Samsung might just have revealed the long-awaited 980 Pro SSD and thereby, at last, delivering a PCI-Express 4.0 SSD, and while its specs don’t disappoint, it seems like the folks from Sabrent had a secret in their drawer: the Rocket 4 Plus. That definitely sets the stage for a pitched battle for the fastest SSDs.
Indeed, the ever-so-popular Rocket NVMe 4.0 SSD is getting an update to the Rocket 4 Plus, which offers significantly higher read and write speeds. To be exact, it boasts sequential read speeds of up to 7000 MB/s and can write at up to 6850 MB/s, making this the fastest M.2 SSD on the planet by a significant margin.
The drive is based on the new Phison E18 controller, and it uses TLC NAND for storage. The drive also comes with a huge chunky cooler that uses tons of aluminum and three thick copper heat coils.
| Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus | Sabrent Rocket | Samsung 980 Pro | |
| NAND Type | TLC | TLC | TLC |
| Controller | Phison E18 | Phison E16 | Samsung Elpis |
| Sequential Read | 7000 MB/s | 5000 MB/s | 7000 MB/s |
| Sequential Write | 6850 MB/s | 4400 MB/s | 5000 MB/s |
| Capacities | 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB | 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB | 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB |
Of course, it’s obvious what happened here: Sabrent was waiting for Samsung to come out with their long-awaited 980 Pro, and once it landed, Sabrent gave Samsung just a few days of glory before unveiling the real winner — a technique known as sandbagging. It also looks like Sabrent is on a roll, because not long ago, it also unveiled the world’s largest M.2 SSD, as well as the world’s largest PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD.
No word on pricing yet on these new drives, but if Sabrent’s history tells us anything, they shouldn’t break the bank. The Rocket 4 Plus will come in 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB flavors, and we’re hoping it’ll also come without the heatsink so it can be installed in motherboards with tighter spaces.
