INTRODUCTION

   With the very first consumer oriented PCIe 5.0 Gen 5 M.2 NVMe SSDs just around the corner (and the first motherboards to actually support them) it's no surprise to see that manufacturers are doing their best to further boost the performance of PCIe 4.0 Gen 4 models. Still with a top theoretical performance cap set at 8000MB/s and with most models not even being able to surpass 7000MB/s it's a safe bet that we're not going to witness a serious boost in transfer speeds before PCIe 5.0 models (just like we did from PCIe 3.0 Gen 3 to PCIe 4.0 Gen 4). It is what it is however and so today with me i have the latest and fastest PCIe 4.0 Gen 4 M.2 NVMe SSDs not only by Lexar but in general (always based on its advertised read & write speeds), the NM800 PRO.

   For more than 25 years, Lexar has been a trusted leading global brand of memory solutions. Our award-winning lineup includes memory cards, USB flash drives, card readers, solid-state drives and DRAM. 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 NM800 PRO line of PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4 M.2 NVMe v1.4 SSDs by Lexar is currently available in two versions (with and without the LPAH100 PS5 compatible heatsink - also sold extra) and in 3 capacities (512GB/1TB/2TB). The entire Lexar NM800 PRO line is based on the Rainier IG5236 eight-channel NVMe v1.4 NAND flash controller by Innogrit paired with 1GB DDR4L DRAM and 176-layer 3D TLC NAND flash. In terms of technologies the Innogrit Rainier IG5236 controller is fully packed with end-to-end data protection, LDPC (low-density parity check) error-correction with SRAM ECC, programmable RAID, smart cache, AES encryption and fully supports SHA, RSA, ONFI 4.1 and Toggle 4.0. Lexar also covers the entire NM800 PRO line with a 5-year limited warranty, reports a MTBF (mean time between failures) of 1.5 million hours and a DWPD (drive writes per day) of 0.535 (this translates roughly to a TBW of 500TB for the 512GB model, 1000TB for the 1TB model and 2000TB for the 2TB model).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Once again Lexar has used a black and gold box the front of which is taken by their logo, a large product picture and both the product performance and capacity.

A few words about the product can be found at the rear in 11 languages just over Lexar warranty and contact information.

Along with the NM800 PRO inside the box Lexar has also placed a mounting screw and the quick start guide.

THE NM800 PRO 1TB

Following the same 2280 form factor as all other M.2 NVMe models the NM800 PRO doesn't really stand out (it's however quite heavier than most).

Underneath the large sticker at the top, we find the Innogrit IG5236 NAND flash controller together with an 1GB DDR4L module and two 176-layer 3D TLC NAND flash modules.

Since the 1TB capacity of the NM800 PRO is a single sided model the other side of the PCB just has a sticker on it with the serial numbers and capacity.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Not long after I first started testing SSDs back in 2008, I concluded that it's almost impossible for any single benchmark suite to accurately measure their performance and that's why in certain benchmark suites we see amazing read/write performance numbers with some drives while in others things are quite different. The reason behind this is that some benchmarking suites are configured to read and write random chunks of data while others read and write constant (sequential) ones. So that's why i always use a very wide selection of benchmarking suites including AIDA64, HD Tach RW, HD Tune Pro, Crystal Disk Mark, Sisoftware Sandra Pro, AS SSD, IOmeter and ATTO. To get the most accurate results each test gets repeated a total of 6 times with the average performance numbers recorded into the charts*/****. Also, as of February 25th 2015 our results will also include the Storage Networking Industry Association’s (SNIA) IOMeter tests. These tests include a 12 Hour write test used to “simulate” performance degradation over time and a mixed workload test which basically shows what you can expect when using an SSD continuously for roughly two hours. Unfortunately, due to the time required for these tests they get repeated a total of 3 times and not 6 as the above.

   Many people have made inquiries about our charts in the past so once again please do keep in mind that the Charts have the average performance numbers of each drive recorded and not the peak (highest) ones. Also, although every single one of these programs can help potential buyers choose the right drive for their needs you should also remember that from any kind of benchmark up to real world usage the gap is not small (and usually most differences will go unnoticed by most people). All tests were performed in a fresh Windows 10 Pro x64 installation complete with every update up to the date of this review.

* Since November 2018 the SSD comparison charts have been divided to 2.5” and M.2 models to reduce their growing size.
** Unless stated otherwise the Ryzen 9 3950x based Test Rig used for M.2 Gen 4 SSD reviews is not located in the lab.
*** As of January 2021 for Gen 3x4 models I’ll be using the Core i9-7980XE test rig (after numerous tests the up to 6% difference in read & write performance compared to the i7-6700 system simply wasn’t enough to justify having an extra test rig around).
**** Since February 2022 M.2 NVMe Gen3 and Gen4 SSD drives are placed in different charts.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK

TEST RESULTS - AS SSD / IOMETER

TEST RESULTS - IOMETER SNIA

CONCLUSION

   With advertised data transfer speeds of up to 7500MB/s for reads and 6500MB/s for writes the NM800 PRO is clearly one of the fastest PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4 SSDs in the market today. Yes, the 1TB may not have been able to go all the way up to those numbers but it still did better than the HP FX900 PRO which is also based on the same Innogrit IG5236 controller. As expected, thermal throttling was evident in my SNIA tests something which may not occur with the heatsink model, at least not to this degree. Durability numbers are also very good for such a drive, especially the MTBF of 1.5 million hours (1000TBW is also very good). Overall, however i have no complaints about the performance of the NM800 PRO so let’s see just how much you’re required to spend for it.

   The NM800 PRO by Lexar was officially launched in late July and currently the 1TB capacity retails for USD169.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 206.16Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is clearly higher than expected (always compared to similar models, especially those with the same NAND controller). That being said however the NM800 PRO does deliver very good performance and durability/endurance numbers and for that it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Excellent Performance Levels
- Endurance (1000TBW / 1.5 Million Hours MTBF)
- Available With / Without PS5 Compatible Heatsink (Also Sold Extra)
- 5 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Thermal Throttling (During SNIA Tests)
- Price (For Some)