Side-by-side: Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB ($1118) vs Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB ($739). $/TB winner, specs, real-world picks for October 2026.
Gen 5 at 4 TB is one of the most contested SSD segments in 2026, and Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB versus Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB captures that competition well. The decision rarely comes down to peak speeds — both drives saturate typical workloads.
Hardware-wise, the Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB runs on the proprietary Samsung Presto silicon found only in the 9100 PRO line. The Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB pairs Phison's E26 silicon, which kicked off the consumer Gen 5 era and typically requires a heatsink.
Money matters here — $184.75/TB on the Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB versus $279.50/TB on the Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB. That's enough of a spread that for budget-conscious builders, the Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB becomes the default unless reviews of your specific workload prefer the Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB.
For PS5 expansion, both are PCIe Gen 4 M.2 2280 drives that meet Sony's minimum spec (14,000 MB/s read). The console can't take advantage of speeds beyond that, so save money by choosing the Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB. For content creators routinely rendering 4K or 8K video, the Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB's 13,400 MB/s sustained write is the deciding factor — multi-GB project files land noticeably faster than on the alternative. Note for handheld gamers: M.2 2280 is the desktop/laptop standard. Steam Deck and the ROG Ally line need 2230 drives — neither Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB nor Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB fits without modification.
Zoom out from this pair for a moment. Among the 6 Gen 5 4 TB drives we track, the Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB ranks #5 by $/TB and the Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB ranks #3. Neither cracks the top of the value table, so it's worth glancing at the alternatives below before picking either.
As of October 19, 2026, these tracked drives undercut both the Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB and Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB on $/TB:
Go with the Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB for higher sustained writes (13,400 MB/s). Among consumer SSD makers, Samsung's PRO series consistently scores highest on long-term reliability surveys (Backblaze, Puget Systems Q1 2026 data).
Go with the Sabrent Rocket 5 4TB for the lower retail price ($739 vs $1118), and better $/TB economics ($184.75/TB). Of the Phison E26 drives, Sabrent's Rocket 5 has earned a reputation for consistent thermal behavior with its larger heatsink design.