i just got a 5050 6th gen i5,  updated bios, 2023 update, removed the sata m.2, inserted nvme ssd, bios is at default eufi mode,, booted to windows 10 22h2 usb, clean install, now getting 3500mbs on crystal diskmark, SUCCESS on Optiplex 5050, , desided to install windows 11 22h2, booted to that usb , delete all partitions, clean install, Success, works great on win 11 too, 
Up to now, there has been very little information posted about the M.2 slots present in the Optiplex 3050/5050/7050 series and how to use them compared to that available for the XX40 series, and some of it is contradictory. The respective Dell user manuals indicate that all three machines have M.2 PCIe SSD slots and show installing and removing such a device. Some of the tech spec datasheets indicate all machines have the same, but some indicate the 3050 user slot is only meant for a WiFi card. The 3050 motherboard is an Intel B250. while the 5050 and 7050 motherboards are both Q270 motherboards.  The B250 has sufficient PCIe lanes to support a single PCIe x4 M.2, while the Q270 could support multiple devices. Outside sources of information seem to indicate that M.2 NVME installation is at least possible. [URL] shows systems with an NVME drive installed in at least one 3050/5050/7050 system tested (though it is far more commonly found in the 7050). The comment section in Amazon's webpage for the Samsung 960 EVO 250GB contains one post (search "Optiplex 3050) from "Tom" dated May 24 in which he describes installing ten 960 EVOs into ten Optiplex 3050s.  He found it fairly easy, much easier than the travails and workarounds described in numerous threads for installing them in the xx40 series.  Of course, the big issue is not getting the drive to be recognized and function, but to make it also bootable.So, has the situation changed? Is it easier to install these drives and make them bootable in the XX50 series than it was in the XX40 series?  Is it definitely possible to do for the 3050 (this forum has some correspondence with someone who ordered a 960 Evo from Dell to go with his Optiplex 3050; they shipped it without question)? Finally, Dell sells a few M.2 PCIe SSD drives, including the Samsung 960 Evo. Does that imply that the ones they sell have been tested to function as a boot drive in at least some Dell machines? NVME capacity for relatively inexpensive machines like the Optiplexes could become a good selling point for these machines, especially given the relatively minor price difference between a "regular" SSD drive and a PCIe SSD. Some additional information and installation instructions for these drives could go a long way. Thanks for any help you can provide.
Optiplex 3050/5050/7050 and M.2 NVME drives