# Lexar NM620 1TB NVMe SSD Review (2026)

The Lexar NM620 1TB is the flagship of the NM620 line — a DRAM-less PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive that delivers 3,300/3,000 MB/s sequential speeds and 500 TBW endurance under a five-year warranty.

Quick answer: The Lexar NM620 1TB is a solid mainstream NVMe SSD for everyday desktop use, gaming, and light content work. Its five-year warranty and 500 TBW endurance are competitive for the price. Buyers who prioritize top-tier real-world application performance should look to the Samsung 980 1TB, which consistently posts higher PCMark scores. Those who want the longest warranty at the lowest price will find the NM620 a pragmatic pick — just do not expect it to match its own 3,000 MB/s write rating outside of ideal synthetic conditions.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 1 TB |
| Interface | M.2 3.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Lexar DM620 |
| Memory type | 3D TLC |
| DRAM cache | HMB |
| Sequential read | 3300 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 3000 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 300000 |
| Random write IOPS | 256000 |
| Endurance | 500 TBW |
| MTBF | 1.5 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

Lexar rates the NM620 1TB at up to 3,300 MB/s sequential reads and 3,000 MB/s sequential writes, with random performance up to 300,000 read IOPS and 256,000 write IOPS. In The PC Enthusiast's testing, ATTO measured approximately 3,000 MB/s reads but only about 2,100 MB/s writes — notably below the rated figure. CrystalDiskMark results were closer to spec.

A 310 GB real-world file copy test from a Samsung 980 Pro showed initial write speeds bouncing between 1.6 and 2.2 GB/s, then settling to roughly 840 to 890 MB/s after about 200 GB — consistent with SLC cache exhaustion. In PCMark 10 Full System Drive testing, the NM620 1TB outperformed the Crucial P2 but trailed both the WD Blue SN550 and Samsung 980. The 4K random write score in CrystalDiskMark was a bright spot, beating several direct competitors.

For daily desktop use and gaming, the NM620 1TB delivers speeds that any user upgrading from SATA will notice immediately. The gap to higher-priced drives only becomes apparent in sustained workloads or synthetic trace benchmarks.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

The Lexar NM620 1TB carries a 500 TBW endurance rating backed by a five-year limited warranty. That translates to approximately 274 GB of writes per day over the warranty period, or about 0.44 drive writes per day — a workload level that only heavy content creators approach. The drive is rated at 1.5 million hours MTBF. The five-year term is a meaningful upgrade over the three-year warranty on the older Lexar NM610, and no product registration is required to claim the full warranty period.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- 3,300 MB/s reads, 3,000 MB/s rated writes on PCIe 3.0
- 500 TBW endurance with five-year warranty
- Single-sided M.2 2280 fits laptops and slim desktops
- Strong 4K random write performance
- NVMe 1.4 with HMB support
- SLC cache holds roughly 200 GB before throttling
**Cons:**

- Real-world write speeds fall short of the 3,000 MB/s rating
- Trails Samsung 980 in PCMark trace benchmarks
- DRAM-less design limits heavy-workload performance
- No bundled software or heatsink included


## Verdict

The Lexar NM620 1TB is a solid mainstream NVMe SSD for everyday desktop use, gaming, and light content work. Its five-year warranty and 500 TBW endurance are competitive for the price. Buyers who prioritize top-tier real-world application performance should look to the Samsung 980 1TB, which consistently posts higher PCMark scores. Those who want the longest warranty at the lowest price will find the NM620 a pragmatic pick — just do not expect it to match its own 3,000 MB/s write rating outside of ideal synthetic conditions.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the Lexar NM620 1TB good for gaming?

Yes. The NM620 1TB reads at 3,300 MB/s with solid 4K random performance, which directly benefits game load times. It is a clear upgrade over SATA SSDs and competes well with other DRAM-less PCIe 3.0 drives. The 1TB capacity holds a full OS installation plus several large AAA games without space pressure.

### Does the Lexar NM620 1TB have DRAM cache?

No. The NM620 is entirely DRAM-less and uses NVMe Host Memory Buffer (HMB) to borrow system RAM for mapping tables. This is standard for mainstream PCIe 3.0 drives and has minimal impact on everyday desktop and gaming performance, though heavy sustained write workloads can expose the limitation.

### What is the TBW endurance of the Lexar NM620 1TB?

The NM620 1TB is rated at 500 TBW (Terabytes Written), covered by a five-year warranty. At a typical consumer workload of 20 to 50 GB per day, it would take roughly 27 to 68 years to exhaust the endurance — far beyond the warranty window. Heavy content creators writing 200 GB per day would still take nearly seven years to reach the limit.

### Is the Lexar NM620 1TB compatible with the PS5?

No. The PS5 requires a PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD with a recommended read speed of 5,500 MB/s or higher. The NM620 is a PCIe 3.0 drive with a 3,300 MB/s read ceiling, which does not meet Sony's published compatibility requirements.

### How does the Lexar NM620 1TB compare to the Samsung 980 1TB?

Both are DRAM-less PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives targeting mainstream users. The Samsung 980 posts higher scores in PCMark 10 real-world benchmarks and includes Samsung's Magician management software. The NM620 counters with a five-year warranty versus Samsung's three years and is typically priced lower. In synthetic sequential tests, the two drives are close, with the NM620 sometimes edging ahead in 4K random writes.

### Does the Lexar NM620 1TB need a heatsink?

For normal desktop use, no. The NM620 1TB runs cool enough under typical consumer workloads. During extended heavy benchmark runs or sustained writes past the SLC cache, thermal throttling can occur on any bare M.2 drive. If your motherboard includes an M.2 heatsink, using it will help maintain peak performance during demanding tasks.

---

Last updated: 2026-05-23. Source: https://ssdrive.net/lexar-nm620-1-tb