Lexar Play X M.2 NVMe SSD review: Fast, flexible storage
The Lexar Play X M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is a suitably speedy solution if you’re short of space on PC, Steam Deck, PS5 or any number of M.2 2230 and M.2 2280 compatible devices. Set to be available in 512GB, 1TB and 2TB sizes, it’s handy enough to delay that “Which game do I delete?” dilemma.
Available in 512GB, 1TB and 2TB sizes, the Lexar Play X comes in a pleasingly sleek package. It includes the core M.2 2230 SSD, plus an M.2 2280 adapter and a pair of very snazzy stickers, suitable for whatever interface your device supports.
There’s no heatsink, but I wouldn’t expect Lexar to include one for every possible device or configuration. They’re cheap enough anyway; I chose this Sabrent heatsink when testing the Play X with my PS5 (it’s not a good idea to go without).
Lexar boasts that the Play X offers read speeds of up to 7400MB/s and write speeds of up to 6500MB/s, making it suitable for most devices, including the PlayStation 5. The company also claims it’s resistant to water, dust and shocks; I’m not about to put that to the test, but I can see the latter being a boon for portable gaming devices.
Installing the Play X in my PC proved a breeze, as did transferring it to my PS5, with the addition of the aforementioned heatsink. My PCIe 3.0-equipped PC couldn’t squeeze every drop out of the PCIe 4.0 Play X, so the PlayStation 5 was always going to be its next stop. I do, however, appreciate being able to repurpose the Play X in an emergency, especially since I’m increasingly tempted by the Steam Deck.
The PS5 rated the Play X as having a read speed of 6456 MB/s, which isn’t far off Lexar’s advertised figure. Copying games from internal SSD to the Play X gave me a write speed of 1,820 MB/s. That might seem low compared to Lexar’s claim but it’s nippy enough for a real-world transfer where you’re not copying large blocks of sequential data. That’s also a lot faster than copying to the PS5’s internal SSD which, as Digital Foundry discovered, is capped.
When it comes to actually playing games, the Play X is a hair faster than the PS5’s standard SSD. The games I threw at it loaded a few seconds faster when running off the Play X. It’s not lightspeed but on the whole it was roughly 8% faster than the internal SSD, a welcome bonus.
The one catch is the Play X’s price tag. Its official release price will be £219.99 for the 1TB version. That’s a little more expensive than comparable M.2 SSDs and if it’s going to live in one device forever, you may want to consider a cheaper alternative. But if you want a speedy, stylish SSD that can pull double (or triple) duty across multiple gaming platforms, the Lexar Play X M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is a worthy upgrade.
