Lexar 2TB SSD PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280

The Lexar NM790 delivers 7400 MB/s reads and 6500 MB/s writes, maxing out PCIe 4.0 without a DRAM cache. Its 1500 TBW endurance rating beats most rivals by 50%. Pricing swings from $330 to $476 in the US, so shop around. At the low end, it's one of the best value drives on the market.

Let's talk numbers. The 7400 MB/s sequential read and 6500 MB/s write are essentially maxing out the PCIe 4.0 x4 interface. You're not going to see faster sequential speeds from any Gen4 drive, period. For real-world use, that means game loads, large file transfers, and video scrubbing all feel instant. The random performance is where this drive really shines though. 1000K random read IOPS and 900K random write IOPS put it in the 93rd percentile for random performance in our database. That's the kind of responsiveness you feel when booting Windows, launching apps, or loading a save file with a hundred small assets.

The DRAM-less design is worth a mention because it's the one spec that might make enthusiasts pause. Traditionally, drives without DRAM caches struggled with sustained writes and random performance. But HMB 3.0, which borrows a chunk of your system's RAM to act as the cache, has closed most of that gap. In practice, the NM790 holds up remarkably well. The 1500 TBW endurance rating is also a standout, landing in the 92nd percentile. That's 50% more endurance than many competing 2TB drives, which means this thing is built to last even if you're hammering it with writes daily.

The NM790's most direct competition is the Samsung 9100 PRO and the WD_BLACK SN850X. Both are excellent drives with DRAM caches and established reputations. The SN850X is the closest match on specs, with similar sequential speeds and strong random performance. Samsung's 9100 PRO is newer and faster in some scenarios, but you'll pay a premium for the name. The NM790 matches or beats both on endurance, with its 1500 TBW rating outpacing the typical 1200 TBW you see from WD and Samsung's 2TB offerings.

The Kingston FURY Renegade is another interesting alternative. It's aimed squarely at gamers, with aggressive heatsink options and similar performance numbers. The Crucial T500 and Micron T710 are also in the mix, though they tend to be more expensive for marginal gains. The honest take: at the low end of its price range, the NM790 beats all of these on value. At the high end, the SN850X's proven track record and better brand support make it the safer pick if prices are equal.

Here's where things get tricky. The NM790's price in the US ranges from $330 to $476 depending on the retailer. That's a $146 spread for the exact same drive. If you can snag it at the low end, around $330, you're getting flagship-level performance for mid-range money. That's a genuinely great deal. But at $476, you're paying Samsung 990 Pro or WD SN850X money, and at that point the calculus changes completely.

In Canada, the spread is even wider, from CAD 450 to CAD 727. That's a CAD 277 gap, which is frankly absurd. Memory Express has the best deal at CAD 450, and at that price the NM790 is a no-brainer. But if you're looking at the CAD 727 listing, walk away. European pricing is more consistent, ranging from EUR 384 to EUR 420, which is reasonable but not spectacular. The takeaway: shop around. This drive's value proposition depends entirely on which listing you find.

The Lexar NM790 is one of those drives that makes you wonder why you'd pay more for a flagship. On paper it hits 7400 MB/s reads and 6500 MB/s writes, which puts it right at the ceiling of what PCIe 4.0 can do. And it does that without a DRAM cache, leaning on HMB 3.0 instead. That's a trick that used to be reserved for budget drives, but here it's paired with TLC NAND and a 1500 TBW endurance rating. The result is a drive that punches way above its price class.

Who's this for? Gamers, mostly. The PS5 compatibility is front and center in the marketing, and for good reason. The NM790 clears Sony's 5500 MB/s sequential read requirement with room to spare. But it's also a solid pick for laptop users who want a big, fast drive without worrying about heat or power draw. Our database scores it at 84.3 out of 100 for laptops, which is one of the better marks we've seen in this category.

The interesting bit is the value story. Lexar isn't a household name like Samsung or WD, but the NM790's specs read like a drive that costs $50 to $100 more. The catch is that pricing is all over the place depending on where you shop. We'll get into that, but the short version is: if you find this at the low end of its price range, it's a steal. At the high end, you're in flagship territory and should think harder about the alternatives.

If you're doing heavy sustained write workloads, like 4K video editing, large database operations, or regularly copying multi-hundred-gigabyte files, the DRAM-less design will eventually show its limits. The NM790's performance drops off under sustained write pressure in a way that drives with dedicated DRAM caches, like the WD SN850X or Samsung 9100 PRO, don't. For those workloads, spend the extra money on a drive with a proper DRAM cache.

Also, if you're the type who values brand ecosystem and long-term firmware support, Lexar's thinner track record might bug you. Samsung and WD have years of firmware updates and proven reliability data behind them. The NM790's 20 reviews in our database versus thousands for the SN850X tells you something about how much real-world data is out there. If that matters to you, the SN850X is the safer bet at a similar price.

If you're building a gaming PC or upgrading a PS5 and you find the NM790 at or near its lowest price, buy it without hesitation. The performance is genuinely top-tier, the endurance is excellent, and the DRAM-less design is a non-issue for gaming workloads. You're getting 95% of the flagship experience for 70% of the price.

For content creators or anyone doing heavy sustained writes, like 4K video editing or large database work, the DRAM-less design might give you pause. The NM790 handles bursty workloads beautifully, but if you're writing hundreds of gigabytes in a single session, a drive with a dedicated DRAM cache like the SN850X will hold up better. For everyone else, this is one of the easiest recommendations in the Gen4 space right now.