Compare TeamGroup MP44L 2TB and Lexar NM790 2TB: prices, speeds, $/TB. Which to buy in May 2026? Full spec breakdown.
Both the TeamGroup MP44L 2TB and Lexar NM790 2TB sit in the Gen 4 category at 2 TB, so the matchup turns on controller efficiency, cache topology, and current pricing rather than raw class differences.
There's a modest pricing advantage for the TeamGroup MP44L 2TB: $59.50/TB compared with $74.50/TB. For typical gaming and productivity, this becomes the deciding factor when specs are close.
Read speeds favor the Lexar NM790 2TB: 7,400 MB/s versus 5,000 MB/s for the TeamGroup MP44L 2TB, a 32% advantage. Sequential-heavy workloads notice; transactional workloads don't.
The Lexar NM790 2TB writes about 31% faster (6,500 MB/s vs 4,500 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.
Heading to a PlayStation 5? Both drives drop into the console's M.2 bay and report identical real-world benchmarks since the PS5 caps storage at PCIe 4.0 speeds. The TeamGroup MP44L 2TB wins this matchup on $/TB. Heavy write workloads — video editing, RAW photo libraries, backup operations — favor the Lexar NM790 2TB's 6,500 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.
Pick the TeamGroup MP44L 2TB if you value the lower retail price ($119 vs $149), and better $/TB economics ($59.50/TB). The TeamGroup MP44L 2TB wins on $/TB because it pairs DRAM-less MAP1602 silicon with low-margin distribution. Performance is fine for OS and gaming, weaker only on sustained random writes.
Pick the Lexar NM790 2TB if you value meaningfully faster reads (7,400 MB/s), and higher sustained writes (6,500 MB/s). 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.