Lexar has announced an 8TB model of its popular NM790 SSD series, doubling the maximum capacity of its previous offering. With the newest addition, the company caters to storage enthusiasts, gamers, and content creators who require ample storage volumes without compromising speed.
The drive is said to leverage a PCIe Gen 4x4 interface, offering sequential read speeds of up to 7,000 MB/s, write speeds of up to 6,200 MB/s, and random read speeds of up to 850,000 IOPs (input/output operations per second). This makes it slightly slower than the 4TB variant, which offers peak read/write transfers of 7,400 MB/s and 6,500 MB/s, respectively. The company also points out that the actual capacity is 8,192GB, slightly higher than most SSDs that offer 8,000GB.
We reviewed the 4TB variant of the NM790 last year and found it to be an excellent all-around performer, particularly in terms of sustained performance and efficiency.
| Interface | PCIe Gen 4x4 |
| Sequential read speeds | 7,000 MB/s |
| Sequential write speeds | 6,200 MB/s |
| Random IOPS (read/write) | 850,000 / 900,000 |
| Form factor | M.2 2280 |
| MTBF (mean time between failures) | 1,500,000 Hours |
| Endurance | 6,000 TBW |
| Warranty | 5-years |
Lexar's new 8TB variant of the NM790 is said to be ideal for video editing, 3D rendering, or large-scale gaming libraries where both capacity and speed are essential. The SSD’s design also makes it a great fit for console gamers, as it’s compatible with the PlayStation 5. With this upgrade, users can store more games while benefiting from speedy load times.
The drive achieves high levels of performance without the need for a DRAM cache. Instead, it uses advanced Dynamic SLC caching and Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology. HMB 3.0 technology allows the SSD to utilize system RAM instead of relying on its own memory, contributing to its high efficiency and lower power consumption. The NM790 is also claimed to consume up to 40% less power than competing Gen 4 SSDs with DRAM caches, making it an energy-efficient choice for both desktop and laptop users.
Having a 5-year limited warranty and an endurance rating of 6,000 TBW (Terabytes written), the SSD also boasts a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1.5 million hours, ensuring long-term reliability. As of now, there is no word on the official pricing, but we did manage to spot one selling in the UK for £770 (~$999). Remember UK consumer prices include 20% VAT, so U.S. retailer list prices could be nearer $800.
