Jesper Berg
Although there’s now a newer model of the Rocket available – which offers PCI Express 4.0 support – the original Sabrent Rocket remains a more cost-effective option for users who don’t own a 3rd-gen Ryzen or Threadripper system. As of late 2019/early 2020, the Gen 3 Rocket was the only M.2 SSD on the consumer market available in a large 4TB variety.
Overview: Memory Type, Controller, and Cache
The Sabrent Rocket uses Toshiba BiCS 3D triple-level cell (TLC) NAND memory modules in combination with a Phison E12 controller, which is a comprehensively tried and tested SSD formula. In order to compete with other industry-leading M.2 SSDs, the Rocket also utilizes a DDR4 DRAM buffer, and, like all SSDs based on TLC memory, the drive uses an SLC-mode cache to reach its advertised maximum transfer rates.
Sabrent Rocket VS Samsung 970 EVO Plus
| 970 EVO Vs. Sabrent Rocket | 512GB (Rocket) | 500GB (EVO Plus) | 1TB (Rocket) | 1TB (EVO Plus) | 2TB (Rocket) | 2 TB (EVO Plus) | 4TB (Rocket) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sequential Read | 3,400 MB/s | 3,500 MB/s | 3,400 MB/s | 3,500 MB/s | 3,400 MB/s | 3,500 MB/s | 3,450 MB/s |
| Sequential Write | 2,000 MB/s | 3,200 MB/s | 3,000 MB/s | 3,300 MB/s | 2,700 MB/s | 3,300 MB/s | 3,000 MB/s |
| Random Read | 357K IOPS | 480K IOPS | 650K IOPS | 600K IOPS | 490K IOPS | 620K IOPS | 580K IOPS |
| Random Write | 456K IOPS | 550K IOPS | 640K IOPS | 550K IOPS | 510K IOPS | 560K IOPS | 650K IOPS |
In the high-end PCIe 3.0 M.2 segment, Samsung’s 970 EVO Plus is the market leader – and not without reason. Therefore, it’s always an SSD that needs to be challenged in order to compete for a top spot. The EVO Plus is an improvement of the already fast 970 EVO, which was also a market leader for quite some time.
Thanks to its speedy TLC NAND and Phison E12 controller combo, the Sabrent Rocket is quite close in terms of performance. It also comes with the advantage of a somewhat lower price tag, and the fact that it’s available in a 4TB capacity – a unique selling point in this segment at the time of writing. Interestingly, the 4TB model is a bit faster in some areas compared to the smaller capacities, but not in all.
Power Consumption (Laptop Suitability)
We have no information on the Sabrent Rocket’s exact power consumption. What makes the Rocket a particularly interesting alternative for laptop users is the aforementioned 4TB model, which comes in the standard 2280 length. As of now, that makes it the only 4TB option in any laptop with a single M.2 slot.
Warranty and Endurance Rating
Like most high-end SSDs, you get a 5-year limited warranty with the Sabrent Rocket. The endurance ratings in TBW (terabytes written) are not published on Sabrent’s website, but according to a representative they are as follows:
- 256GB; 380 TBW
- 512GB: 800 TBW
- 1TB: 1,665 TBW
- 2TB: 3,115 TBW
- 4TB: 7,300 TBW
Expert Reviews
I can find very little wrong with the Sabrent Rocket. The Phison controller has proven itself over the past two years and is offering terrific performance over PCIe Gen 3.0.
As our user experience rating shows, Sabrent’s 4TB Rocket NVMe isn’t just about capacity alone – it is going to deliver one of the best overall user experiences money can buy.
Specification: Sabrent Rocket PCIe/NVMe M.2 SSD
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