One year after the introduction of the NM800, Lexar's fastest SSD at the time, the manufacturer is launching the NM800 Pro with even more performance. In M.2 format with PCIe 4.0 and an optional cooler, 7,500 MB/s reading and 6,500 MB/s writing are promised. The prices are steep.
This means that the NM800 Pro is a bit faster, at least in terms of sequential maximum throughput, than the NM800, which is specified at 7,400 MB/s for reading and 5,800 MB/s for writing. As usual, the information applies to the top model of the series, in this case the variant with 2 TB of storage space. The 1TB NM800 Pro writes slightly slower at up to 6,300MB/s. In the smallest version with 512 GB, there are still 7,450 MB/s when reading but only 3,500 MB/s when writing; here the performance suffers from the lack of memory chips for parallel access.
With Innogrit controller and cooler option
While Lexar, as usual, does not provide any information about the controller, a first test reveals that it is Innogrit's IG5236, which also sits on the Adata Gammix S70 (test) or the HP FX900 Pro (test). If the chip is combined with fast memory, it delivers performance at the top of consumer SSDs in many disciplines and can also stand up to the Phison E18, which, however, stays ahead when it comes to writing. However, it is not known which 3D TLC NAND the NM800 Pro is.
NM800 Pro with Innogrit IG5236 (Image: StorageReview)Lexar offers the NM800 Pro without a heat sink, which makes it confusingly similar to the NM800. In the case of the Pro model, however, there are also variants with a heat sink, which is intended to ensure significantly lower temperatures. Exact dimensions are not yet available, but the SSD with cooler should also fit into the PlayStation 5.
Lexar NM800 PRO SSD (Image: Lexar)
The prices are salted
At Amazon, the NM800 Pro variant with 512 GB already costs 120 euros* and is therefore more expensive than some 1 TB SSDs in this class. The 1 TB version costs over 200 euros* and the 2 TB version costs almost 340 euros*. These are even only the versions without a cooler. With a cooler, the NM800 Pro 512 GB even costs 130 euros*; There are no variants with 1 TB and 2 TB here yet.
The prices are therefore higher than for the Samsung 990 Pro, which costs 175 euros (1 TB) and 325 Euro (2 TB) can be pre-ordered in October.
The new flagships from Lexar and Samsung will soon face competition with a new interface: the first SSDs with PCIe 5.0 are expected in November, which will break the hurdle of 10,000 MB/s.
(*) Links marked with an asterisk are affiliate links. In the case of an order via such a link, ComputerBase participates in the sales proceeds without increasing the price for the customer.