Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD vs Samsung 990 PRO 2TB

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against NVMe SSDs at a similar price

The Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD scores 7.9/10 overall, ahead of the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB at 7.4/10.

The Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD leads on endurance and efficiency and thermals.

The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB leads on software.

They score the same on performance and warranty.

The biggest difference is efficiency and thermals, where the Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD scores 8/10 to the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB's 5/10.

Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD

7.9/10verdict: buy

The Lexar NM790 suits people who want a fast PCIe Gen 4 2TB drive for a desktop, laptop or small homelab machine. It is aimed at buyers who value long rated endurance, a five-year warranty and low power draw. It is less well matched to anyone who regularly moves very large files and wants perfectly even speeds.

Typically about £129.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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Samsung 990 PRO 2TB

7.4/10verdict: buy

The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB is for people who want a fast PCIe 4.0 M.2 drive for a workstation, development machine or homelab host. It suits those who value responsiveness and a five-year warranty and who will pay a premium for them. Buyers should plan for cooling, because owners report it runs warm under sustained load.

Typically about £329 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD	Samsung 990 PRO 2TB
Performance	35%	8/10	8/10
Endurance	20%	9/10	8/10
Warranty	15%	9/10	9/10
Efficiency and thermals	15%	8/10	5/10
Software	15%	5/10	6/10
Overall		7.9/10	7.4/10

Specifications

Spec	Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD	Samsung 990 PRO 2TB
Interface	PCIe Gen4 x4, NVMe	PCIe Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 2.0
Sequential read	up to 7400 MB/s	7,450 MB/s
Sequential write	up to 6500 MB/s	6,900 MB/s
Endurance (2TB)	1500 TBW (2TB)	1,200 TBW
Form factor	M.2 2280	M.2 (2280)
Warranty	five-year limited warranty	5 years limited

Strengths and weaknesses

Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD

+ 1500 TBW rating at 2TB
+ Five-year limited warranty
+ Owners report low power draw and cool running
− HMB gives uneven large-file copy speeds, owners say
− Some owners report stutter in games

Skip it if:

Buyers who regularly copy very large files and need perfectly even speeds
Gamers sensitive to the stutter some owners report
Anyone who needs a published power draw figure in watts

Read the full Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD review ›

Samsung 990 PRO 2TB

+ Rated 7,450 MB/s sequential read and 1,550K random write IOPS
+ 1,200 TBW endurance at 2TB
+ Five-year limited warranty
− Runs warm under sustained load, per owner reports
− Heatsink version is a separate SKU that costs extra
− Owners report a price premium over competing drives

Skip it if:

Buyers choosing mainly on lowest price
Anyone with a poorly cooled slot who doesn't want to buy the heatsink version
Buyers who need published sustained-write or power-draw figures before committing

Read the full Samsung 990 PRO 2TB review ›

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