Sabrent Rocket 4 PLUS 4TB NVMe SSD: features, specs and who it suits

The Sabrent Rocket 4 PLUS (model SB-RKT4P-4TB) is a 4TB internal solid state drive in the M.2 2280 format. It uses the PCIe 4.0 x4 interface and the NVMe protocol, which is aimed at people who want a large, fast drive for a desktop or a compatible laptop. This page explains what the numbers mean and what the drive needs to perform as described.

What PCIe 4.0 x4 and NVMe mean

NVMe is a protocol designed for flash storage. It talks to the drive over PCIe lanes rather than through the older SATA interface, which is why NVMe drives are typically many times faster than SATA ones. This drive uses four lanes of PCIe 4.0 and Sabrent lists it as PCIe 4.0 and NVMe 1.3 compliant. PCIe 4.0 offers roughly double the per-lane bandwidth of PCIe 3.0.

Speeds in practice

Sabrent rates the drive at up to 7,100 MB/s for reads and 6,600 MB/s for writes. It builds on TLC NAND flash, a common type that stores three bits per cell. These are sequential figures, measured on large files, so everyday tasks such as booting or opening small files usually feel different from the headline numbers.

There's an important condition. Sabrent says a PCIe Gen4 motherboard is required to reach those speeds. In a PCIe Gen3 board the drive is backward compatible but is limited to about 3,400 MB/s reads and 3,000 MB/s writes, according to the brand. The listing also mentions a ceiling of about 3,500 MB/s on Gen3.

Heat and the heatsink

Very fast drives produce heat, and when they get too hot they slow themselves down, which is called thermal throttling. Sabrent states that a heatsink is required when the drive is installed directly on a PCIe Gen4 motherboard, to keep temperatures down and performance up. Many motherboards include M.2 heatsinks; if yours does not, a separate one is a common add-on. Check the clearance in your system before choosing one.

Reliability and management features

The listing names several features that most modern SSDs rely on:

• Wear levelling, which spreads writes across the flash so cells age evenly.
• Bad block management and error correction code, which handle faulty areas and data errors.
• Over-provisioning, which reserves some capacity for the drive's own housekeeping.
• SMART and TRIM support, so the operating system can monitor health and tell the drive which blocks are free.
• Power management through APST, ASPM and L1.2 states, which lowers power draw when the drive is idle.

Cloning and sector size

Sabrent says its SSDs come with a version of Acronis True Image for cloning an existing drive. A utility is also available that lets you reformat the drive to either 512-byte or 4K sectors, which can matter when you're cloning from a drive that uses a specific sector size.

Who it suits

A 4TB capacity suits people with large libraries: video editors, photographers, game collectors, or anyone consolidating several smaller drives into one. It fits M.2 2280 slots (80 mm long) that support PCIe NVMe. Anyone using an older PCIe Gen3 system can still use it, but they won't see the top speeds.

What to check before you buy

• Slot type: confirm your device has an M.2 2280 slot that supports PCIe NVMe, not SATA only.
• PCIe generation: a Gen4 motherboard is needed for the top speeds.
• Cooling: check whether your motherboard or laptop has a heatsink or room for one.
• Space: the 2280 length (80 mm) must fit; some laptops use shorter drives.
• Software: decide whether you'll clone an old drive and check the included tools for your operating system.
• Backups: keep your important data backed up whatever drive you use.

The short version

• 4TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD with a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface, TLC NAND.
• Rated at up to 7,100 MB/s read and 6,600 MB/s write on a PCIe Gen4 board.
• Backward compatible with Gen3, at up to about 3,400 MB/s read and 3,000 MB/s write.
• Sabrent calls for a heatsink on Gen4 motherboards to avoid thermal throttling.
• Includes wear levelling, error correction, TRIM and SMART support, plus cloning software.

Bloiq is reader-supported. Some links may earn us a commission; it never affects what we write. How we make money.