Mixed Random Performance

Our test of mixed random reads and writes covers mixes varying from pure reads to pure writes at 10% increments. Each mix is tested for up to 1 minute or 32GB of data transferred. The test is conducted with a queue depth of 4, and is limited to a 64GB span of the drive. In between each mix, the drive is given idle time of up to one minute so that the overall duty cycle is 50%.

Mixed 4kB Random Read/Write

The 8TB Sabrent Rocket Q's performance on the mixed random IO test is much better than any of the other low-end NVMe drives; the DRAMless TLC drives are the slowest in this bunch, and the Intel 660p with its four-channel controller cannot keep up with the Rocket Q's 8-channel Phison E12. The 8TB Samsung 870 QVO is slower than most of the other SATA drives in this bunch, but still has a clear advantage over the 1TB model.

Sustained 4kB Mixed Random Read/Write (Power Efficiency)
Power Efficiency in MB/s/W Average Power in W

The high-end consumer NVMe drives and the Samsung 860 EVO TLC SATA drive top the power efficiency chart for the mixed random IO test. The Sabrent Rocket Q's efficiency is a significant step down from there, but still a bit better than any of the other low-end drives. The 8TB 870 QVO's efficiency score is worse than the 4TB model's, but clearly better than the 1TB model or either of the DRAMless TLC NVMe drives.

Both of the 8TB QLC drives show fairly typical performance curves for the mixed random IO test: little or no performance drop when writes are first added to the mix, and then increasing performance that accelerates toward the end of the test as write caching becomes more effective. The 8TB 870 QVO doesn't show the signs of a filled SLC cache that we see from the 1TB model, and neither 8TB QLC drive shows the nearly-flat performance exhibited by the two DRAMless TLC drives.

Mixed Sequential Performance

Our test of mixed sequential reads and writes differs from the mixed random I/O test by performing 128kB sequential accesses rather than 4kB accesses at random locations, and the sequential test is conducted at queue depth 1. The range of mixes tested is the same, and the timing and limits on data transfers are also the same as above.

Mixed 128kB Sequential Read/Write

The Sabrent Rocket Q's performance on the mixed sequential IO test is competitive with the high-end consumer TLC drives, and far better than the other low-end NVMe options. The 8TB Samsung 870 QVO has distinctly lower performance than the smaller capacities, but isn't quite the worst overall performer.

Sustained 128kB Mixed Sequential Read/Write (Power Efficiency)
Power Efficiency in MB/s/W Average Power in W

The good performance of the Rocket Q on the mixed sequential IO test comes at the cost of worse power efficiency than the DRAMless TLC competition, but its efficiency scores are still decent. The 8TB 870 QVO's efficiency scores are worse than any of the other consumer SSDs in this bunch.

As with several other synthetic tests in our suite, the mixed sequential IO test has the Sabrent Rocket Q showing rather variable performance, though fortunately without any severe drops. It performs a bit better during the more write-heavy half of the test.

The Samsung 870 QVO shows relatively flat and consistent performance throughout this test, but as is common for Samsung drives there's a bit of a decreasing performance trend during the read-heavy half of the test.

Sequential I/O Performance Power Management
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  • Beaver M. - Saturday, December 5, 2020 - link

    Not really. You can get 4TB TLC NVMe drives for around the same price as this QLC one.
    QLC would need to be 50% cheaper at least to make any sense.
  • Spunjji - Monday, December 7, 2020 - link

    From an actual manufacturing perspective, even 33% cheaper would be a reach. We'll be lucky to see 25%.
  • Beaver M. - Tuesday, December 8, 2020 - link

    I agree.
    Thats why I think they are trying to fool buyers with QLC.
  • DeathArrow - Saturday, December 5, 2020 - link

    Why is Anandtech the last to conduct reviews on many products? By the time you review the latest graphic cards or SSDs, there is not much interest since most people already get their info from other outlets.
  • Beaver M. - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link

    Anandtech has declined massively this year. Most of their "articles" are "Best This And That Buy Right Now" and other ads nowadays.
    Im about to remove them from my bookmarks...
  • Luuta - Saturday, December 5, 2020 - link

    The product comparisons would be so well and good if companies like ADATA haven't swapped out premium components from initial drive launches for far cheaper ones, with dramatic loss in performance. It's fraudulent. It also makes a nonsense of all these reviews and the comparisons because the consumer won't see any of it, once the first batch is off the production line. These companies need to be held accountable by law to stop them ripping off consumers with their own counterfeit products. Until then, I no longer believe any bench marking of either SSD or hard drive products from any manufacturer.
  • Deicidium369 - Saturday, December 5, 2020 - link

    Here's a tip - Stay as far away from the budget manufacturers like ADATA - for our datacenter SSDs it's all Intel Optane U.2 - and for my desktops - Samsung and looking into the new Phison based controllers that are 7GB/s R&W. I pretty much put Sabrent into that category with ADATA - only Sabrent part I have is a 2.5" to 3.5" drive sled.
  • Cliff34 - Saturday, December 5, 2020 - link

    For me, the sweet spot is 4 TB. I need a lot of space to store media on my laptop. Right now using 2 TB, I am doing alright. But I feel 4 TB will give me more confidence I won't run out of space.

    Sadly, it doesn't look like the market is ready to move on. I've got my 2TB three years ago and prices wise, it hasn't changed so much.
  • Slash3 - Sunday, December 6, 2020 - link

    I have two 2TB Crucial MX500s for general storage and they're only ten bucks cheaper than what I paid, over two years ago.
  • MDD1963 - Monday, December 7, 2020 - link

    Hmmm...wonder what the "Q" in QVO stands for? :)

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