Compare Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB and Lexar NM790 2TB: prices, speeds, $/TB. Which to buy in July 2026? Full spec breakdown.
Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB vs Lexar NM790 2TB pits two different generations against each other at 2 TB. The question isn't which is faster on paper — that's settled — it's whether the bandwidth gap shows up in your specific workload.
Hardware-wise, the Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB runs on Phison's E28 — the second-gen Gen 5 controller with refined efficiency over the original E26. The Lexar NM790 2TB pairs MaxioTech's MAP1602 silicon, the default choice for budget Gen 4 drives in 2024-2026.
Price separates these two meaningfully. The Lexar NM790 2TB costs $155.00/TB versus $209.50/TB for the Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB — a 26% premium that needs justification in real benchmarks, not just spec-sheet bragging.
Read speeds favor the Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB: 14,900 MB/s versus 7,400 MB/s for the Lexar NM790 2TB, a 50% advantage. Sequential-heavy workloads notice; transactional workloads don't.
The Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB writes about 49% faster (12,700 MB/s vs 6,500 MB/s). Whether that matters depends entirely on what you write to the drive — gameplay capture and large project saves benefit, browsing and gaming do not.
The Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB carries a dedicated DRAM chip for FTL (Flash Translation Layer) mapping; the Lexar NM790 2TB relies on HMB (Host Memory Buffer), borrowing 64 MB from system RAM. The practical gap shows up only under sustained random write loads.
If this purchase is for a PS5 storage expansion, the comparison flattens — Sony's PCIe Gen 4 controller normalizes both Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB and Lexar NM790 2TB to roughly equal in-game load times. The cheaper drive is the smart pick. The leap from Gen 4 to Gen 5 doubles peak throughput on paper but produces single-digit-percent improvements in game load times, OS boot, and most productivity benchmarks. The Lexar NM790 2TB is the better default unless you have a specific workload that needs the extra lanes. Heavy write workloads — video editing, RAW photo libraries, backup operations — favor the Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB's 12,700 MB/s sustained write speed. Both drives use the 2280 form factor, which is too long for Steam Deck or ROG Ally — you'd need a 2230 variant if either manufacturer offers one, or a dedicated handheld-format drive instead.
Market context: the Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB ranks #9 of 11 Gen 5 2 TB drives we track by $/TB, while the Lexar NM790 2TB ranks #7 of 11 Gen 4 2 TB drives. Neither is a value leader right now — if $/TB is your priority, check the cheaper alternatives below before committing.
As of July 27, 2026, these tracked drives undercut both the Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB and Lexar NM790 2TB on $/TB:
Pick the Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB if you value meaningfully faster reads (14,900 MB/s), higher sustained writes (12,700 MB/s), and a dedicated DRAM cache chip. Corsair's MP700 PRO XT brings Phison E28 silicon with optional heatsink variants — flexibility for both spacious desktops and laptops with motherboard clearance issues.
Pick the Lexar NM790 2TB if you value the lower retail price ($310 vs $419), and better $/TB economics ($155.00/TB). Budget-tier drives like the Lexar NM790 2TB have closed the gap with premium NVMes — the MAP1602 controller is genuinely competitive for everyday workloads at half the price.