Lexar NM790 2TB SSD becomes a more budget-friendly choice amid volatile market conditions

Lexar’s NM790 2TB SSD, now at its lowest price since April, offers a practical and cost-effective upgrade for mainstream users despite market volatility and performance limitations.

Lexar’s NM790 2TB SSD has re-emerged as a more sensible buy in a market that has been unusually volatile this year. PC Guide says the drive is now at its lowest price since April, down to $299 after reaching $449 in May, a swing that underlines how sharply SSD pricing has moved in recent months.

The NM790 is not positioned as a flagship product, and that is part of its appeal. Tom’s Hardware describes it as a DRAM-less PCIe 4.0 drive with sequential speeds of up to 7,400MB/s read and 6,500MB/s write, which is enough for mainstream gaming, everyday computing and fast storage expansion. Tech Advisor adds that Lexar’s use of HMB 3.0 and dynamic SLC caching helps keep power use down and thermal behaviour under control.

That makes the drive a practical option for laptops as well as desktops. Tom’s Hardware notes that the single-sided layout improves compatibility in tighter chassis, while PC World points to the five-year warranty and relatively generous endurance ratings as further signs that Lexar has aimed this model at ordinary buyers rather than specialists.

There are limits, of course. Tech Advisor says the NM790 does not include hardware encryption and is not intended to compete with premium workstation-class SSDs. But within the consumer market, it remains a strong value proposition. PC Guide argues that the closest better-known alternative at a lower price is Kingston’s NV3 2TB, though that model does not match the NM790’s performance.

For buyers weighing whether to spend more, the key question is whether higher-end speeds would make a visible difference in day-to-day use. For most people, the answer will be no. In that context, the NM790’s current price is close to the point where performance, efficiency and capacity are all aligned.