Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB SSD Review - Sabrent's PCIe Gen5 rocketship is ready for launch

TweakTown's Rating: 99%

The Bottom Line

At 4TB, Sabrent's Rocket 5 is the most desirable gaming SSD we've ever encountered.

Pros

• + Gaming
• + User experience
• + PS5 compatible

Cons

• - None

Should you buy it?

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Introduction & Drive Details

Consumer PCIe Gen5 storage became a thing roughly 10 months ago when we reviewed our first retail Phison E26-controlled SSD. From that moment on to this very day, Phison E26-controlled SSDs have completely redefined storage performance as we know it.

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Right off the bat, a whole host of Phison partners boarded Phison's E26 bullet train. At that time, the train was running at 10,000 MB/s. However, there were two notable exceptions that did not jump in at 10,000 MB/s - Crucial and Sabrent. Crucial waited for 12,000 MB/s to join the fray with its T700. Still no Sabrent at 12,000 MB/s. Okay, so the company that has built a reputation and huge brand loyalty for always being first passed on 10,000 and 12,000 MB/s? We didn't see that coming.

So here we are at the dawn of 14,000 MB/s E26 SSDs, and the sleeping storage giant has awakened from its slumber to once again be first, as it has been so many times in the past. Sabrent's Rocket 5 PCIe Gen5 SSD is the first retail 14,000 MB/s SSD to land on our bench. Additionally, the 4TB model we have in the lab today is the first 4TB 14,000 MB/s SSD anyone has reviewed. Now, this is exactly what we expect from Sabrent, who we consider to be among the most forward-thinking retail storage companies on the planet.

Okay, so now the storage universe is back in alignment with everything set back into its natural order. We know that many enthusiasts across the globe have been eagerly awaiting Sabrent's next-gen Rocket SSD and due to brand loyalty, have held off from taking the Gen5 plunge until Sabrent brought forth its own.

Well, today is the day, and what we have in hand is the most refined version of what is currently the world's highest-performing consumer SSD at its highest offered capacity point. Sabrent's Rocket 5 4TB delivers more than 14,000 MB/s throughput, is cooler running than previous iterations, can downshift PCIe Link-State if thermal thresholds are being exceeded and is fully PlayStation 5 compatible when used in conjunction with Sabrent's own ingenious PS5 heatsink. And, of course, the Rocket 5 is fully optimized for Microsoft's DirectStorage API, providing a high level of inherent futureproofing for gamers.

Drive Details

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Like all Sabrent SSDs, the Rocket 5 is supported by Sabrent's own free SSD toolbox software, Rocket Control Panel, enabling convenient features such as device registration and firmware updates directly from your desktop. Get it HERE. Additionally, Sabrent offers free Acronis cloning software to complement its Rocket 5 SSDs. Get it HERE.

Jon's Test System Specifications

Intel Test System

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE AORUS Z790 Xtreme X
• CPU: Intel Core i9-14900K - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Alphacool Eissturm Hurricane Copper 45 - Buy from Amazon
• RAM: Patriot Viper Xtreme 5 8000 48GB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: MSI SUPRIM X RTX 3080 12GB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: PrimoChill's Praxis Wetbench - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1200W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit - Buy from Amazon

AMD Test System

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Alphacool Eissturm Hurricane Copper 45 - Buy from Amazon
• RAM: Sabrent Rocket DDR5 32GB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: MSI SUPRIM X RTX 3080 12GB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: PrimoChill's Praxis Wetbench - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1200W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit - Buy from Amazon

Because we at TweakTown like to be first at everything whenever we can, we will present our storage performance results for the test subject on both 14th Gen Intel and 7000 Series AMD platforms going forward for the foreseeable future. Because Intel still delivers the best real-world storage performance, (Look Here), our running chart will continue to be Intel-based until AMD can deliver better real-world storage performance than its rival.

Sony PlayStation 5 - M.2 Storage Expansion

PS5 Read Performance

With Sony's wildly popular PlayStation 5 console now enabled for M.2 NVMe SSDs to be used as fast storage expansion, we include results for PS5 compatible SSDs we test as a part of our reviews going forward.

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For SSDs that don't have an adequately sized PS5 compatible heatsink or other SSDs where the heatsink provided doesn't fit right and can be removed, we both use and recommend Sabrent's unparalleled PS5 heatsink available HERE.

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We only chart SSDs that can deliver a minimum of 5,500 MB/s read, which is Sony's original recommendation.

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6,553 MB/s is as good as it gets for PS5 storage expansion. And 4TB can hold a whole lot of games.

Synthetic Benchmarks: CDM, Anvil, ATTO

CrystalDiskMark

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We employ CDM as our standard measurement for both sequential throughput and Q1T1 random read. In terms of sequential throughput, we find our test subject fully capable of meeting and exceeding quoted up to E26 controller specifications. 14,100 MB/s sequential read and 12,700 MB/s sequential writes are the second best we've ever recorded for any retail-ready consumer SSD. Only the 2TB model shown as Phison E26 Max14um is faster. At 106 MB/s Q1T1 random read speed, our 4TB speedster is sure to deliver astounding real-world performance.

Anvil's Storage Utilities

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A read score of 14,356 is again the second highest we've recorded and again only exceeded by the ever so slightly faster 2TB 14,000 MB/s E26 model.

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We employ Anvil's random read test as our standard for measuring max random read IOPS. This test is very accurate as it at its core is Iometer skinned over. We test at QD128. At 1.45 million RR IOPS, Sabrent's 4TB Rocket 5 exceeds its factory spec, which is a first for any E26-controlled SSD we've tested to date. Impressive.

ATTO

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ATTO gives us a clear picture of what transfer sizes a particular SSD favors in terms of QD4 sequential throughput. We chart 128K transfers. At a queue depth of four, Sabrent's 4TB Rocket 5 favors sequential transfers of 2MB or larger when serving data to the host (reading) and 256K or larger when programming (writing) data.

Real-World Testing: Transfers, 3DMark SSD Gaming Test, PCM10 Storage

Transfer Rates

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Our 100GB data transfer test is not your ordinary 100GB of data. Ours is a crushing mix composed of more than 62K files. Write performance, random or sequential, is an infrequent operation, and as such, we do not consider it to be an important performance metric in the consumer space. An example being how many times is a game installed vs. how many times it's played.

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Unlike programming (writing) data, serving data to the host (reading) is always an important performance metric as it relates to the consumer space. As fully expected by this point, our test subject again delivered the second-highest result in lab history. Outstanding.

3DMark SSD Gaming Test

UL's newest 3DMark SSD Gaming Test is the most comprehensive SSD gaming test ever devised. We consider it superior to testing against games themselves because, as a trace, it is much more consistent than variations that will occur between runs on the actual game itself. This test is the same as running the actual game, just without the inconsistencies inherent to application testing. In short, we believe that this is the world's best way to test an SSD's gaming prowess and accurately compare it against competing SSDs. The 3DMark SSD Gaming Test measures and scores the following:

• Loading Battlefield V from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Call of Duty Black Ops 4 from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Overwatch from launch to the main menu.
• Recording a 1080p gameplay video at 60 FPS with OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) while playing Overwatch.
• Installing The Outer Worlds from the Epic Games Launcher.
• Saving game progress in The Outer Worlds.
• Copying the Steam folder for Counter-Strike Global Offensive from an external SSD to the system drive.

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Gaming is a performance metric that matters to most DIY consumers, especially for the enthusiast crowd that TweakTown caters to. Now, we've reached the point where results start to matter, as they are a direct reflection of user experience. This is the new standard in gaming performance. And as previously mentioned, Sabrent's Rocket 5 SSDs come with Phison's exclusive I/O+ DirectStorage optimized technology baked right in. With it, a properly equipped PC can load up to 60% more gaming data with 99% less CPU utilization. Amazing.

PCM10 Storage Tests

PCMark 10 Storage Test is the most advanced and most accurate real-world consumer storage test ever made. There are four different tests you can choose from; we run two of them. The Full System Drive Benchmark and the Quick System Drive Benchmark. The Full System Drive Benchmark writes 204 GB of data over the duration of the test. These tests directly correlate with mainstream user experience.

PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark

This test writes 204GB data and covers a broad range of common consumer tasks, including booting Windows 10, file transfers, Adobe and Office applications, and startup times for games including Battlefield V, COD Black Ops 4, and Overwatch. Unlike synthetic numbers, this is comprehensive real-world data, which is why we use it to rank SSDs in terms of user experience.

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We consider a score of 6,500 or more here to be a milestone achievement, and Sabrent's 4TB PCIe Gen5 Rocketship becomes only the third SSD ever to attain said milestone. Impressive.

PCMark 10 Quick System Drive Benchmark

The Quick System Drive Benchmark writes 23 GB of data over the duration of the test.

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This is performance that matters. A score of 8,800+ here is second best for any retail flash-based SSD, again only exceeded by its slightly faster 2TB sibling shown as Max14um RD 2TB.

Final Thoughts

Sabrent is back to doing Sabrent things. We love it and can't help but admire their strategic move to wait for a final form E26 14,000 MB/s SSD before jumping into the PCIe Gen5 fray and then being the first among storage retailers with it. Additionally, making their first Rocket 5 offering to be fully reviewed its highest capacity, most over the top 4TB model, is exactly what Sabrent has done historically.

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We rank SSDs in terms of overall user experience (performance where it matters most) as expressed by PCMark 10 storage and 3DMark gaming storage tests. Currently, we consider a user experience score of 15K or more to verify an SSD as a TweakTown Elite performer. A score of 22K is just over the top and currently is only attainable via hardware configurations featuring Phison's E26 controller and Micron's 2,400 MT B58R. All Rocket 5 SSDs are built on this configuration, so there is no guesswork involved. We like that.

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Sabrent's Rocket 5 4TB is the world's highest-performing retail SSD of its kind to ever cross our test bench and, as such, has earned top honors as an Editor's Choice award recipient.