What’s are the key Differences Between the Rocket 1604A and Rocket 7604A PCIe Gen5 NVMe AICs?

Introduction:

Built on the same PCB design and PCIe Gen5 switching architecture, the Rocket 1604A and Rocket 7604A deliver full Gen5 x16 performance in one of the industry’s shortest 4× M.2 add-in card form factors—over 40% shorter than typical solutions—without compromising cooling or reliability.

Both products support up to four dedicated Gen5 M.2 SSDs. The Rocket 7604A adds an extra layer of flexibility with dual-mode operation, allowing users to run native OS NVMe drivers or enable HighPoint’s Hardware-Accelerated RAID (RAID 0/1/10) as needed, making it an ideal choice for evolving storage requirements.

1. Shared Core Hardware Core – HighPoint’s compact PCB layout and PCIe Gen5 Switching Architecture

The Rocket 1604A and Rocket 7604A AICs share the same PCB design and Switching architecture; both utilize the Broadcom PEX89048 PCIe Gen5 switch IC and ultra-compact energy efficient AIC design. The only differentiation between the two models is the firmware and software stack.

Dedicated Host Bandwidth: Both deliver a full PCIe Gen5 x16 host interface, providing up to 32 GB/s of aggregate bandwidth.

Storage Connectivity: Each card provides for dedicated M.2 Gen5 x4 ports, supporting up to M.2 NVMe SSDs, with x4 dedicated lanes per device.

Industry-Leading Form Factor: What truly sets these two 4-port Gen5 M.2 AICs apart is their compact mechanical design—over 40% shorter board length than most competing 4× M.2 solutions on the market—while still delivering full Gen5 x16 performance and an advanced, highly efficient cooling solution.

2. Key Differentiator – Driver & RAID Flexibility

The primary value advantage of the Rocket 7604A lies in its dual-mode driver capability, offering significantly greater deployment flexibility compared to the Rocket 1604A:

· Rocket 7604A (RAID / Pro Series):Designed to function as a hybrid solution, it can operate identically to the Rocket 1604A using native OS drivers, supporting software RAID and software-defined storage (SDS) frameworks such as ZFS, mdadm, or Windows Storage Spaces), while also providing the option to enable HighPoint’s RAID drivers for hardware-accelerated RAID 0, 1, and 10 and capability when desired.

· Rocket 1604A (Switch Series):Designed as a pure PCIe switch adapter, relying entirely on native OS NVMe drivers. It does not include HighPoint’s proprietary RAID stack and is ideal for environments using OS-level or software-defined storage solutions.