Lexar has been producing flash storage since 1996, and their ‘JumpDrive’ USB sticks were popular for many years. In recent years, they have shifted their focus towards creating high-end NVMe SSDs, including the Lexar NM790, which is currently our top choice for an affordable PCIe 4.0 SSD.
Today, you can purchase the 4TB version of this high-end PCIe 4.0 SSD for only £170.97, which is a significant discount compared to the next-best price on Amazon (£187) and a notable reduction from its original UK RRP (£199) by using the code TECHDEAL10 at the checkout.
In the past, we have recommended this drive multiple times, so this time, let’s hear from hardware expert James. He describes the NM790 as “affordable” and praises its performance, which is comparable to high-end PCIe 4.0 models like the WD Black SN850X. For reference, the 4TB version of the WD Black SN850X costs a hefty £310!
The NM790 is rated for sequential read and write speeds of 7400MB/s and 6900MB/s respectively. It also boasts impressive random I/O performance with 1.0M IOPS for reads and 0.9M IOPS for writes. These speeds are among the fastest in this category, second only to drives like the aforementioned SN 850x or Samsung’s 990 Pro.
The difference between the NM790 and those drives is minimal. Both use TLC NAND memory with modern PCIe 4.0 controllers. However, the WD and Samsung drives utilize DDR4 DRAM, while the NM790 relies on the host computer’s memory (a technology called HMB). This means that sustained performance may be better on those drives equipped with DRAM. However, for regular everyday use, there is unlikely to be any noticeable performance difference with the NM790, even if you use it as your primary OS or game storage drive. The only scenario where I would recommend a DRAM-equipped drive is for sustained write tasks, such as capturing continuous 4K 60fps video footage.
Overall, the NM790 offers exceptional value for its size and capacity, and I’m personally tempted to purchase one, especially considering that I paid more than this for a 4TB SATA drive just a year ago. However, with Amazon Prime Day 2: Electric Boogaloo on the horizon, it might be wise to wait and see if even more amazing deals are revealed.