INTRODUCTION

   Gen3x4 PCIe NVMe SSD models are currently leading the market in term of sales and why would they not since they combine impressive read & write performance and endurance/durability numbers without breaking the bank. Just like with everything else in the electronics market however how do you choose the right model to cover your needs? Just think about, today we have M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD models that feature controllers from 7 different manufacturers and NAND flash from at least 6 different manufacturers (and these are just the top names). The end result is a rather large number of available models manufactured by an equally large number of companies. Lexar really needs no introductions and so after testing their good NM610 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD today with me i have their top of the line NM700 1TB model.

   For more than 20 years, Lexar has been a trusted leading global brand of memory solutions. Our award-winning lineup includes memory cards, USB flash drives, card readers, and solid-state drives. With so many options, it’s easy to find the right Lexar solution to fit your needs. All Lexar product designs undergo extensive testing in the Lexar Quality Labs with more than 1,100 digital devices, to ensure performance, quality, compatibility, and reliability. Lexar products are available worldwide at major retail and e-tail stores. For more information or support, visit www.lexar.com.

   The NM700 model by Lexar (currently available in 256/512GB and 1TB capacities) is based on the 8-channel (Triple ARM Cortex R5 CPU up to 500MHz) 88SS1092 NVM Express Gen3x4 NAND controller by Marvell which is paired with 3D TLC NAND (probably by longsys) and a single Nanya LPDDR3-SDRAM module running at 1866MHz (this should be 1GB in size). According always to Lexar this hardware combination allows the NM700 line to hit read speeds of up to 3500MB/s (1200MB/s write for the 256GB capacity and 2000MB/s write for the 512GB/1TB capacities). As for the 88SS1092 8-channel NAND flash controller by Marvell well it fully supports AHCI v1.3, NVM Express v1.1b and TCG Opal and comes ready with features like Marvell’s 3rd-generation LDPC technology (low-density parity-check) for increased reliability/endurance, low power management, 128KB IDS buffer and AES-256bit encryption. Last but certainly not least Lexar covers the entire line with a 5-year limited warranty and reports an MTBF (meantime between failure) of 1.5 million hours and an endurance of 150TBW for the 256GB capacity, 300TBW for the 512GB capacity and 600TBW for the 1TB capacity.