INTRODUCTION

   PCIe Gen 4 motherboard owners may represent just a small fraction of the global market (especially those with M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 connectivity) but that hasn't stopped manufacturers from doing their very best to cater to those customers. Still just like with everything else in the electronics market manufacturers need to cater to all segments including enthusiasts, gamers and even professionals and as we're all well aware both the demands and budget differences vary between them. So exactly like with PCIe Gen3 M.2 NVMe SSDs there are PCIe Gen4 aimed towards different types of users and so after reviewing the top of the line Rocket 4 Plus model by Sabrent (review here) today I'll be testing its popular predecessor, the Rocket Q4 4TB model.

   Sabrent is a leading American manufacturer of computer peripherals and accessories, bringing uniquely styled quality products to consumers worldwide. Sabrent’s commitment is to offer the latest technology and the highest quality consumer electronic products at an affordable cost to everyone. Since its founding, Sabrent has consistently delivered to market a full line of computer peripherals and accessories that incorporate style, quality and the latest technologies available.

   The Rocket Q4 was Sabrent's very first PCIe Gen 4x4 SSD (released late last year) and is based on the PS5016-E16 NAND flash controller (dual-core 32-bit ARM Cortex R5 with CoXProcessor Technology) which can achieve speeds of up to 5GB/s in sequential read and 4.4GB/s in sequential write. The Rocket Q4 is currently available in 1/2/4TB capacities thanks to Micron’s 96-Layer QLC NAND flash and as for cache the 4TB version i have here with me carries a grand total of 8GB in two modules. As for technologies used the PS5016-E16 NAND flash controller features Phison's 4th Gen LDPC engine with dynamic range SLC cache, end-to-end data path protection, smartECC (RAID ECC), wear levelling, thermal throttling, TRIM, bad block management and fully supports AES-256bit hardware encryption, TCG Opal 2.0, Pyrite, Sanitize and Crypto Erase. Finally, Sabrent reports an MTBF of 1.8 million hours and TBW of 200 for the 1TB model, 400 for the 2TB model and 800 for the 4TB model (as with other models the limited warranty is set at 1 year - 5 after registration).