Lexar NM990

The Lexar NM990 is a 4TB PCIe 5.0 monster with 14,000 MB/s reads and best-in-class random performance. It's DRAM-less but still lands in the 97th percentile for speed and 98th for random IOPS. CAD pricing swings from 1,000 to 1,300, so shop around. Buy it for content creation, skip it for gaming.

Let's talk about those numbers, because they're genuinely wild. 14,000 MB/s read and 11,000 MB/s write put this drive in the 97th percentile for speed in our database. To put that in perspective, a typical PCIe 4.0 drive tops out around 7,000 MB/s. You're literally doubling that. Copying a 100GB video project? You're looking at seconds, not minutes. The random performance is even more impressive relative to the field, landing in the 98th percentile with 2,000K random read IOPS and 1,500K random write IOPS.

Now, the DRAM-less design deserves a closer look. DRAM cache normally helps with mapping tables and sustained random writes. Without it, the drive leans on Host Memory Buffer (HMB) tech, which borrows a slice of your system RAM. In practice, our data shows this drive holding its own in random workloads, which is the hardest test for a DRAM-less design. But sustained heavy writes over long periods might show some inconsistency compared to a drive with dedicated cache. For most real-world use, you'll never notice. For a database server hammering it 24/7, you might.

The endurance story is solid but not spectacular. 3,000 TBW lands in the 77th percentile. That's good for a consumer drive, but it's not the kind of number that makes you want to run a data center off it. The 1.5 million hour MTBF is standard fare for this class. You're getting a fast drive, not an immortal one.

The Samsung 9100 PRO is the obvious rival here. Both are PCIe 5.0, both target the same buyer. Samsung has the brand recognition and typically includes DRAM cache, which gives it an edge in sustained write workloads. But Samsung also charges for that name. The NM990 undercuts it on price while matching or beating it on raw sequential speed. If you're brand-agnostic, the Lexar is the smarter buy.

The WD_BLACK SN850X and Kingston Fury Renegade are PCIe 4.0 drives that cost less and still deliver 7,000 MB/s reads. For gamers, that's honestly enough. The SN850X in particular has a stellar reputation for consistency and thermals. The Crucial T710 is another PCIe 5.0 option worth a look, though it tends to run hot and has had firmware quirks. The Seagate FireCuda 530R is a solid PCIe 4.0 workhorse with better endurance ratings than most. If you don't need 14,000 MB/s, any of these will save you money and still feel fast.

Here's where things get a little murky. The USD price is 763, which for a 4TB PCIe 5.0 drive is actually not bad. But the CAD pricing is all over the map. We're seeing 1,000 to 1,300 CAD across two listings, and that's a 300 CAD spread for the exact same drive. Memory Express has it listed, and if you're in Canada, you'll want to shop around before pulling the trigger. That 300 CAD difference could buy you a decent PCIe 4.0 drive as a secondary.

Compared to the competition, the value proposition depends on what you actually need. The Samsung 9100 PRO is the other big PCIe 5.0 name, and it typically commands a premium. The WD_BLACK SN850X is a PCIe 4.0 drive that's often cheaper and still plenty fast for gaming. If you're doing heavy content creation, the NM990's speed justifies the price. If you're just gaming, you're paying for headroom you'll rarely use.

The Lexar NM990 is one of those drives that makes you do a double take. 14,000 MB/s sequential reads on a 4TB stick? That's the kind of number that used to require a server rack and a small power plant. Now it fits under a laptop heat spreader. This is a PCIe 5.0 drive aimed squarely at people who move huge files around, think 8K video editors, 3D artists, or anyone who just refuses to wait for a progress bar.

But here's the thing that makes this drive interesting beyond the headline speed: it's DRAM-less. Traditionally, that's been a red flag for high-end SSDs. Lexar is betting that PCIe 5.0 bandwidth and a good controller can make up for the missing cache chip. Our database puts this drive's random performance in the 98th percentile, so they might be onto something. The 4TB capacity also lands in the 93rd percentile, which means you're getting both speed and space in one slot.

Who's this for? Laptop users get the best score here at 84.7 out of 100, which makes sense. One drive, one slot, tons of fast storage. Gamers score a bit lower at 80.7, mostly because games don't really push sequential reads the way content creation does. And if you're looking for a portable drive, this is absolutely not it. The portable score is 22.2, which is about as low as we see. This thing belongs inside a machine with good cooling, not in an external enclosure bouncing around in a backpack.

If you're a gamer, skip this. The 80.7 gaming score is fine, but games don't use sequential speed the way creative apps do. A PCIe 4.0 drive like the WD_BLACK SN850X will load games within a second or two of the NM990 and cost way less. Put the savings into a better GPU or more RAM.

If you need portable storage, absolutely skip this. The 22.2 portable score is one of the worst we've seen. PCIe 5.0 drives run hot and draw more power, which makes them terrible for external enclosures. Get a portable SSD or a PCIe 4.0 drive in a Thunderbolt enclosure instead. And if you're on a tight budget, the entire PCIe 5.0 category is overkill. A good PCIe 4.0 drive will handle 99% of what most people do.

For content creators, video editors, and anyone who moves massive files daily, the NM990 is a no-brainer. The 4TB capacity means you can keep current projects on the fastest storage available, and the 14,000 MB/s reads will shave real time off your workflow. The laptop score of 84.7 suggests it's a great fit for high-end laptops with PCIe 5.0 slots, assuming your cooling can handle it.

For gamers, the calculus changes. The 80.7 gaming score is good, but games don't leverage sequential speed the way creative apps do. A PCIe 4.0 drive like the SN850X will load games nearly as fast and cost significantly less. Put that savings toward a better GPU. The NM990 is a specialist's drive, and if you're not the specialist it's built for, you're paying for performance you'll never see.