Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB ($369) vs Lexar NM790 2TB ($310). $/TB analysis, performance, and use-case recommendations.
When generations cross paths in a comparison like this one, the older-spec drive almost always wins on value while the newer one wins on benchmarks. Whether that benchmark advantage matters depends entirely on what you do with the drive.
Hardware-wise, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB runs on the dual-mode Samsung Piccolo silicon that uniquely runs PCIe 5.0 x2 or PCIe 4.0 x4. The Lexar NM790 2TB pairs a MAP1602 controller built specifically for DRAM-less HMB designs.
The cheaper drive — Lexar NM790 2TB at $155.00/TB — saves you $29.50 per TB versus the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB. Worth it if you're capacity-constrained; either works if you just want one fast drive.
PS5 owners get no measurable benefit from either drive's peak speed because Sony's internal NVMe controller throttles to ~5,500 MB/s; treat Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB and Lexar NM790 2TB as interchangeable here and let price decide. The Gen 5 Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB pulls ahead on sequential bandwidth, but Gen 5 advantages rarely surface during everyday tasks — most software hasn't been rewritten to exploit 14,000+ MB/s pipelines. Note for handheld gamers: M.2 2280 is the desktop/laptop standard. Steam Deck and the ROG Ally line need 2230 drives — neither Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB nor Lexar NM790 2TB fits without modification.
Market context: the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB ranks #4 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 cracks the top of the value table, so it's worth glancing at the alternatives below before picking either.
As of July 27, 2026, these tracked drives undercut both the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB and Lexar NM790 2TB on $/TB:
Among Samsung's lineup, the 990 EVO Plus is the only consumer drive that physically supports dual-generation PCIe — same hardware, different bus speed depending on platform.
The Lexar NM790 2TB is the right call if the lower retail price ($310 vs $369), and better $/TB economics ($155.00/TB) matter to you. The Lexar NM790 2TB captures the value tier well: same NAND class as flagships, paired with a DRAM-less controller that costs less and uses HMB for the address-mapping table.