HighPoint has released the Rocket 1604L Gen5, a new single-slot, half-length PCIe Gen5 x16 add-in card. Priced at an MSRP of $399, it is positioned as a budget successor to last year’s significantly more expensive $999 Rocket 7604A.
The 1604L hosts four M.2 NVMe SSDs and operates in a SoftRAID configuration, which the review notes is host-based rather than utilizing a dedicated hardware-RAID chip. The card boasts up to 59,000 MB/s sequential throughput.
A key technical difference from its predecessor is the 1604L’s architecture. Unlike the 7604A’s use of a Broadcom RAID controller, the 1604L incorporates an “Active Retimer Architecture.” This design restores signal integrity regardless of which PCIe slot it is installed in, addressing typical issues associated with cards placed far from the CPU.
Testing for this review was conducted using four different-brand 2TB SSDs to simulate a realistic setup. The testing environment utilized an Intel Xeon w7-2495X workstation.
Benchmarking results demonstrated strong performance across multiple tests. On CrystalDiskMark, the card hit approximately 59 GB/s sequential, matching its factory specifications and performing among the best tested regardless of price.
The ATTO benchmark showed favorable results for both reads and writes when transferring file sizes exceeding 4MB.
Blackmagic testing recorded over 20 GB/s for both read and write operations at low queue depths. Similarly, Anvil’s Storage Utilities scored above 20 GB/s at low queue depths, recording a score of 74K, which was noted as the second-highest recorded by the reviewer.
Further testing included DiskBench, a random small-file transfer torture test. Despite not being its intended workload, the card handled the demanding 62,000-file/100GB test surprisingly well.
The card’s stated advantages include its price point, half-length single-slot form factor, ability to run cool, and bus-powered operation, meaning no extra power connector is required.
However, a limitation noted in the review was that the device requires high queue depths in order to achieve its peak throughput.
Ultimately, the 1604L received TweakTown’s top award. Reviewers praised the card for combining near-60 GB/s throughput, flawless signal integrity, and a sub-$400 price tag, describing it as “unprecedented” in the current market.
Source: TweakTown