Sabrent’s Rocket X5 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD Reaches 14 GB/s Read Speeds

Ever since the official release of PCIe 5.0 solid-state drives, they have attracted substantial attention from numerous enthusiasts. Theoretically, compared to its predecessor, PCIe 5.0 SSD can offer twice the performance. Several manufacturers have already launched their PCIe 5.0 SSDs. However, due to the constraints of controller and flash memory performance, as well as heat dissipation, most PCIe 5.0 SSDs fall significantly short of the theoretical bandwidth limit.

Recently, Sabrent revealed a Crystaldiskmark benchmark screenshot of its Rocket X5 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, demonstrating a sequential read speed of 14179MB/s, approaching even closer to the bandwidth limit of PCIe 5.0 x4. However, the Rocket X5’s sequential write speed was slightly lower, at 12280MB/s, with 4K single-threaded read and write speeds at 106 MB/s and 448 MB/s, respectively. Moreover, Sabrent disclosed that the 4KB random read and write speeds of the Rocket X5 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD can reach up to 1.56 million IOPS and 1.669 million IOPS, setting new records.

Reportedly, Sabrent’s Rocket X5 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD employs a Phison E26 controller and Micron’s 232-layer B58R NAND flash memory. Such a combination is not unique among PCIe 5.0 SSDs, so the high performance is likely attributed to the usage of the latest firmware. With the surge in heat generation from PCIe 5.0 SSDs, cooling solutions have become essential. Sabrent has equipped the Rocket X5 with a heat pipe and a small active cooling fan to manage the high heat levels during operation.

Currently, Sabrent has not announced the specific release date or pricing for the Rocket X5. Those interested should remain alert for updates.