Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD Review: The Budget Speedster Put to the Test

There’s a unique kind of digital torment that every PC user knows: the slow boot. You press the power button, full of intent for a productive work session or an immersive gaming escape, only to be met with a loading screen that seems to stretch into eternity. I remember my old system, built around a traditional hard disk drive (HDD). Every morning was a ritual of patience. Power on, go make a coffee, come back, and maybe, just maybe, the desktop would be ready. Launching a game like ‘The Witcher 3’ felt like planning a long journey; you’d click the icon and have enough time to browse your phone for five minutes before the main menu appeared. This sluggishness isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a constant, frustrating bottleneck that stifles creativity and pulls you out of the moment. It’s the digital equivalent of trying to run through treacle, and it’s a problem that an upgrade can solve more dramatically than almost any other component.

What to Consider Before Buying a Solid State Drive

A Solid State Drive is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for breathing new life into a sluggish computer. Unlike traditional hard drives with their spinning platters and moving read/write heads, an SSD uses flash memory, similar to a USB stick but vastly more powerful and durable. This fundamental difference eliminates mechanical delays, resulting in near-instantaneous access to data. The main benefits are transformative: your operating system will boot in seconds, applications will launch in a blink, and the long, tedious loading screens in video games can become a thing of the past. It enhances the entire user experience, making your system feel snappier, more responsive, and vastly more modern.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the daily frustration of a slow computer, whether they’re a PC enthusiast, a dedicated gamer wanting faster load times, or a professional who can’t afford to waste time waiting for large files to open. If your desktop or laptop feels like it’s lagging behind, an NVMe SSD is one of the most impactful upgrades you can make. However, it might not be suitable for those who have a very old motherboard lacking an M.2 PCIe slot; in that case, a 2.5-inch SATA SSD would be the more appropriate, albeit slower, alternative. It’s also less critical for users who only perform light tasks like web browsing or word processing, though even they would notice a significant improvement in overall responsiveness.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: NVMe SSDs primarily use the M.2 form factor, which looks like a small stick of RAM. The most common size is ‘2280’ (22mm wide by 80mm long), which the Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD uses. Before buying, you must confirm that your motherboard has a compatible M.2 slot and that it supports NVMe (some older M.2 slots are SATA-only).
• Capacity/Performance: Capacity is straightforward—512GB is a great sweet spot for an operating system, key applications, and several large games. Performance is defined by sequential read/write speeds (measured in MB/s) and the interface. The PCIe Gen3x4 interface used here offers a massive leap over older SATA III drives, providing the speed needed for demanding tasks.
• Materials & Durability: SSDs have no moving parts, making them inherently more durable and resistant to shock and vibration than HDDs. The key metric for longevity is Terabytes Written (TBW), which indicates how much data can be written to the drive over its lifetime. While not always the headline feature for budget drives, a solid warranty, like the five-year limited warranty offered with the Lexar NM620, provides significant peace of mind.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: Physical installation is typically simple, requiring you to slot the drive in and secure it with a single, tiny screw (which, importantly, often comes with the motherboard, not the drive). After that, it’s a software process of initializing and formatting the drive within your operating system’s disk management utility. Once running, SSDs require no special maintenance.

Keeping these factors in mind, the Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD stands out in several areas, particularly its price-to-performance ratio. You can explore its detailed specifications here.

While the Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

Unboxing and First Impressions: Lean and Focused

The Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD arrives in a compact, no-frills box that gets straight to the point. Inside, the drive itself is nestled securely in a moulded plastic tray. There are no extra cables, adapters, or software discs—just the drive and a small warranty leaflet. This minimalist approach is common for M.2 drives and keeps costs down. The drive itself is tiny and feather-light at just 9 grams, a standard M.2 2280 stick with a simple black sticker covering the NAND flash chips and controller. The build quality feels perfectly adequate for a component that, once installed, will never be touched again.

One thing we immediately noted, which was echoed by other users, is the absence of a mounting screw. This is a critical point for first-time builders: the M.2 screw and standoff are accessories that come with your motherboard, not the SSD. We had ours handy, but it’s essential to check your motherboard box before you start the installation to avoid a frustrating halt to your upgrade. Overall, the first impression is one of efficiency and value; Lexar has focused all its resources on the drive’s performance, not on lavish packaging or unnecessary extras.

A Deep Dive into the Lexar NM620’s Real-World Performance

A spec sheet can only tell you so much. The true measure of an SSD is how it performs under pressure, day in and day out. We put the Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD through its paces in a modern gaming rig, focusing on everything from the initial setup to demanding file transfers and, of course, gaming. We wanted to see if its attractive price point came with hidden compromises or if it was truly the budget champion it appeared to be.

Installation and Setup: A Straightforward Affair

Getting the Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD up and running was incredibly simple. On our test bench motherboard, a Gigabyte B550, we located the primary M.2 slot just below the CPU. After removing the pre-installed heatsink, the drive simply slides into the slot at a slight angle and is then pressed down flat and secured with that all-important motherboard screw. The entire physical process took less than two minutes. This ease of installation was a common theme we saw in user feedback, with one person noting how simple it was to upgrade their wife’s laptop, swapping a 256GB drive for this 512GB model with just “one screw later.” Another creative user, having run out of M.2 slots, successfully installed it using a PCIe adapter card, highlighting the drive’s versatility. Once installed, we booted into Windows, opened Disk Management, and the drive was immediately recognised. A few clicks to initialize it as a GPT disk, create a new simple volume, and assign a drive letter, and it was ready for action. For those looking to clone an existing OS, tools like Macrium Reflect (as one user successfully employed) make the process equally smooth.

Performance Benchmarks: Hitting the Mark

Lexar advertises speeds of up to 3500MB/s read and 2400MB/s write for the NM620. In our testing, we found these claims to be refreshingly accurate. Using CrystalDiskMark 8 on a PCIe Gen3 compatible system, our test unit consistently delivered sequential read speeds just over 3450 MB/s and write speeds hovering around 2400 MB/s. These numbers are fantastic for a drive in this price bracket and represent a monumental leap over a traditional SATA SSD, which typically tops out around 550 MB/s. We saw user benchmarks confirming similar results, with one person stating, “the claimed speed is correct.” However, it’s crucial to understand that system configuration matters immensely. One user who was upgrading an older mini PC with a PCIe Gen 2 interface reported speeds of 1600 MB/s read and 1200 MB/s write. While slower, this is still a tripling of their previous SATA SSD speeds and represents the maximum capability of their older hardware, not a flaw in the drive. It’s also important to differentiate storage speed from internet speed; a user who complained about slow game downloads was experiencing a network bottleneck, as an SSD’s speed only affects how quickly that downloaded data is installed and loaded, not the download rate itself.

Real-World Usage: The End of Waiting

Synthetic benchmarks are one thing, but the tangible, everyday experience is what truly matters. We used the Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD as our primary boot drive, and the difference was night and day. A full Windows 10 boot, from a cold start to a usable desktop, took a mere 8 seconds after the initial BIOS screen. This was confirmed by a user who reported a boot time of just “5 seconds after the bios screen.” Applications like Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro, which used to take a ponderous 20-30 seconds to load from an HDD, now snapped open in under four seconds. But the most significant impact was on gaming. We installed ‘Cyberpunk 2077’, a game notorious for its loading screens. Fast-traveling across Night City, which could previously take upwards of 20 seconds on a SATA SSD, was now an almost instantaneous transition. Loading a saved game dropped from over a minute on an HDD to around 15 seconds. This is the kind of transformative upgrade that fundamentally changes how you interact with your PC. The elimination of waiting periods keeps you immersed and focused, whether you’re editing a video or fighting your way through a virtual world. For anyone looking to slash loading times and boost system responsiveness on a budget, this drive delivers an exceptional experience for the cost.

A Word on Reliability and Longevity

While our short-term testing experience was overwhelmingly positive, it would be remiss not to address the serious concerns raised by a minority of users regarding long-term reliability. We encountered a few troubling reports that stand in stark contrast to the majority of positive experiences. One user detailed a very poor experience with “intermittent failures” where the drive would go offline or enter a read-only mode, causing system-wide instability. Another user provided evidence of the drive’s reported health dropping to 94% in just six months of use as a basic boot drive. These are not issues to be taken lightly. It suggests that while the performance is high, there may be inconsistencies in quality control or that the underlying components may not be as robust as those found in more premium, and more expensive, drives from brands like Samsung or Crucial. This is often the trade-off with budget-focused hardware. The drive is backed by a five-year limited warranty, which does provide a safety net. However, for users whose work depends on absolute data integrity, these reports might be a reason to consider a more established, albeit pricier, alternative. For the average gamer or home user, we believe the risk is relatively low, but we strongly recommend regular backups of any critical data, which is a best practice regardless of your storage hardware.

What Other Users Are Saying

Sifting through a wide range of user feedback paints a clear picture of the Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD. The vast majority of users are extremely satisfied, often echoing our own findings. Phrases like “Great fast m2 disk,” “reaches the speeds indicated,” and “very happy” are common. Many praise its value, noting it provides performance on par with big-name brands at a far better price. Its versatility is also a highlight, with one user successfully running it on a Raspberry Pi 5 via an NVMe base, calling the experience “beautiful” and fast.

However, the negative feedback, though less frequent, is significant. The most alarming review came from a user who experienced “significant reliability issues,” including the drive frequently going offline and causing system crashes. They concluded they “cannot recommend this drive” due to these failures. This is a serious red flag. Another user’s concern about the drive’s health dropping by 6% in just six months points to potentially accelerated wear. This feedback is relevant because it frames the Lexar NM620 not as a universally perfect drive, but as a high-performance budget option that may carry a small but non-zero risk regarding long-term durability. It’s a calculated choice between top-tier speed at a low price versus the proven track record of more expensive competitors.

How Does the Lexar NM620 Compare to the Alternatives?

The Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD carves out a strong niche in the budget NVMe market, but it’s important to understand where it sits relative to other storage options. Depending on your system’s capabilities and your budget, a different drive might be a better fit.

1. ORICO 1TB SATA SSD Internal Solid State Drive

The ORICO drive represents a different class of SSD. It uses the older 2.5-inch form factor and connects via the SATA III interface, which has a maximum theoretical speed of around 600MB/s. In practice, its read speed is up to 500MB/s, which is roughly one-seventh of the Lexar NM620’s read performance. This is not a direct competitor in terms of speed. However, it is an excellent alternative for users with older desktops or laptops that lack a modern M.2 NVMe slot. It still provides a massive performance boost over a mechanical hard drive and is perfect for giving an aging machine a new lease on life or as a bulk storage drive for games and media where maximum speed isn’t the top priority.

2. Samsung 980 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD

The Samsung 980 is the most direct competitor to the Lexar NM620. It is also a PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive with nearly identical advertised read speeds (up to 3,500 MB/s). Where Samsung typically justifies its premium price is in its brand reputation, robust Magician software suite for drive management, and a long-standing history of reliability and top-tier controller technology. While both are DRAM-less SSDs, Samsung’s firmware and Host Memory Buffer (HMB) implementation are often considered market-leading. A user who prioritises peace of mind, brand trust, and is willing to pay a bit more for potentially greater long-term reliability and support would likely prefer the Samsung 980. It’s the “safe bet” in this performance category.

3. SP Silicon Power SSD 1TB 2.5″ SATA III

Much like the ORICO drive, the Silicon Power A55 is a 2.5-inch SATA III SSD. It competes in the budget-friendly segment for users who either don’t have an NVMe slot or are looking for a high-capacity secondary drive without breaking the bank. Its performance will be capped by the SATA interface, delivering a fraction of the speed of the Lexar NM620. Someone might choose this drive if they need a 1TB capacity for storing a large game library on a budget and are pairing it with a smaller, faster NVMe drive (like the Lexar) for their operating system and favourite applications. It’s a choice driven by capacity per dollar for older, compatible systems.

Final Verdict: A Blisteringly Fast Drive with a Caveat

After extensive testing and analysis, our verdict on the Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD is clear: it is a performance powerhouse for its price point. For the budget-conscious gamer or PC enthusiast looking to make the jump from a sluggish HDD or a slower SATA SSD, the real-world speed boost is nothing short of revolutionary. It delivers on its promised speeds, slashing boot times and game loads, and making any system feel dramatically more responsive.

However, this recommendation comes with a small but important asterisk. The reports of reliability issues and rapid health decline from a minority of users cannot be ignored. While our test unit performed flawlessly, potential buyers should weigh the incredible value against this potential risk. We recommend it highly for gaming builds, secondary PCs, or general use upgrades where performance is the main goal and critical, irreplaceable data is backed up elsewhere. For a mission-critical workstation, spending a bit more on a drive with a longer, more established reputation for reliability, like the Samsung 980, might be the wiser choice. Ultimately, the Lexar NM620 offers elite-tier speed for an entry-level price, a trade-off that will be immensely appealing to many.

If you’ve decided the Lexar NM620 512GB NVMe Internal SSD is the right fit, you can check its current price and purchase it here.