Sabrent Rocket Nano XTRM External SSD

The Sabrent Rocket Nano XTRM ($169.99 for 1TB), a tiny, featherweight external solid-state drive, provides typical throughput speeds when connected to a computer with a Thunderbolt 3 port. A sturdy aluminum frame enclosed in a rubber sheath provides protection should it take a spill. The Rocket Nano XTRM's main downside is that it only comes in a 1TB capacity, which is fine for casual use but is less than optimal should you need to transfer or store large media files.

Design: A Teeny Weeny SSD

Weighing a mere 2.2 ounces and measuring 0.5 by 1.1 by 2.7 inches (HWD), the rectangular Rocket Nano XTRM easily fits in a pocket. The drive's aluminum frame is housed in a removable matte-black silicone rubber sleeve to protect it from tumbles, although it has no formal ruggedization ratings. In the middle of one short end, next to the status light, is the SSD's USB-C-style Thunderbolt 3 port. The drive comes with both a Thunderbolt 3 cable and a USB-C-to-USB-A cable.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The Rocket Nano XTRM ships in a clamshell case, as seen in the photo below.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

As for throughput ratings and cost per gigabyte, you can see them and the rest of Rocket Nano XTRM's full specs in the chart below. Sabrent backs the drive with a one-year warranty, which is extended to three years if you register the product.

Testing the Rocket Nano: Ready for Everyday Storage

We put the Rocket Nano through our usual suite of external solid-state drive benchmarks: Crystal DiskMark 6.0, PCMark 10 Storage, 3DMark Storage, Blackmagic's Disk Speed Test, and our custom folder transfer test. The first three are run on our testbed PC with the drive formatted in NTFS and over USB 3.2 Gen 2 (but not Thunderbolt), and the latter two on our standard MacBook Pro testbed that supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 (but not Gen2x2) under exFAT, the Nano XTRM's native format. Crystal DiskMark's sequential speed tests provide a traditional measure of drive throughput, simulating best-case, straight-line transfers of large files. The PCMark 10 Storage test measures an SSD's readiness for a wide variety of everyday tasks.

Sabrent cites throughput speeds for the Nano XTRM of up to 900MBps over a USB 3.2 Gen 2 connection; it fell a bit short of this in our testing, with both sequential read and write speeds, as measured in Crystal DiskMark, coming up less than 800MBps.

The Nano XTRM's scores on PCMark 10 and 3DMark Storage were on the low side compared with the other drives included in the table above over USB 3.2 Gen 2, which were generally tested over USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 or USB4 connections. Clearly, you'll want to have a Thunderbolt port to get the most out of this drive's speed potential.

To wit: On our Thunderbolt 3-capable MacBook, the Nano XTRM's Blackmagic scores may have been well under Sabrent's 2,700MBps rating for Thunderbolt connectivity, but they greatly exceeded those of our Gen 2x2 comparison drives (tested over our MacBook's Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.2 Gen 2 connection). In fairness, few Thunderbolt 3 drives have approached their rated speeds in our testing. The Nano XTRM produced similar Blackmagic speeds when we connected it to another MacBook's Thunderbolt 4 port.

Verdict: A Thunderbolt Drive for Light Duty Only

The Sabrent Rocket Nano XTRM is a take-anywhere drive, housed in a sturdy metal frame that itself is enclosed in a rubberized sheath. This compact and lightweight external SSD also manages adequate (if unexceptional) speeds over a Thunderbolt 3 connection. So it is a fine traveling companion—provided that your storage needs are light-duty, as it comes only in a 1TB capacity. For a more voluminous solution that provides hardware-based encryption, as well, consider the Editors' Choice-winning Samsung Portable SSD T9, which comes in capacities up to 4TB and is especially fast over both USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 and Thunderbolt 3 connections.