Lexar NM800 500GB Review — Mid-Range PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (2026)
The Lexar NM800 500GB is a mid-range PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD from Lexar, built around the InnoGrit IG5236 controller and 3D TLC NAND for fast 7400 MB/s reads.
Controller & Memory
Lexar is a well-known American storage brand, now owned by the Chinese conglomerate Longsys, with a product range spanning from SD cards to enterprise SSDs. The NM800 sits in the middle of Lexar's PCIe 4.0 lineup — below the NM800 Pro flagship and above the entry-level NM620. The 500 GB model uses the InnoGrit IG5236 controller, a capable PCIe 4.0 x4 silicon that delivers near-flagship sequential speeds at a mid-range price point.
The InnoGrit IG5236 is a second-generation PCIe 4.0 controller that competes with the Phison E18 in the flagship segment, though InnoGrit typically powers more value-oriented drives. Paired with 3D TLC NAND, the NM800 achieves rated sequential reads of 7,400 MB/s and writes of 5,800 MB/s over an M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe interface. The read speed is at the top of the Gen4 stack — edging past even the Phison E18's typical 7,000–7,100 MB/s — while the write speed is moderate for this class, reflecting the 500 GB capacity's limited NAND parallelism compared to 1 TB and 2 TB variants.
At 500 GB, this is an unusual capacity. Most SSD manufacturers standardize on 512 GB for the half-terabyte tier. Lexar's choice of 500 GB may reflect actual usable NAND capacity after over-provisioning, or it may be a marketing distinction. Either way, the practical difference is negligible — users get approximately 465 GB of usable space after formatting, consistent with other 512 GB-class drives.
The NM800 does not appear to include a dedicated DRAM cache in most documentation, suggesting a DRAM-less HMB design. This is typical for mid-range PCIe 4.0 drives where cost efficiency matters. For everyday desktop use — OS boot, application launches, game loading — the HMB architecture provides adequate responsiveness, though sustained mixed workloads may show higher latency compared to DRAM-equipped drives. The 3D TLC NAND is preferable to QLC for both endurance and sustained write performance.
Storage Comparisons:
NM800 Performance & Benchmarks
Sequential read performance of 7,400 MB/s is among the fastest in the PCIe 4.0 class, surpassing the typical 7,000 MB/s of Phison E18 drives. The InnoGrit IG5236 controller is a capable Gen4 silicon that handles large sequential transfers with ease. Write speed of 5,800 MB/s is solid for a 500 GB drive, though larger capacities of the same platform typically reach 6,400 MB/s or higher thanks to additional NAND die parallelism.
Lexar NM800 500 GB vs M.2 4.0 x 4 peers
Switch between sequential throughput and random IOPS to see how this drive stacks up against other M.2 4.0 x 4 SSDs in our database. The highlighted bar is the drive on this page — click any other bar to open that drive.
- Patriot Viper PV593 1 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV593 2 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV593 4 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV573 2 TB: 14,000 MB/s read, 12,000 MB/s write
- Lexar NM800 500 GB (this drive): 7,400 MB/s read, 5,800 MB/s write
Without a dedicated DRAM cache, the NM800 relies on Host Memory Buffer architecture for flash translation layer management. For everyday tasks like OS boot, web browsing, and game loading, the performance difference between HMB and DRAM-equipped drives is minimal. Under sustained mixed workloads — such as video editing or large database operations — the lack of DRAM may manifest as increased latency. The dynamic SLC cache provides burst write acceleration, and once exhausted, direct TLC write speeds typically fall to 600–1,000 MB/s for this class. Thermals on the IG5236 are manageable — it runs cooler than the Phison E18 under comparable loads.
Lexar NM800 vs Competitors
See how the NM800 stacks up against other M.2 4.0 x 4 drives in our database:
Compare with rival drives:
Endurance, TBW & Warranty
Lexar provides warranty coverage on the NM800 consistent with its mid-range positioning in the product lineup. Specific warranty duration and endurance figures for the 500 GB model are not widely published in Lexar public documentation. For comparable 500 GB TLC drives in this class, typical endurance ranges from 250 to 400 TBW with a three- to five-year warranty period. The 3D TLC NAND provides better endurance characteristics than QLC alternatives, and for typical consumer use of 20–40 GB written per day, any reasonable endurance estimate would exceed the warranty period comfortably. MTBF is not separately published for this SKU.
Lexar NM800 500 GB Specifications
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity [?] | 500 GB |
| Interface [?] | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller [?] | InnoGrit IG5236 |
| Memory type [?] | 3D TLC |
| DRAM [?] | DRAM Cache |
| Read speed (MB/s) [?] | 7400 |
| Write speed (MB/s) [?] | 5800 |
| Read IOPS [?] | 400000 |
| Write IOPS [?] | 750000 |
| Endurance (TBW) [?] | 500 |
| MTBF (million hours) [?] | 2000000 |
| Warranty (years) [?] | 5 |
Verdict: Is the NM800 Worth It in 2026?
The Lexar NM800 500GB is a competent mid-range PCIe 4.0 SSD that delivers flagship-level read speeds through the InnoGrit IG5236 controller. The 7,400 MB/s sequential read is among the fastest on Gen4, and the 3D TLC NAND provides solid endurance characteristics compared to QLC alternatives. The DRAM-less HMB design and moderate 5,800 MB/s write speed position it below true flagship alternatives from Samsung and WD. For users who want fast PCIe Gen4 read performance at a mid-range price point, the NM800 is a sensible and affordable option from an established storage brand with decades of flash memory experience.
+ Pros
- 7,400 MB/s read leads the PCIe 4.0 class
- InnoGrit IG5236 capable Gen4 controller
- 3D TLC NAND for better endurance than QLC
- Mid-range pricing below flagship drives
- IG5236 runs cooler than Phison E18
- Cons
- Likely DRAM-less HMB design
- 5,800 MB/s write moderate for this class
- Unusual 500GB capacity versus standard 512GB
- Warranty and endurance not well-publicised
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