Lexar 1TB SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280

The Lexar NM790 delivers near-flagship PCIe 4.0 speeds without the flagship price. Its 7400 MB/s reads and 1000 TBW endurance put it in the top tier of our database. Shop around, prices swing from USD 200 to USD 280, and at the low end this thing is a no-brainer.

Sequential speeds hit 7400 MB/s read and 6500 MB/s write, which puts this drive in the top tier of PCIe 4.0 storage. Random performance is also a standout, with 1000K read IOPS and 900K write IOPS landing it near the top of our database. The DRAM-less design doesn't seem to hurt here, HMB 3.0 picks up the slack nicely. Sustained writes hold up well thanks to the dynamic SLC cache, though heavy workstation users might notice the lack of onboard DRAM during massive file transfers. For gaming and everyday creative work, it's hard to tell the difference between this and drives costing significantly more.

Against the Samsung 990 PRO and WD Black SN850X, the NM790 trades blows on sequential reads and actually holds its own on random IOPS. The 990 PRO has the brand cachet and slightly better sustained write performance, but you'll pay for it. The Crucial T500 is probably the closest competitor in terms of value, with similar speeds and a DRAM cache to boot. The Kingston Fury Renegade and Team Group MP44 are also in the mix, but the Lexar's endurance rating of 1000 TBW beats most of them at this price point. If you're building a PS5 or a gaming rig, the NM790 gives you flagship-tier speed without the flagship markup, assuming you shop smart.

Pricing is all over the map. In the US you'll see this drive listed anywhere from USD 200 to USD 280, which is a huge spread for the same 1TB capacity. Best Buy tends to have the most competitive pricing in our data, so check there first if you're in the States. European buyers face an even wilder range, EUR 226 to EUR 604, which makes the value proposition heavily dependent on where you buy. At the low end, this drive is a steal. At the high end, you're paying Samsung 990 PRO money for a DRAM-less drive, and that's a harder sell.

The Lexar NM790 is a DRAM-less PCIe 4.0 drive that somehow keeps up with the big boys. You get 7400 MB/s reads and 6500 MB/s writes, which is basically the ceiling for this generation. And it does it without a DRAM cache, leaning on HMB 3.0 to borrow a slice of your system memory instead.

That trick keeps the price down and the power draw low. Lexar claims up to 40% less power consumption than DRAM-equipped Gen 4 drives. For a 1TB drive with a 1000 TBW endurance rating and a 5-year warranty, that's a pretty compelling package for gamers and creators alike.

Skip this if you're doing heavy sustained write workloads like 8K video editing or running a database server. The DRAM-less design can show its limits under constant, massive file transfers. Also skip it if you need a portable drive, our data shows it's a weak performer in external enclosures. And if you're in Europe and can only find it near the EUR 604 mark, just buy a Samsung 990 PRO instead.

This drive is for gamers, PS5 owners, and creators who want top-tier Gen 4 performance without paying top-tier prices. The DRAM-less design is a non-issue for most real-world use cases, and the endurance rating is genuinely impressive. If you can find it at the lower end of the price range, it's one of the best value drives on the market right now.