The Lexar NM790 has earned a spot in the most popular builds on the forum. We're talking about an NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD that reaches 7,400 MB/s sequential read speeds, a figure that rivals top-tier models. Its main advantage is thermal efficiency: it doesn't need a massive heatsink to maintain performance, making it ideal for laptops or motherboards with limited space.
Controller and NAND: the formula for sustained performance 🔥
Under the hood, the NM790 uses a proprietary 12 nm controller, the Map1602, combined with 232-layer 3D TLC NAND. This combination allows it to achieve the promised speeds without resorting to external DRAM, relying on HMB (Host Memory Buffer) technology to manage the cache. In sustained write tests, performance remains stable thanks to thermal management that prioritizes consistency over fleeting peaks, a key detail for heavy workloads.
The motherboard heatsink: a decorative accessory 😅
It turns out the Lexar NM790 runs so cool that motherboard heatsinks feel a bit useless, like an umbrella on a sunny day. The worst part is that some users install it with the stock heatsink and then complain about rising temperatures. The SSD takes its time to explain that it doesn't need that medieval armor. In the end, the NM790 is the quiet companion that tells you: let me breathe, I've got this.