Lexar EQ790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe SSD review

The EQ790 is an M.2 2280 NVMe drive on a PCIe Gen4x4 interface. Lexar released it on 20 November 2024. The base model measures 80 x 22 x 2.45 mm and has no heatsink. A separate EQ790 with Heatsink SKU exists, at 80 x 24 x 9.7 mm.

That split matters. You choose between a bare drive and a taller, heatsinked one, and the sections below explain why the choice affects how the drive behaves.

Lexar rates the 1TB model at up to 7000 MB/s sequential read. The sequential write figure is less clear. The base product page gives up to 6000 MB/s for the 1TB. The heatsink page gives 5000 MB/s for the same capacity, and a press report gives 5 GB/s for both the 1TB and 2TB models. The sources disagree, so 5000 MB/s is the safer number to plan around.

For random work, a UK review of the 2TB model lists 1,000K random read and 900K random write IOPS. That figure comes from a retailer blog, not from Lexar, so treat it as a reviewer's number rather than a rating.

Sustained writes are the weak spot in the research. One tester's 1TB run showed throttling once the cache was full, at 224 GB. With that recorded limit, the drive suits everyday work, builds and moderate file copies better than very large single transfers, such as filling a whole disk image in one go.

Lexar rates the 1TB at 600 TBW and the 2TB at 1,200 TBW. The 2TB rating is the stronger one for write-heavy jobs such as databases, container image churn or scratch space.

The warranty is five years, limited, and it applies alongside those endurance ratings.

Owner reports point the same way on reliability. A UK retailer-blog summary says more than a thousand owner reviews show no unusual reliability or early-failure pattern. A Canadian Amazon listing shows 4.6 out of 5 stars from 1,629 reviews. That listing is not UK, so it is a general signal rather than a UK-specific one.

This is where the base model needs care. It ships without a heatsink, and reviewers warn about thermal throttling in that form, especially in laptops or in cases with poor airflow. Lexar's research pages don't list power draw, so there is no efficiency figure to weigh.

The heatsink SKU addresses the thermal concern directly. It stands 9.7 mm tall and 24 mm wide, so check that figure against your motherboard cover, enclosure or laptop bay before buying. If your board already has a heatsink for the M.2 slot, the base model is the more natural pairing, given its 2.45 mm thickness.

The heatsink SKU also lists 5000 MB/s sequential write for the 1TB. If you buy it, expect that figure rather than 6000 MB/s.

No firmware update tool, companion app or update history is listed for this drive. Anyone who cares about firmware management should check Lexar's support page before buying, because the research gives no basis for judging it either way.

The EQ790 suits desktop and homelab builds where the drive sits in a slot with airflow or an existing heatsink. The 2TB model's 1,200 TBW rating and five-year warranty give it a strong ownership case for steady, write-heavy use. Buyers who regularly move several hundred gigabytes in one go should note the 224 GB cache-full throttling. Laptop buyers should look closely at the heatsink version or at their machine's cooling, given the reviewer warnings.