Unlocking PCIe 4.0 on a Samsung PM9A1 with Dell Firmware
Posted: April 23rd, 2026, 2:13
I recently bought a Samsung PM9A1 512GB NVMe SSD and later found out that it came with Dell‑specific firmware. The drive is currently limited to PCIe 3.0 x4.
However, HWiNFO reports the controller as:
Samsung Electronics Elpis S4LV003 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.3 SSD Controller
So the hardware itself clearly supports PCIe 4.0, but the drive still only negotiates PCIe 3.0 speeds.
Is there any way to unlock or enable PCIe 4.0 on this OEM drive? Maybe by flashing a different firmware, or is it permanently locked by Dell?
However, HWiNFO reports the controller as:
Samsung Electronics Elpis S4LV003 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.3 SSD Controller
So the hardware itself clearly supports PCIe 4.0, but the drive still only negotiates PCIe 3.0 speeds.
Is there any way to unlock or enable PCIe 4.0 on this OEM drive? Maybe by flashing a different firmware, or is it permanently locked by Dell?