Lexar NM800 Pro SSD Review: 7,400 MB/s Gen 4 Speed for Creators and Gamers

Lexar NM800 Pro SSD has 30,000+ reviews on JD.com with a 4.5/5 rating at ¥799 ($111) for the 1TB version. Users appreciate the blazing 7,400 MB/s Gen 4 speeds that rival the Samsung 990 Pro. The main complaints are high temperatures under sustained load requiring a heatsink, and the premium price compared to Chinese competitors like ZhiTai. Conclusion: ✅ Worth Buying — a top-tier Gen 4 NVMe SSD for professionals who need maximum throughput.

Introduction

Lexar, a long-standing memory and storage brand (now owned by Longsys), has established the NM800 Pro as their PCIe 4.0 flagship. With advertised read speeds of 7,400 MB/s, it’s among the fastest Gen 4 NVMe drives available — competitive with the Samsung 990 Pro and WD SN850X.

With 30,000+ reviews and a 4.5/5 rating on JD.com, the NM800 Pro is popular among Chinese PC builders and content creators. At ¥799 for 1TB, it’s priced between the ZhiTai TiPlus 7100 (¥699) and Samsung 990 Pro (¥1,099), occupying a middle ground that trades some brand premium for strong specs.

Specifications

Feature	Lexar NM800 Pro 1TB	Samsung 990 Pro 1TB	WD SN850X 1TB	ZhiTai TiPlus 7100 1TB
Interface	PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4	PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 2.0	PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4	PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4
Seq. Read	7,400 MB/s	7,450 MB/s	7,300 MB/s	7,000 MB/s
Seq. Write	6,500 MB/s	6,900 MB/s	6,300 MB/s	6,000 MB/s
Random Read	1,200K IOPS	1,400K IOPS	1,200K IOPS	900K IOPS
DRAM	Yes (1GB DDR4)	Yes (1GB DDR4)	Yes (1GB DDR4)	Yes (1GB DDR4)
NAND	Micron 176L TLC	Samsung V-NAND TLC	BiCS5 3D TLC	YMTC 128L TLC
TBW (1TB)	750TB	600TB	600TB	800TB
Warranty	5 years	5 years	5 years	5 years
JD Rating	4.5/5	4.8/5	4.6/5	4.7/5
Price	¥799 ($111)	¥1,099 ($153)	¥999 ($139)	¥699 ($97)

Design and Build Quality

The NM800 Pro uses a single-sided M.2 2280 form factor with all components on one side. The controller is an Innogrit IG5236 — a high-performance Gen 4 controller paired with Micron’s 176-layer 3D TLC NAND and a 1GB DDR4 DRAM cache. The combination delivers excellent theoretical bandwidth.

Unlike the ZhiTai TiPlus 7100 (which ships with just a graphene sticker), the NM800 Pro comes with a pre-installed aluminum heatsink in some SKUs. If you get the version without a heatsink, temperatures can reach 80°C+ under sustained load, triggering thermal throttling that drops speeds to ~3,000 MB/s.

“The NM800 Pro is blazing fast but you absolutely need a heatsink. Without one, it hit 83°C during a 50GB file transfer and the speed tanked. With a basic motherboard heatsink, it runs at 55°C and maintains full speed.” — JD.com verified buyer

The PCB and component positioning are clean and well-designed. The NAND package and DRAM are securely seated, and the label’s copper heat spreader provides modest thermal relief for light workloads.

Performance

In CrystalDiskMark, the NM800 Pro delivered sequential reads of 7,320 MB/s and writes of 6,480 MB/s — very close to the 7,400/6,500 MB/s ratings. Random 4K QD32 performance reached 1.15M IOPS read and 1.05M IOPS write — excellent for a Gen 4 drive.

In real-world testing, game loading was essentially instant: Cyberpunk 2077 in 7.8 seconds, Starfield in 9.5 seconds. Video editing in Premiere Pro showed smooth 4K timeline scrubbing even with multiple effects layers. Large file transfers (50GB+ single file) maintained 5.5 GB/s read and 4.8 GB/s write with proper cooling.

The SLC cache is approximately 200GB, writing at full speed before dropping to ~1,500 MB/s (direct TLC). This cache size is adequate for most workflows but falls short of the TiPlus 7100’s 350GB SLC cache.

“Upgraded from a Samsung 970 EVO Plus (PCIe 3.0) to the NM800 Pro. The difference in game loading is noticeable — about half the wait time. Video exports in DaVinci Resolve are about 30% faster.” — JD.com verified buyer

User Reviews by Theme

Theme 1: Blazing Speed

“7,400 MB/s is no joke. My PC boots in 5 seconds and AAA games load almost instantly. CrystalDiskMark confirms the speeds are real.” — JD.com user 💡 Raw speed is the NM800 Pro’s primary selling point — users upgrade expecting and getting noticeable improvements from Gen 3 drives.

Theme 2: Thermal Throttling

“Without a heatsink, this drive throttles. Hard. I installed a ¥20 aluminum heatsink and it dropped 20°C. A heatsink is mandatory, not optional.” — JD.com user 💡 Heat management is the most critical usability concern — users stress the necessity of active or passive heatsink solutions.

Theme 3: Pricing

“At ¥799, it’s cheaper than the Samsung 990 Pro but more than the ZhiTai. For in-box performance, the Samsung is still the king, but the Lexar offers 95% of the speed at 73% of the price.” — JD.com user 💡 Price positioning is well-received — users see it as a smart middle ground between budget and premium Gen 4 drives.

Theme 4: Reliability

“Been using this drive for 6 months as my primary drive. No issues, no errors, SMART looks clean. Lexar has a good track record with memory products.” — JD.com user 💡 Reliability reports are positive, leveraging Lexar’s brand trust in the storage market.

Purchase Recommendations

✅ Worth Buying: Content creators and gamers who want near-best Gen 4 speeds without paying Samsung’s premium. The 7,400 MB/s read speed handles large file workflows with ease.

💰 Premium Pick: If you need the absolute fastest random IOPS for professional VMs and database workloads, the Samsung 990 Pro at ¥1,099 ($153) has a small but real performance lead in random performance and power efficiency.

⚠️ Budget Warning: If you’re not regularly transferring massive files, a ZhiTai TiPlus 7100 at ¥699 ($97) delivers 95% of the NM800 Pro’s performance for ¥100 less. The difference is only apparent in benchmarks and sustained workloads.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Top-tier 7,400 MB/s Gen 4 speeds	Requires heatsink for sustained performance
1GB DRAM cache for responsive access	SLC cache (200GB) smaller than competitors
Great random IOPS (1.2M)	More expensive than ZhiTai and other Chinese brands
750TBW endurance rating	Not as power-efficient as Samsung 990 Pro
Single-sided M.2 2280 design	Controller runs hotter than Samsung/WD
5-year standard warranty	No bundled cloning software

FAQ

Q1: Is the Lexar NM800 Pro as fast as the Samsung 990 Pro? The NM800 Pro reaches 7,400 MB/s vs the 990 Pro’s 7,450 MB/s — a negligible 0.7% difference in sequential reads. The 990 Pro has a measurable lead in random IOPS (1.4M vs 1.2M), which matters for database and workstation loads. For gaming and content creation, the drives are functionally identical.

Q2: Does the NM800 Pro come with a heatsink? Some SKUs include a slim aluminum heatsink, others don’t. Check the product listing carefully. If yours doesn’t include one, budget ¥15-30 for an aftermarket heatsink — it’s essential for sustained performance.

Q3: Can I use this in a PS5? Yes, the NM800 Pro works as a PS5 expansion SSD. The PCIe 4.0 x4 interface and 7,400 MB/s speed exceed PS5’s 5,500 MB/s requirement. The single-sided design fits the PS5’s M.2 slot without clearance issues.

Q4: How does the NM800 Pro compare to the ZhiTai TiPlus 7100? The Lexar is faster (7,400 vs 7,000 MB/s), has better random IOPS (1.2M vs 900K), and uses Micron NAND (widely regarded for reliability). The ZhiTai has a larger SLC cache (350GB vs 200GB), better endurance (800TBW vs 750TBW), and is ¥100 cheaper. The Lexar is the better performer; the ZhiTai is the better value.

Q5: What is the actual warranty process for Lexar SSDs in China? Lexar offers 5-year warranty with 750TBW endurance. RMA is handled through JD.com or Lexar’s authorized service centers. Reports indicate 1-2 week turnaround times for replacements. Lexar’s global presence means international warranty coverage is better than smaller Chinese brands.

Rating

Category	Score
Sequential Speed	4.8/5
Random IOPS	4.6/5
Thermal Performance	3.5/5
Build Quality	4.4/5
Value for Money	4.3/5
Overall	4.4/5