Lexar has officially launched the NM990 M.2 2280 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, targeting high-performance applications for gamers, content creators, and developers. The new SSD leverages PCIe Gen 5.0 technology to deliver faster data transfer speeds and improved system performance.
The NM990 is rated for sequential read speeds of up to 14,000 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 11,000 MB/s. These figures represent a significant performance increase over typical PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, offering nearly double the bandwidth for demanding workloads.
To achieve these speeds, the drive uses an 8-channel controller combined with DRAM cache and SLC dynamic caching. Random read and write operations are supported at up to 2,000K and 1,500K IOPS, respectively. This helps to reduce load times and improve responsiveness in tasks such as high-resolution video editing, large file transfers, and gaming with detailed textures.
Thermal management has also been addressed with Lexar’s Thermal Defender technology. The NM990 integrates a graphite heat dissipation layer designed to maintain stable performance during heavy workloads. According to Lexar, the design enables up to 23% better power efficiency compared to previous generations.
The drive supports Microsoft DirectStorage, which allows assets to load directly to the GPU to reduce CPU overhead and speed up game load times. With a maximum endurance rating of 3,000 TBW for the 4 TB model, the NM990 is built for sustained use in write-intensive scenarios.
Lexar also offers its DiskMaster SSD management tool for users to monitor drive health, update firmware, and manage data securely.
The Lexar NM990 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD will be available in capacities from 1 TB to 4 TB. Pricing and regional availability are expected to follow as the product reaches global markets.
