INTRODUCTION

    Capacity or speed, this is a question that tends to occupy the thoughts of many consumers looking to get their hands on a brand new SSD (or any drive really). Personally, I always place durability above capacity and speed but if I had to choose between the two then getting a higher capacity drive (alas slower) would be my preference. This is exactly the target audience of the latest NQ780 M.2 Gen4 SSD by Lexar and so with me today I have the 4TB capacity model.

    For more than 25 years, Lexar has been trusted as a leading global brand of memory solutions. Our award-winning lineup includes memory cards, USB Flash Drives, card readers, solid-state drives, and DRAM. With so many options, it’s easy to find the right Lexar solution to fit your needs.

    The brand new NQ780 line of PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4 M.2 NVMe v1.4 SSDs is currently available in 1TB/2TB/4TB capacities and is based on the Rainier IG5236 eight-channel NAND controller by Innogrit together with 3D QLC NAND flash from Longsys (was unable to find the exact model - will update soon). Strangely enough we've seen quite a few SSDs with the same controller by Innogrit complete with DRAM modules so this isn't a DRAM-less NAND controller (seems it can be used as such however). Once again, the Innogrit Rainier IG5236 features end-to-end data protection, LDPC (low-density parity check) error-correction with SRAM ECC, programmable RAID, SLC smart cache, AES encryption and fully supports SHA, RSA, ONFI 4.1 and Toggle 4.0. Finally Lexar covers the NQ780 line with a 5-year limited warranty and as for endurance they report an MTBF (mean time between failures) of 1.5 million hours for all models and a TBW of 600 for the 1TB model, 1200 for the 2TB model and 2400 for the 4TB model.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Lexar has placed their logo, product picture, capacity and performance at the front of the small box.

Some information on the drive and Lexar and an opening from where you can see the serial number on the sticker at the rear of the drive.

Along with the NQ780 inside the box Lexar has placed a mounting screw and the quick installation guide.

THE NQ780 4TB

The NQ780 is a single side M.2 NVMe SSD that follows the typical 2280 form factor.

Underneath the top sticker we find the Rainier IG5236 eight-channel NAND controller by Innogrit along with 4 3D QLC NAND flash modules.

On the opposite side we find a sticker with the capacity, serial number and barcode of the drive.

DISKMASTER

Lexar has a new software available online called DiskMaster.

The software allows you to do as other similar ones so you can check the drive status, SMART details, use secure erase, transfer data between drives, run a performance test, scan for errors, search for firmware updates and check information regarding the drive and your system.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Not long after I first started testing SSDs back in 2008, I concluded that it's almost impossible for any single benchmark suite to accurately measure their performance and that's why in certain benchmark suites we see amazing read/write performance numbers with some drives while in other things are quite different. The reason behind this is that some benchmarking suites are configured to read and write random chunks of data while others read and write constant (sequential) ones. So that's why i always use a very wide selection of benchmarking suites including AIDA64, HD Tach RW, HD Tune Pro, Crystal Disk Mark, Sisoftware Sandra Pro, AS SSD, IOmeter and ATTO. To get the most accurate results each test gets repeated a total of 6 times with the average performance numbers recorded into the charts. Also, as of February 25^th, 2015, our results will also include the Storage Networking Industry Association’s (SNIA) IOMeter tests. These tests include a 12 Hour write test used to “simulate” performance degradation over time and a mixed workload test which basically shows what you can expect when using an SSD continuously for roughly two hours. Unfortunately, due to the time required for these tests they get repeated a total of 3 times and not 6 as the above.

   Many people have made inquiries about our charts in the past so once again please do keep in mind that the Charts have the average performance numbers of each drive recorded and not the peak (highest) ones. Also, although every single one of these programs can help potential buyers choose the right drive for their needs you should also remember that from any kind of benchmark up to real world usage the gap is not small (and usually most differences will go unnoticed by most people). All tests were performed in a fresh Windows 10 Pro x64 installation complete with every update up to the date of this review.

* As of January 2025, Gen4 SSDs will be tested on the 13900K/Z790 system while Gen5 SSDs will be tested on the 285K/Z890 system.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK

TEST RESULTS - AS SSD / IOMETER

TEST RESULTS - IOMETER SNIA

CONCLUSION

    The NQ780 line of M.2 Gen4 SSDs seems to have been developed for consumers who place performance second to capacity, but it actually does very well overall. Yes, it may not be quite as fast as the NM790 model but for the most part it comes very close which is great for a DRAM-less model. As for durability both the 2400TBW and 1.5 million hours MTBF check out so no issues here (also the 5-year limited warranty is plenty).

    Right now, the Lexar NQ780 4TB M.2 Gen4 SSD retails for USD239.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) so it’s priced just a tad higher than expected (was unable to find it anywhere in the EU). Overall, my sole concern about the brand new NQ780 line is that it lands very close in price with both the NQ790 and the NM790 models so I do think Lexar should look into that. Price aside however the NQ780 does deliver good performance and durability and since it’s also covered by a 5-year limited warranty it deserves the Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Overall Performance (For a DRAM-Less Drive)
- Durability (1.5 Million Hours MTBF / 2400TBW)
- Up To 4TB Capacity
- 5 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- EU Availability (Currently)