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).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

This time over Sabrent has used a small white box to ship the Rocket Q4 model the front of which has their logo, product picture, drive capacity and a sticker regarding the Acronis True Image software provided for free.

The serial number and barcode of the product are placed at the rear along with yet another product picture.

Removing the exterior reveals a rose gold aluminum box the inside of which is filled with white foam.

Along with the drive itself you're just getting the installation guide (you can download the Acronis True Image software from the company website).

THE ROCKET Q4 4TB

The Rocket Q4 4TB is a dual-side NVMe v1.4 M.2 NVMe Gen 4x4 SSD which typically follows the typical 2280 factor (22mm in width and 80mm in length).

Just like the Rocket 4 Plus the Rocket Q4 features a thin copper heatspreader for cover.

On the top side will see the PHISON PS5016-E16 NAND flash controller, 4GB DDR4 SDRAM 1600MHz module by SKhynix and 2 Micron 1TB 96-layer QLC NAND flash modules.

Turning the drive over we see yet another 4GB DDR4 SDRAM 1600MHz module (again by SKhynix) and 2 more 1TB 96-layer QLC NAND flash modules (again by Micron).

ROCKET CONTROL PANEL

The rocket control panel software (which you can download from the Sabrent support page) allows you to check the status of your SSD, see its SMART page, download the Acronis cloning software directly from Sabrent, perform a speed test (partitions are required for this) and of course check online for new firmware updates (none found at the time of this review).

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   After almost 13 years of testing solid state drives, I’ve concluded that it's almost impossible for any single benchmark suite to accurately measure their performance and that's why in certain benchmark suites we see amazing read/write performance numbers with some drives while in others things are quite different. The reason behind this is that some benchmarking suites are configured to read and write random chunks of data while others read and write constant (sequential) ones. So that's why i always use a very wide selection of benchmarking suites including AIDA64, HD Tach RW, HD Tune Pro, Crystal Disk Mark, Sisoftware Sandra Pro, AS SSD, IOmeter and ATTO. To get the most accurate results each test gets repeated a total of 6 times with the average performance numbers recorded into our charts*. Also, as of February 25th 2015 our results will also include the Storage Networking Industry Association’s (SNIA) IOMeter tests. These tests include a 12 Hour write test used to “simulate” performance degradation over time and a mixed workload test which basically shows what you can expect when using an SSD continuously for roughly two hours. Unfortunately, due to the time required for these tests we repeat them a total of 3 times and not 6 as the above.

   Many people have made inquiries about our charts in the past so once again please do keep in mind that the Charts have the average performance numbers of each drive recorded and not the peak (highest) ones. Also, although every single one of these programs can help potential buyers choose the right drive for their needs you should also remember that from any kind of benchmark up to real world usage the gap is not small (and usually most differences will go unnoticed by most people). All tests were performed in a fresh Windows 10 Pro x64 installation complete with every update up to the date of this review.

* Since November 2018 the SSD comparison charts have been divided to 2.5” and M.2 models to reduce their growing size.
** Unless stated otherwise the Ryzen 9 3950x based Test Rig used for M.2 Gen 4 SSD reviews is not located in the lab.
*** As of January 2021, for Gen 3x4 models I’ll be using the Core i9-7980XE test rig (after numerous tests the up to 6% difference in read & write performance compared to the i7-6700 system simply wasn’t enough to justify having an extra test rig around).

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK

TEST RESULTS - AS SSD / IOMETER

TEST RESULTS – IOMETER SNIA

CONCLUSION

   Even though the Rocket Q4 is not quite as fast as its successor the Rocket 4 Plus model it’s still quite a bit faster compared to PCIe Gen 3x4 models and at the end of the day that’s a very good thing, especially for people who might actually use that extra juice. Now as you can easily tell from the charts (primarily the SNIA ones) thermal throttling is a thing with this drive but let’s face it, unless it reads and writes for hours that shouldn’t be a problem and if it is, well you can always grab yourself the version that comes ready with the large Sabrent heatsink seen above. Another good thing is that the Rocket Q4 comes in white color something which will most likely be preferred by people who are using white hardware components for their builds. On the other hand, durability (and more specifically TBW) is far from stellar and that makes the Rocket Q4 not ideal for heavy workloads (even less for CHIA mining – Sabrent already has the solution for that so stay tuned).

   Retailing for USD699.98 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 714.27Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the Rocket Q4 4TB PCIe Gen 4x4 M.2 NVMe SSD by Sabrent is priced well, not great but well. Honestly i can’t think of anything wrong with the Rocket Q4, sure it may not be as fast as its successor the Rocket 4 Plus and its TBW makes it not quite ideal for very heavy scenarios (CHIA I’m looking at you – still more than plenty for regular use) but at the same time it surpasses 4000MB/s in reads and 3000MB/s in writes with relatively ease and is covered by a 5-year limited warranty (after online registration) so the Golden Award is well justified.

PROS

- Very Good Performance (4950MB/s Read & 3350MB/s Write)
- 1.8 Million Hours MTBF
- 5 Year Limited Warranty (After Registration)
- Acronis True Image Software
- High Efficiency Heatsink Available (Sold Extra)
- Available In White Color (For Some)
- Rocket Control Panel Software

CONS

- Thermal Throttling (During Our SNIA Tests)
- Low Endurance Numbers (800TBW)