INTRODUCTION

   Portable storage media devices are not just getting faster as time goes by, they are also getting smaller, more durable and come at much higher data capacities. Portable SSDs in particular have changed what we all thought possible and so right now consumers can get their hands on models which are significantly smaller than 2.5" HDDs and can be used to store up to 16TB of data with blazing fast transfer speeds ranging from up to 500MB/s for USB 3.2 Gen 1 and up to 1000MB/s for USB 3.2 Gen 2 models and all the way up to 2000MB/s for USB 3.2 Gen2x2 and up to 2500-3000MB/s for Thunderbolt 3/4 models. The Rocket XTRM-Q line of portable SSDs by Sabrent is among the fastest ones currently available for consumers and today with me i have the 8TB variant.

   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 XTRM-Q line of portable SSDs by Sabrent includes 6 different capacities (500GB/1TB/2TB/4TB/8TB/16TB) with either QLC or TLC NAND flash and with USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Thunderbolt 3/4 connectivity for the former and Thunderbolt 3/4 connectivity for the latter (the 8TB capacity model is only available with QLC NAND flash). Sabrent has used a solid aluminum enclosure for that line (only available in black/dark grey color, at least for now) which is not only extremely durable, it also helps with heat dissipation from its internal components. Inside that aluminum housing of the 8TB variant Sabrent has placed no other than their very own Rocket Q M.2 NVMe SSD which uses Phison's PS5012-E12S eight-channel (32 CE targets) NAND controller (this controller sports SLC caching, StrongECC, SmartRefresh, SmartFlush, low density parity check, end-to-end data protection, thermal monitoring, AES-256 encryption and support for ONFi 2.3/3.0/3.2/4.0 and TCG Pyrite/OPAL) together with Micron's 96-layer QLC NAND flash memory and 16GB of DDR3L DRAM. This of course means that the drive itself comes with an MTBF (meantime between failure) of 1.8 million hours and a TBW (Terabytes Written) of 1800 (again, for the 8TB model). As for warranty just like with every other product I’ve reviewed by Sabrent the entire Rocket XTRM-Q line of portable SSDs is covered with a 5-year limited one (upon online registration).