Lexar NM1090 Pro 2TB SSD Review - Super Fast & Super Efficient

TweakTown Rating: 92%

Our Verdict

The NM1090 Pro 2TB is all of the good with none of the bad, making Lexar's first PCIe Gen5 SSD worthy of a close look.

Pros

• Sequential throughput performance
• Power efficient
• Real-world performance

Cons

• Double-sided design

Should you buy it?

AvoidConsiderShortlistBuy

Buy at Amazon for $370.28 USD

Lowest price in 30 days

Buy at Amazon for $592.97 CAD

Lowest price in 30 days

Buy at Amazon for £254

Lowest price in 30 days

Buy at Amazon for $589.05 AUD

Introduction & Drive Details

Lexar's NM1090 Pro is another in a long string of Silicon Motion SM2508-controlled SSDs to cross our bench. The most powerful and typically more expensive of them come arrayed with BiCS 8 or Micron G9 flash, while the ostensibly more affordable versions come arrayed with Micron G8 flash. To date, in retail form, this will be the third and most powerful SM2508-controlled SSD we've encountered being arrayed with Micron 232-layer G8 NAND.

44

44

As it is with the previous Micron G8 arrayed SM2508 SSDs we've tested, Lexar's new flagship performer, at 2TB and 4TB capacity points, is likewise configured as a double-sided form factor SSD. A double-sided PCB brings with it inherent advantages and disadvantages. Double-sided SSDs are generally a more cost-effective route for the manufacturer to take because stacking flash dies 4 high is easier and yields more finished product than does stacking them 8 high.

The disadvantages of a double-sided SSD include a near certainty that it will not be suitable for notebook computer storage upgrades. Double-sided SSDs can be harder to cool, although Silicon Motion's SM2508 controller is so efficient that we don't see this as much of an issue with the NM1090 Pro 2TB, as we have found that SM2508-controlled SSDs generate no more heat than does an average 8-channel controlled PCIe Gen4 SSD.

Lexar is touting its new flagship performer as able to deliver blazing load times, which are up to 200% faster than its PCIe Gen4 SSDs. The company also states that with its 14,000/13,000 MB/s throughput, its NM1090 Pro delivers the horsepower required to accelerate AI model training, as well as delivering stunningly immersive gaming and professional rendering.

Best Deals: Lexar NM1090 Pro 2TB SSD

Prices last scanned 3 hours and 9 minutes ago

Today7 days ago30 days agoBuy

$370.28 USD

7 days ago: $359.99 USD30 days ago: $419.99 USD

$359.99 USD

$419.99 USD

BuyBuy at Amazon

$592.97 CAD

7 days ago: $595.51 CAD30 days ago: $636.16 CAD

$595.51 CAD

$636.16 CAD

BuyBuy at Amazon

£254

7 days ago: £26230 days ago: £320

£262

£320

BuyBuy at Amazon

$589.05 AUD

7 days ago: $580.34 AUD

$580.34 AUD

-

BuyBuy at Amazon

Check Price

-

-

CheckCheck Price at Newegg

Check Price

-

-

CheckCheck Price at Newegg

Check Price

-

-

CheckCheck Price at PC Case Gear

The company further states that while running high-performance workloads, the NM1090 PRO SSD's peak temperatures are 36% lower compared to its competitor's SSDs using a 12nm controller. Low power consumption while simultaneously delivering massive performance is what we all want from our storage devices, and this is exactly what Lexar's NM1090 Pro 2TB SSD brings to the table.

Okay, now let's dive in and see what Lexar's NM1090 Pro 2TB can do for you by the numbers.

Drive Details

44

Performance and endurance are both excellent, as is its 5-year limited warranty.

44

44

44

The NM1090 Pro is fully compatible with Lexar's feature-rich Lexar DiskMaster SSD ToolBox, which handles all aspects of drive maintenance and even does cloning for you, making it one of the most versatile SSD toolbox software in the industry. Best of all, it's absolutely free.

Jon's Test System Specifications

Intel Test System

AMD Test System

Please note: We employ an M.2 AIC for testing on our Intel Core Ultra 9 285K platform.

Sony PlayStation 5 - M.2 Storage Expansion

PS5 Read Performance

With Sony's wildly popular PlayStation 5 console now enabled for M.2 NVMe SSDs to be used as fast storage expansion, we are including results for PS5-compatible SSDs we test as a part of our reviews going forward.

44

44

For SSDs that don't have an adequately sized PS5 compatible heatsink or other SSDs where the heatsink provided doesn't fit right and can be removed, we both use and recommend Sabrent's unparalleled PS5 heatsink available HERE.

44

44

We only chart SSDs that can deliver a minimum of 5,500 MB/s read, which is Sony's original recommendation.

44

Here we see the NM1090 Pro 2TB as one of the best options going for PS5 fast storage expansion.

Synthetic Benchmarks: CDM, Max IOPS, ATTO

CrystalDiskMark

44

44

44

44

44

We employ CDM as our standard measurement for both sequential throughput and Q1T1 random read. In terms of sequential throughput, the drive delivers exactly as advertised and then some, even in our more demanding user state. Excellent.

Zeroing in on the all-important Q1T1 random read speed, our Micron G8 arrayed contender is delivering about as good as we've ever seen for its NAND type.

Max IOPS

44

44

44

44

Again, we have no issues meeting and/or exceeding quoted factory performance specifications. With up to 2,109K 4K random read IOPs and a jaw-dropping 2,355K 4K random write IOPS, clearly the NM1090 Pro 2TB delivers as advertised and then some, even under our more demanding user state.

ATTO

44

44

44

44

ATTO gives us a clear picture of what transfer sizes a particular SSD favors in terms of QD4 sequential throughput. We chart 128K transfers. At a queue depth of four, the NM1090 Pro 2TB favors sequential transfers of 2MB or larger when serving data to the host (reading) and 128KB or larger when programming (writing) data.

Real-World Testing: Transfers, 3DMark SSD Gaming Test, PCM10 Storage

Transfer Rates

44

44

44

Our 100GB data transfer test is not your ordinary 100GB of data; ours is a crushing mix composed of more than 62K files. Write performance, random or sequential, is an infrequent operation, and as such, we do not consider it to be an important performance metric in the consumer space. An example being how many times a game is installed vs. how many times it's played. That said, we would like to see a bit more here.

44

44

44

Unlike programming (writing) data, serving data to the host (reading) is typically an important performance metric as it relates to the consumer space. This is where transfer rates matter most, and we like what we see from our test subject. Excellent.

3DMark SSD Gaming Test

UL's newest 3DMark SSD Gaming Test is the most comprehensive SSD gaming test ever devised. We consider it superior to testing against games themselves because, as a trace, it is much more consistent than variations that will occur between runs on the actual game itself. This test is the same as running the actual game, just without the inconsistencies inherent to application testing. In short, we believe that this is the world's best way to test an SSDs gaming prowess and accurately compare it against competing SSDs. The 3DMark SSD Gaming Test measures and scores the following:

• Loading Battlefield V from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Call of Duty Black Ops 4 from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Overwatch from launch to the main menu.
• Recording a 1080p gameplay video at 60 FPS with OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) while playing Overwatch.
• Installing The Outer Worlds from the Epic Games Launcher.
• Saving game progress in The Outer Worlds.
• Copying the Steam folder for Counter-Strike Global Offensive from an external SSD to the system drive.

44

44

44

Gaming is a performance metric that matters to most DIY consumers, especially for the enthusiast crowd that TweakTown caters to. Now we've reached the point where results start to matter as they are a direct reflection of user experience.

We consider a score of 6,000 here to be somewhat of a milestone achievement. Our test subject delivers that and a bit more. Lexar's NM1090 2TB is showing itself to be the most performant of the SM2508/G8 arrayed SSDs, beating both the GM9000 and the Mars 980 Blade.

PCM10 Storage Tests

PCMark 10 Storage Test is the most advanced and most accurate real-world consumer storage test ever made. There are four different tests you can choose from; we run two of them. The Full System Drive Benchmark and the Quick System Drive Benchmark. The Full System Drive Benchmark writes 204 GB of data over the duration of the test. These tests directly correlate with mainstream user experience.

PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark

This test writes 204GB of data and covers a broad range of common consumer tasks, including booting Windows 10, file transfers, Adobe and Office applications, and startup times for games such as Battlefield V, COD Black Ops 4, and Overwatch. Unlike synthetic numbers, this is comprehensive real-world data, which is why we use it to rank SSDs in terms of user experience.

44

44

44

Oddly enough, this round, our test subject gets bested by both the GM9000 and Mars 980 Blade.

PCMark 10 Quick System Drive Benchmark

The Quick System Drive Benchmark writes 23 GB of data over the duration of the test.

44

44

44

Of all the benchmarks we run, it can be argued that this one offers the best reflection of a typical consumer use case scenario. There we go, the NM1090 Pro soundly defeats both the GM9000 and the Mars 980 Blade and does so where it matters most. Impressive.

Final Thoughts

Lexar's first PCIe Gen5 SSD turns out to be one of the best of its kind ever made. The NM1090 Pro 2TB delivers an excellent combination of powerful performance and elite efficiency. While consuming only 8 watts of power, the drive delivers more than 14GB/s throughput, making it twice as powerful as most PCIe Gen4 SSDs, while at the same time producing no more heat than does a typical PCIe Gen4 SSD. It's all of the good with none of the bad.

44

We rank SSDs in terms of overall user experience (performance where it matters most) as expressed by PCMark 10 storage and 3DMark gaming storage tests. Currently, we consider a user experience score of 17K or more to verify an SSD as a TweakTown Elite performer. 20K Elite is punching above its weight as we see it. Outstanding.

44

Massive performance, unparalleled efficiency, and its 20K Elite status make for a highly desirable SSD if the price is right.