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 SSD on our list of Best 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.