New Lexar NM990 PCIe 5.0 SSD reads data at up to 14,000 MB/s

[10:21 Thu,17.July 2025 by Thomas Richter]

Lexar has released the NM990 M.2 2280, a new PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD that is specifically aimed at demanding applications in the areas of gaming, video editing, and AI, and promises significant advances in data throughput and efficiency compared to previous PCIe 4.0 models.

The Lexar NM990 utilizes the PCIe 5.0 interface, which allows a theoretical doubling of bandwidth compared to PCIe 4.0, in this case 16 GB/s when using 4 PCIe 5.0 lanes. In practical use, this upper limit is not quite reached, but the read speed of up to 14,000 MB/s and the write speed of up to 11,000 MB/s are significantly higher than PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs.

To avoid overheating at these high speeds, the integrated 8-channel controller works in combination with graphite thermal pads and the so-called Thermal Defender technology, which leads to more stable performance without thermal throttling (i.e. artificial slowdown).

The Lexar NM990 is equipped with a DRAM cache and a dynamic SLC cache, which enables random read/write IOPS of up to 2,000K and 1,500K respectively, enabling system and program starts with virtually no delay.

With a lifespan of up to 3,000 TBW (for the 4 TB version), the NM990 should last for several years even with many write operations. In addition, the NM990 supports Microsoft DirectStorage, which further reduces game loading times on compatible systems. Firmware updates can be installed, SMART values can be viewed and the SSD status can be monitored via the Lexar DiskMaster SSD Management Tool.

### Key features of the Lexar NM990
- PCIe 5.0 interface with up to 14,000 MB/s read and 11,000 MB/s write
- Thermal Defender technology & graphite thermal pads for optimal thermal management
- 8-channel controller for parallel data streams
- DRAM cache and SLC Dynamic Cache for up to 2,000/1,500 K IOPS
- 3,000 TBW (4 TB model) for high endurance
- Microsoft DirectStorage support for faster game loading times
- Lexar DiskMaster SSD Management Tool for maintenance and monitoring

The Lexar NM990 is now available at a price starting at around 369 euros for the 4TB version, 189 euros for the 2 TB version and around 104 euros for the 1 TB version.

Bilder zur Newsmeldung:

more infos at bei www.lexar.com

deutsche Version dieser Seite: Neue Lexar NM990 PCIe 5.0 SSD liest Daten mit bis zu 14.000 MB/s