Sabrent 2TB Rocket 5 Review

Conclusion

Conclusion

The joys of M.2 drive reviews. Lots of hardware has so many variables. Whether it’s connectivity on motherboards. Performance in specific games for graphics cards. Gaming performance vs rendering ability for processors. It’s a complex world.

With storage solutions the options are simpler. Is it fast, yes/no? The Sabrent Rocket 5 here in its 2TB form unquestionably answers that with a resounding yes. Not just a yes. Not a qualified yes. Not a ‘yes, but product x is just as quick’. Nope. A pure, simple, yes. It’s the fastest drive we’ve ever reviewed. Given the limitations of the PCI Express 5.0 bandwidth, we can’t imagine much ever besting it until PCI Express 6.0 appears.

Okay. Nice and easy. If you’re a regular OC3D reader you’ll know that Gen 5 M.2 drives also have the heat issue. You need a chunky heatsink and, if possible, some form of active cooling to really make the most of them. So fast are they that the temperatures sky-rocket. High temperatures swiftly neuter performance. We’ve seen Gen 5 drives struggle to beat Gen 4 ones when they get hot. The Sabrent Rocket 5 with its new Phison controller doesn’t need a special heatsink. It doesn’t even need a fan pointing at it. We got those transfer speeds with the drive as you see it above, beneath a regular motherboard cover. That’s it.

It’s faster than a speeding bullet and cooler than Samuel L Jackson. The Sabrent Rocket 5 is what Gen 5 NVMe drives should be, and wins our OC3D Performance and Ultimate awards.

Discuss the Sabrent Rocket 5 in our OC3D Forums.