INTRODUCTION

   It's become abundantly clear as of late that most SSD manufacturers are not really invested in the release of PCIe 5.0 Gen5 models (primarily due to high temperature issues) and are instead focused in releasing low-cost PCIe 4.0 models based on new DRAM-less NAND flash controllers. Yes, such solutions may not be nowhere near as fast as some Gen4 SSD models based on higher performance NAND controllers complete with DRAM but still they should be plenty for most casual uses. A couple of weeks ago i tested the NM790 2TB Gen4 SSD by Lexar which was based on the DRAM-less MAP1602 12nm quad-channel controller by MaXio and since it did quite well today i decided to test its lower-end brother, the NM710 1TB.

   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.

   Just like the NM790 the NM710 line of PCIe 4.0 Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSDs (currently available in 500GB/1/2TB capacities) is also based on MaXio's DRAM-less MAP1602 12nm quad-channel (R5) NAND flash controller but unlike the former which came wearing 232-layer 3D TLC NAND flash by YMTC (X3 variant - Longsys branded) the latter wears 128-layer 3D TLC NAND flash (again by YMTC - Longsys branded). Once again, the MAP1602 12nm quad-channel NAND controller by MaXio packs quite a few features including advanced wear leveling algorithms, Host Memory Buffer (HMB) architecture (uses a fraction of your PC's system memory to cache mapping tables), pseudo SLC cache, bad block management strategy, hardware error-correction, L1.2 ultra-low power state and sudden power-loss protection, TRIM, NCQ, hardware support for AES256/SM4 encryption and support for TCG OPAL2.0. Typically, Lexar covers the entire NM710 line of Gen4 SSDs with a 5-year limited warranty and reports a MTBF of 1.5 million hours for all variants and a TBW (terabytes written) of 300 for the 500GB model, 600TB for the 1TB model and 1200 for the 2TB model.