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September 10th, 2025 07:46
7060 on board connectors, MFF, SFF and MT.
Hi,
I have a Dell OptiPlex 7060 Micro that I want to use as a small NAS, so I need more storage options. I’m planning to use the NVMe and SATA ports, and I’d also like to boot from an SD card.
There are some connectors on the motherboard (I highlighted them in the photo). I’d like to use those with an SD card reader, since I already have a few SD cards laying around. I found a couple of card readers on eBay, like this and this. I asked the sellers whether these readers would work with the 7060 Micro, but they replied “no.” However, the connectors look identical to me. For example, there’s another accessory (unrelated to my project) that fits into the Micro, Small, and Tower versions of the 7060. That makes me think the ports are the same across models. So I’m wondering: do the sellers simply not know for sure, or could there be another reason (software or hardware incompatibility) why the readers wouldn’t work even if the connector fits?
Long story short, I need an internal SD card reader for my project. I know I could just use an external USB reader, but I’d prefer an internal one for a tidier setup. I also realize that even if the cable fits, the bracket or holder might not fit the Micro’s small chassis, but that’s not an issue, I can work around it. Should I buy one of them anyway?
Thanks.
surijack2610
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September 11th, 2025 03:24
From what I know about the OptiPlex 7060 series, the Micro (MFF) does share a lot of design elements with the SFF and MT boards, but not all onboard headers are active or supported in every form factor. Some headers are only populated for certain configurations (like SD card readers or smart card readers) on the larger chassis.
Even if the connector looks identical, the BIOS and board layout may not enable that function on the Micro. That’s likely why the sellers said “no”—they’ve probably had returns from people trying to use those parts in the MFF and discovering the system didn’t recognize them.
If your goal is just booting a NAS from SD, I’d strongly recommend against relying on an internal reader through an unsupported header. Even if you got the cable/reader physically connected, there’s a real chance the Micro’s firmware won’t detect it at boot. An external USB reader is much more reliable, and you could even hide it inside the chassis by routing a short USB header cable internally if you want a clean look.
So, short answer: it’s not guaranteed those eBay card readers will work in the 7060 Micro, and odds are they won’t. If you want to experiment, it won’t damage anything to try, but be prepared that it may just not function.
Good luck!
redxps630
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September 10th, 2025 14:07
I think those mobo ports are for optional modules
Video
Serial port
Stadilainen
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September 10th, 2025 14:17
@redxps630 I don't understand. What do you mean?
redxps630
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September 10th, 2025 14:18
OP wants to try plug a MT SD card reader module in MFF. But if you look at MT mobo the slot for card reader at front adjacent to DIMM has a different shape from the video/type C slots at rear. MFF does not have such card reader slot. wont work
Stadilainen
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September 10th, 2025 14:20
Do you mean this?
redxps630
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September 10th, 2025 14:28
No. The bracket is for mounting the module. OP said no worries. I meant the motherboard socket for tower card reader is incompatible w MFF optional module sockets
(edited)
Stadilainen
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September 10th, 2025 14:39
You meant blue circled one but I meant red circled ones.
Also there's another daughterboard that fits all; MT, SFF and MFF. That I mentioned here:
redxps630
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September 10th, 2025 14:53
you can only use the blue slot for card reader. MFF doesn’t have it.
Tower SFF MFF may be able to use same optional video modules (daughter card) but not same card reader.
(edited)
redxps630
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September 10th, 2025 15:14
The card reader cable connector cannot physically fit MFF video slot (red) because the video module socket is 30 mini pin while the card reader is 20 mini pin.
(edited)
Stadilainen
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September 10th, 2025 16:09
What's this then? https://www.ebay.com/itm/404250380567
Stadilainen
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September 10th, 2025 16:10
Or this https://www.ebay.com/itm/234207244724
redxps630
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September 10th, 2025 16:34
that is card reader for MT mobo, and you can see the cable connector has 20 mini pin. MFF does not have such 20 pin socket.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/t8kAAOSwczZkFAir/s-l1600.webp
redxps630
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September 10th, 2025 16:36
the 2nd one is for serial/PS2 port socket of MFF. typically labeled as KB MS. It is next to the white single row mini pin socket (look at your 1st pic in blue). it has a very different socket (double row) totally incompatible w card reader module. the PS2 module (slim port) is connected to an adapter cable outside case to become standard PS/2 connector
(edited)
Stadilainen
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September 11th, 2025 06:31
@surijack2610 Thank you very much for your answer. I had another workaround to use a card reader, like an M.2 WiFi port to SD card reader, but as you said, the BIOS might not recognize it as a boot device, and that’s the whole point.
I'll figure out some other way. Thanks.
surijack2610
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September 12th, 2025 08:16
@Stadilainen Yes, Goodluck!