Affordable PCIe Gen 4 SSD with Solid Performance for Gamers and Creators
The Sabrent Rocket 4.0 is an appealing PCIe Gen 4 SSD with competitive pricing and impressive speed, making it a great choice for those looking to upgrade their storage in 2024. In this review, I'll walk you through its real-world performance, features, and where it stands among its peers.
Design and Build Quality: Sleek and Simple but Lacking Extras
The Sabrent Rocket 4.0 sports a clean, minimalist design
typical of M.2 NVMe drives, but it doesn’t include a built-in heat sink, which
is becoming more common in high-performance drives.
Although this might not be a deal-breaker for most, users
planning to run intensive workloads in smaller cases may want to consider
adding their own thermal solutions.
Competitors like the WD Black SN850X offer integrated heat
sinks as a standard feature, giving them an edge in thermal management.
Installation: Straightforward and Simple
Installing the Sabrent Rocket 4.0 is quick and easy, whether
you're upgrading a desktop or adding storage to a gaming laptop.
It fits perfectly into any standard M.2 slot and doesn’t
require additional cables or tools, which simplifies the process.
While the installation is simple, it doesn’t offer any
extras like mounting screws or installation guides, unlike some competitors
such as Samsung, which provide more comprehensive packaging and resources for
beginners.
Performance: Solid Speeds but Not the Fastest in Its Class
The Sabrent Rocket 4.0 delivers read speeds of up to 5,000
MB/s and write speeds up to 4,400 MB/s, making it one of the more competitive
Gen 4 SSDs on the market.
In my real-world testing, the drive performed admirably
during gaming, with fast load times and smooth asset streaming.
However, when compared to top-tier Gen 4 SSDs like the
Samsung 990 EVO or the Seagate FireCuda 530, the Sabrent Rocket 4.0 falls
slightly behind, particularly in sustained write speeds.
Still, for most users, the performance difference is
unlikely to be noticeable unless you’re dealing with extremely large files or
frequent video rendering.
Gaming Performance: Smooth but Not Class-Leading
For gamers, the Sabrent Rocket 4.0 delivers excellent
performance, with faster load times and smoother gameplay in AAA titles like
"Red Dead Redemption 2" and "Hogwarts Legacy." However,
when comparing it to other PCIe Gen 4 drives like the WD Black SN850X, the
difference in load times is minimal but slightly noticeable in titles that rely
heavily on asset streaming.
While it’s not the absolute best SSD for competitive gaming,
the Rocket 4.0 offers a significant upgrade over any Gen 3 SSD, making it a
solid choice for gamers looking for faster load times without breaking the
bank.
Content Creation: Adequate for Moderate Workloads
For content creators, the Sabrent Rocket 4.0 can handle most
workloads, such as photo editing in Adobe Lightroom and 4K video editing in
software like DaVinci Resolve, without significant slowdowns.
While it delivers excellent performance for moderate
workloads, those who frequently handle larger files or higher resolutions might
find the performance ceiling of the Rocket 4.0 slightly limiting compared to
high-end Gen 4 SSDs like the Kingston FURY Renegade.
For professionals working with 8K footage or large datasets,
the faster write speeds of premium drives might make a more noticeable
difference.
Thermal Management: Adequate for Normal Use but Lacks Advanced Cooling
During typical gaming sessions and general usage, the
Sabrent Rocket 4.0 managed to maintain safe temperatures without noticeable
thermal throttling.
However, during extended workloads or when transferring
large files for a sustained period, the drive did warm up more than expected.
Without a built-in heat sink, the Rocket 4.0 relies heavily
on your system's cooling capabilities.
For users planning to push the SSD to its limits, especially
in compact builds, the lack of advanced cooling could be a concern.
Competitors like the Seagate FireCuda 530 come with a more
robust thermal solution, making them better suited for heavy, sustained
workloads.
Durability and Endurance: Reliable but Not Outstanding
The Sabrent Rocket 4.0 offers a solid endurance rating of up
to 1,800 TBW (terabytes written) for the 2TB version, which is more than enough
for typical use, including gaming, content creation, and everyday multitasking.
However, for power users or professionals who work with
extremely large amounts of data regularly, the endurance rating lags behind
some other Gen 4 drives like the Samsung 980 Pro or Kingston FURY Renegade.
That said, for most users, this drive will last for years
without any noticeable wear or performance degradation.
Software Support: Lacking in Features
While the Sabrent Rocket 4.0 does come with a cloning
utility, it lacks the robust software ecosystem that competitors like Samsung
and WD offer.
Samsung’s Magician software, for instance, allows users to
monitor drive health, perform optimizations, and upgrade firmware with ease,
giving it a significant edge in terms of usability.
While the lack of advanced software isn’t a deal-breaker for
everyone, users who want easy-to-use tools for managing their SSD might find
this omission frustrating.
Real-World Use: Great for Casual Users and Gamers, Less Ideal for
Professionals
In real-world usage, the Sabrent Rocket 4.0 excels at
delivering a noticeable boost in system responsiveness and overall performance,
especially when upgrading from a slower Gen 3 drive.
It shines in gaming and everyday tasks like multitasking and
file management.
However, professionals looking for the absolute best
performance in content creation, especially with tasks like 4K or 8K video
editing, might find faster options like the Seagate FireCuda 530 or Samsung 990
EVO more appealing due to their superior write speeds and endurance.
Value for Money: Excellent Price-to-Performance Ratio
One of the most appealing aspects of the Sabrent Rocket 4.0
is its price.
It offers great PCIe Gen 4 performance without the hefty
price tag that comes with premium models.
For gamers and casual users looking to upgrade to a Gen 4
SSD without spending top dollar, the Rocket 4.0 offers one of the best value
propositions on the market.
That said, for users who need the absolute fastest speeds or
the best endurance ratings, spending a little more on something like the WD
Black SN850X might be worthwhile.
Comparison with Similar Products: A Balanced Competitor
When compared to similarly priced PCIe Gen 4 SSDs like the
Crucial P5 Plus or the WD Black SN850X, the Sabrent Rocket 4.0 holds its own in
terms of performance, but slightly falls behind in write speeds and thermal
management.
The WD Black SN850X, for example, offers marginally better
performance for gamers and comes with more robust cooling options, while the
Crucial P5 Plus provides a similar price-to-performance balance, though it
lacks the endurance rating of the Rocket 4.0.
Conclusion: A Great PCIe Gen 4 SSD for Gamers and Budget-Conscious Users
The Sabrent Rocket 4.0 is a well-rounded PCIe Gen 4 SSD that
provides excellent performance at a reasonable price, making it a great choice
for gamers, casual users, and even content creators with moderate workloads.
Its easy installation, solid speeds, and decent endurance
make it a reliable option for most users, though it lacks some of the advanced
cooling features and software support found in premium models.
Pros:
- Competitive
pricing for Gen 4 speeds
- Good
endurance rating for casual and moderate use
- Simple
installation process
Cons:
- Lacks
integrated heat sink for thermal management
- Falls
behind in write speeds compared to top-tier competitors
- Limited
software support for advanced users
Recommended Alternative: If you’re looking for better overall performance and thermal management, the WD Black SN850X offers a more well-rounded experience with faster speeds and built-in cooling options, making it a stronger choice for heavy gamers and professionals.
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