Best 4TB SSD Available Today 2021 – From SATA, M.2 NVMe To External Drive SSD

Large-capacity SSDs are now available in the market thanks to the advancement of the NAND flash technology. While these SSDs are still pricier compared to a hard disk drive of the same capacity, they are now cheaper and faster than their predecessors. In this article, let’s explore some of the best 4TB SSDs available in the market. These include SATA SSDs, M.2 NVMe Gen3, and Gen4 and an external SSD. A 4TB SSD capacity is ideal for storing active (large) files that you frequently use or work with, or for your game library. If you are in the market for one, go ahead and continue reading the article below.

best 4tb ssds available

List of Best 4TB SSDs Available In The Market

Below is a table listing most of the 4TB SSD available in the market. Some of these drives are SATA SSDs, while others are M.2 NVMe SSDs. I also included an external portable SSD in case you need one on the go. After the table, I’ll discuss more of these SSDs and give you the additional information that hopefully will help you decide which SSD is best for your need.

SSDAvailabilityForm FactorInterfaceMax Seq ReadMax Seq WriteRandom ReadRandom WriteControllerNAND TypeTBWWarranty
Sabrent Rocket Q4 4TB Gen4 SSDAmazon.com
Newegg.com
M.2 2280PCIe Gen4 x4, NVMe 1.34900 MB/s3900 MB/s625K IOPS700K IOPSPhison PS5016-E16Micron QLC 96L8005 years
Sabrent Rocket Q4 with HS 4TB Gen4 SSDAmazon.comM.2 2280PCIe Gen4 x4, NVMe 1.34900 MB/s3900 MB/s625K IOPS700K IOPSPhison PS5016-E16Micron QLC 96L8005 years
Corsair Force Series MP400 4TB M.2 SSDAmazon.com
Newegg.com
M.2 2280PCIe Gen3 x4, NVMe 1.33480 MB/s3000 MB/s610K IOPs710K IOPSPhison PS5012-E12S3D QLC 96L8005 years
Corsair Force Series MP510 4TB M.2 SSDAmazon.com
Newegg.com
M.2 2280PCIe Gen3 x4, NVMe 1.33480 MB/s3000 MB/s580K IOPS680K IOPSPhison PS5012-E12SBiCS TLC 96L6,8205 years
Sabrent Rocket 4TB M.2 SSDAmazon.com
Newegg.com
M.2 2280PCIe Gen3 x4, NVMe 1.33450 MB/s3000 MB/s580K IOPS650K IOPSPhison PS5012-E12SBiCS4 3D TLC6005 years
Sabrent Rocket Q 4TB M.2 SSDAmazon.com
Newegg.com
M.2 2280PCIe Gen3 x4, NVMe 1.33400 MB/s3000 MB/s490K IOPS680K IOPSPhison PS5012-E12SMicron QLC 96L9405 years
XPG SPECTRIX RGB S40G 4TB M.2 SSDNewegg.comM.2 2280PCIe Gen3 x4, NVMe 1.33500 MB/s3000 MB/s290K IOPS240K IOPSRealtek RTS57623D NAND2560 (?)5 years
Samsung 870 QVO 4TB SATA SSDAmazon.com
Newegg.com
2.5" SSDSATA III 6Gb/s560 MB/s530 MB/s98K IOPS88K IOPSSamsung MKXSamsung V-NAND QLC1,4403 years
Samsung 860 Pro 4TB SATA SSDAmazon.com
Newegg.com
2.5" SSDSATA III 6Gb/s560 MB/s530 MB/s100K IOPS90K IOPSSamsung MJXSamsung V-NAND MLC 64L4,8005 years
WD Blue 3D NAND 4TB SATA SSDAmazon.com
Newegg.com
2.5" SSDSATA III 6Gb/s560 MB/s530 MB/s95K IOPS82K IOPSMarvell 88SS10743D TLC 64L6005 years
WD Red SA500 NAS 4TB SATA SSDAmazon.com
Newegg.com
2.5" SSDSATA III 6Gb/s560 MB/s530 MB/s95K IOPS82K IOPSMarvell 88SS1074SanDisk BiCS3 TLC 64L25005 years
VectoTech Rapid 4TB Portable SSDAmazon.com
Newegg.com
External USB-CUSB 3.1 Gen 2540 MB/s540 MB/s3D NAND3 years

4TB M.2 NVMe Gen4 SSD – If You Want The Fastest

If you are looking for the fastest 4TB SSD in the market, then I would point you towards the Sabrent Rocket Q4. It features a Phison PS5016-E16 controller, paired with Micron’s 96-layer QLC NAND flash. The Rocket Q4 is capable of reaching up to 4,900MB/s in sequential read speed and 3,900MB/s in sequential write speed.

Sabrent Rocket Q4 4TB M.2 NVMe SSD

Technically speaking, the Rocket Q4 is not the fastest M.2 NVMe Gen4 SSD in the market. That title belongs to the new Samsung 980 PRO and WD SN850 NVMe Gen4 SSDs. The problem is, both the 980 PRO and SN850 are not available in 4TB capacities. They are only available in up to 2TB capacities.

I also need to stress out that you do need a system that supports PCIe 4.0 interface that could fully utilize the full potential of these Gen4 SSDs. Currently, only AMD’s Ryzen X570, B550, and Ryzen Threadripper, paired with a PCIe 4.0-capable Ryzen CPU, can take advantage of the speed.

The Sabrent Rocket Q4 4TB M.2 Gen4 SSD is available in a non-heatsink and with a heatsink variant. You can check out the latest prices on Amazon.com here or Newegg.com here; and for the heatsink variant here.

4TB M.2 NVMe Gen3 SSD – Still Fast Enough For Most Applications

Now, if you don’t have a PCIe 4.0 capable system or perhaps you don’t need the extra speed, a 4TB M.2 NVMe Gen3 SSD would be sufficient for the many. It is not the fastest in the market, but these drives are still (really) fast; reaching sequential read speeds of up to 3,480MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 3,000MB/s.

For this segment, you have several 4TB Gen3 SSDs to choose from. I have already listed them above, but to recap, there is the Corsair MP510 and MP400 (newer model). Sabrent also has the Rocket and Rocket Q that is available in 4TB capacities. By the way, the Rocket Q is the newer model between the two. It is slightly slower than the 4TB Rocket SSD, but it has a much higher endurance of 940 TBW.

While Corsair’s SSDs are also reliable and of good quality, it seems that Sabrent’s SSDs are more popular than the competition. Anyway, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these drives. Most probably, their respective current price will be your number one deciding factor. You can check out the latest pricing and availability below.

4TB SSD with RGB Lighting – If You Want Some “Bling”

If you are looking for a 4TB SSD with some RGB lighting, luckily ADATA has a solution for you. The company has the XPG SPECTRIX S40G RGB available in 4TB capacity. It’s not the fastest NVME out there, but it’s no slouch either. It has a sequential read speed of up to 3500MB/s and sequential write speed of up to 3000MB/s.

ADATA XPG Spectrix RGB 4TB M.2 SSD

The Spectrix S40G RGB is definitely a head turner, but its random read and write speeds may not be its strong points. The 4TB capacity has only a random read speed of up to 290,000 IOPS; and its random write speed is 240,000 IOPS. Nevertheless, this drive offers AES 2560bit encryption and is backed by a 5-year warranty from the company.

The ADATA XPG SPECTRIX S40G RGB 4TB M.2 SSD is available on Newegg.com here

4TB SATA SSD – If M.2 Is Not An Option

Generally, I would recommend an M.2 SSD over a SATA SSD. Why? Because an M.2 NVMe SSD, even an entry-level one, is still (significantly) faster than any SATA SSD. SATA SSDs are limited due to their interface which is SATA III 6Gb/s. By the way, there are M.2 SSDs that are SATA-based. So be sure to check if the M.2 you are getting is a SATA-based or a (PCIe 3.0/4.0) NVMe-based SSD.

Aside from speed difference, SATA SSDs require the use of power and data cables for desktop systems. That won’t be an issue for laptop and NAS use though. And finally, the price difference between a SATA SSD and an M.2 NVMe SSD may not be significant. Of course, it depends on the model or variant though. Nevertheless, I only recommend going with a SATA SSD if you don’t have much choice or if what you need IS a SATA SSD.

For this category, Samsung has the 870 QVO (new model) and 860 PRO (older model) SATA SSDs that are available in 4TB capacities. In case you are interested, you can check out our 870 QVO 1TB review here. WD also has the WD Blue 3D and WD Red SA500 (specific for NAS use) that are available in 4TB capacities. These 4TB SATA SSDs are capable of sequential read speed of up to 560MB/s and sequential write speed of up to 530MB/s. See how slower they are compared to M.2 NVMe SSDs?

External 4TB Portable SSD

Finally, if you are looking for an external portable 4TB SSD drive, there are some options, but the VectoTech Rapid 4TB Portable SSD stood out the most. It’s one of the popular choices out there and it has decent aesthetics as well. It uses a USB 3.1 Gen2 connection, but this drive is a bit slower compared to the internal SATA SSDs I mentioned above.

VectoTech Rapid External SSD 4TB

The VectoTech Rapid 4TB Portable SSD has theoretical sequential read/write speeds of up to 540MB/s. For the latest pricing and availability, you can check it on Amazon.com here or Newegg.com here.

A Workaround for Portable SSD

Asus ROG Strix Arion M.2 External Enclosure

Since the VectoTech Rapid 4TB portable SSD is somewhat slow, there is a workaround for that. You can buy one of the M.2 NVMe SSDs mentioned above and put it inside an M.2 SSD external enclosure, like the Asus ROG Strix Arion. The ROG Strix Arion is smaller and slimmer and uses USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C connector; capable of up to 10Gbps transfer speed. It even has RGB lighting for added eye-candy too.

The Asus ROG Strix Arion M.2 External Enclosure is available on Amazon.com here.

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Author
Peter Paul
Peter is a PC enthusiast and avid gamer with several years of hands-on experience in testing and reviewing PC components, audio equipment, and various tech devices. He offers a genuine, no-nonsense perspective, helping consumers make informed choices in the ever-changing world of technology.

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