processing
• Reduced command latency with efficient I/O operations
• Optimized NVMe command set designed for enterprise storage

Flash Memory Architecture

• Flash Type: TLC 3D NAND
• High density per chip for large capacity in small footprint
• Optimized for read-intensive access patterns
• Improved cell endurance through advanced lithography
• Enhanced wear-leveling algorithms for long-term stability

Sequential Performance

• Sequential Read (100%): Up to 5300 MB/s
• Sequential Write (100%): Up to 1900 MB/s
• High bandwidth enabling fast data movement
• Optimal for read-heavy tasks such as analytics preprocessing
• Sustained throughput under enterprise thermal conditions

Enhanced Power Loss Data Protection

• Capacitor-assisted data flush
• Preserves metadata tables during outages
• Prevents partial writes or corrupted blocks
• Ensures consistency for journaled file systems

Enterprise-Grade Firmware

• Validated firmware for Dell PowerEdge ecosystem
• Tuned thermal, performance, and endurance algorithms
• Stable operation under mixed-access workloads
• Lifecycle stability across updates and patches

Database Acceleration

• Ideal for OLTP and OLAP workloads
• Reduces index seek times
• Accelerates journal commits and recovery
• Supports distributed database deployments

PowerEdge Server Compatibility

• PowerEdge C6420
• PowerEdge C6525
• PowerEdge C6620
• PowerEdge R440
• PowerEdge R640
• PowerEdge R6415
• PowerEdge R6515
• PowerEdge R6525
• PowerEdge R660xs
• PowerEdge R6615
• PowerEdge R6625
• PowerEdge R670
• PowerEdge R740xd
• PowerEdge R7415
• PowerEdge R7425
• PowerEdge R7515
• PowerEdge R7525
• PowerEdge R760
• PowerEdge R760xa
• PowerEdge R7615
• PowerEdge R7625
• PowerEdge R770
• PowerEdge R840
• PowerEdge R940
• PowerEdge R940xa
• PowerEdge R960
• PowerEdge T560
• PowerEdge XE9640
• PowerEdge XE9680
• PowerEdge XR7620

Hot-Swap and Serviceability

• Enables zero-downtime replacement
• Supports rapid field service operations
• Reduces maintenance windows for mission-critical systems
• Allows replacement without powering down the server

Outline of Dell 345-BLNV 1.92TB NVMe U.2 SFF SSD

The Dell 345-BLNV 1.92TB PCI-E Gen4 NVMe U.2 SFF Read Intensive SSD sits squarely in the enterprise storage category designed for read-heavy workloads where consistent low latency, high sustained throughput, and exceptional reliability are required. This category covers the U.2 small form factor (2.5-inch) NVMe drives built on PCI-Express Gen4 x4 lanes, targeted at modern Dell PowerEdge systems and other U.2-compatible servers and storage enclosures. The focus is on read-intensive applications — web serving, content delivery, database read caches, analytics queries, and virtualization read operations — where capacity, predictable performance, and endurance metrics are balanced to deliver cost-effective, high-density storage tiers.

Common workload patterns suited to this category

Web and application servers

High-concurrency web frontends and application servers benefit from the low read latency and sustained throughput of PCIe Gen4 NVMe. The U.2 SFF format simplifies replacement and hot-swap operations in rack servers while providing enterprise-grade telemetry for operations teams.

Database read caches and indexes

Database engines often perform many more random and sequential reads than writes, especially for index lookups, reporting queries, and OLAP workloads. A 1.92TB read-intensive NVMe drive provides the capacity to hold hot sets and indexes on flash, dramatically reducing query response times compared to spinning disks.

Virtual machine boot and read-heavy virtual workloads

Environments with a large number of VMs that perform frequent read operations (boot storms, OS reads, application DLL reads) will see faster VM startup and improved overall system responsiveness when the VM images or frequently accessed data are stored on read-optimized SSDs.

Technical features and architecture

PCI-Express Gen4 ×4 NVMe interface

The category standardizes on PCIe Gen4 ×4 to double the per-lane bandwidth compared to Gen3, enabling higher throughput and headroom for concurrent I/O. NVMe protocol operation reduces host CPU overhead, offers deep command queues and efficient parallelism for modern multi-core server CPUs.

U.2 (SFF) mechanical and connectivity details

The U.2 form factor provides hot-plug capability and compatibility with enterprise server backplanes. Carrier trays for 14G and 15G PowerEdge servers allow easy insertion and removal. U.2 connectors supply both power and high-speed PCIe lanes while keeping legacy 2.5-inch chassis compatibility.

Controller and NAND design

Drives in this category typically use enterprise-grade NVMe controllers with advanced error correction, wear-leveling algorithms, and secure firmware update mechanisms. Paired with high endurance QLC/TLC or enterprise TLC NAND (depending on the model), the controller’s firmware is tuned to optimize read latency, background garbage collection behavior, and power efficiency under read-dominant traffic.

End-to-end data integrity

Enterprise SSDs implement CRCs, protection across the data path, and optional power-loss protection capacitors to preserve in-flight writes. These protections reduce the risk of silent data corruption and ensure higher reliability for database and critical application workloads.

SMART telemetry and remote management

The Dell 345-BLNV category supports NVMe SMART attributes and vendor extensions that feed into host management systems. Administrators can monitor drive health, remaining endurance, media errors, and other telemetry through standard tools (nvme-cli, vendor management suites) and Dell’s telemetry integrations in iDRAC and OpenManage.

Performance characteristics

Read IOPS and throughput

Read-intensive NVMe U.2 SSDs deliver high random read IOPS at low latency across a range of queue depths typical to enterprise workloads. Sequential read throughput benefits from PCIe Gen4 bandwidth, making these drives suitable for large file serving and sustained sequential read operations.

Latency and quality of service (QoS)

QoS is an essential attribute for enterprise SSDs. Read-optimized firmware reduces tail latencies under mixed or bursty read traffic by minimizing background tasks during peak request periods and prioritizing foreground read commands. This minimizes the 99th and 99.9th percentile latencies that impact user-visible performance.

Sustained performance under real-world conditions

The drives are engineered to maintain steady performance in the presence of typical enterprise patterns: large read windows, intermittent writes (such as cache fills or metadata updates), and background management tasks. Manufacturers publish sustained throughput metrics and test against industry standard profiles to demonstrate predictable behavior.

Endurance and reliability 

Write endurance and TBW/DWPD

Read-intensive SSDs trade lower write endurance for reduced cost per GB. Endurance metrics for this category are expressed as TBW (terabytes written) or DWPD (drive writes per day) over a warranty period. For many read-dominant deployments, the specified endurance is ample to provide multiple years of service before reaching the drive’s rated write limits.

MTBF and enterprise warranties

Enterprise NVMe drives typically carry high MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) ratings and multi-year limited warranties (3–5 years depending on the model and vendor). Dell-branded or Dell-qualified drives also qualify for integrated support options when used in Dell systems.

Security and compliance features

Hardware encryption and secure erase

Many drives support AES-256 hardware encryption with TCG Opal or enterprise encryption key management options. Secure erase and crypto-erase features allow administrators to sanitize drives quickly during decommissioning or repurposing.

Firmware authenticity and secure boot

Secure firmware signing and vendor verification reduce the risk of unauthorized firmware modifications. Combined with server platform security, these features help maintain a trusted storage supply chain in regulated environments.

Storage architecture and tiering strategies

Hot tier: NVMe read cache

The Dell 345-BLNV class is ideal for a hot tier in multi-tier storage architectures — keeping the hottest dataset directly on NVMe for lowest latency responses. This reduces pressure on slower tiers (SATA SSDs, NL-SAS, HDD) and improves application responsiveness.

Edge caching and CDN nodes

For content delivery networks and edge cache deployments, the combination of U.2 hot-swap form factor and high read throughput enables efficient scaling and predictable performance in distributed edge locations.

Hybrid arrays and software-defined storage

When used inside hybrid arrays or software-defined storage platforms, read-optimized NVMe drives accelerate read paths and can be configured as capacity or cache tiers, depending on the system architecture and data access patterns.

Deployment considerations

Thermal management and airflow

Dense NVMe deployments generate heat; ensure adequate chassis airflow and thermal monitoring. Dell systems typically provide drive-bay airflow engineering, but administrators should verify thermal headroom when populating all bays with high-performance NVMe devices.

Power and data center planning

PCIe Gen4 devices may consume more power under sustained load than lower-tier SATA drives. Include NVMe drives in rack power budgeting and consider the impact of high drive counts per host on redundancy and cooling strategies.

Drive population and RAID considerations

Using NVMe U.2 drives in RAID configurations requires compatible controllers that support NVMe over PCIe (or software RAID approaches). Software RAID or software-defined storage may be preferred for maximum flexibility; always consult vendor guidance for optimal RAID rebuild times and array resiliency with NVMe media.

Comparison with related categories

Read-Intensive NVMe vs. Write-Intensive NVMe

Write-intensive NVMe SSDs target environments with heavy random writes — databases with high transaction rates, logging, or mixed workloads. Read-intensive models prioritize lower cost per GB and read performance. Choose write-intensive models when DWPD requirements are high; choose read-intensive models when reads dominate and cost efficiency matters.

U.2 NVMe vs. EDSFF and U.3

While U.2 remains widely supported across enterprise servers, emerging form factors like EDSFF (E1.S/E3) and U.3 offer alternative benefits such as higher density or improved thermal profiles. When planning upgrades, verify chassis and backplane compatibility and balance generational benefits against existing infrastructure investments.