Performance:
The test system used in this review is equipped with an Intel Core i7-6700K CPU, GIGABYTE GA-Z170X-UD3 motherboard, 32GB (16GB x 2) of Crucial Ballistix Sport LT DDR4 memory, Samsung 960 PRO 512GB SSD and a GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1060 WINDFORCE OC 6G graphics card. For the operating system, I installed a fresh copy of Windows 10 Enterprise.
To test the performance of Orico's transparent NVMe M.2 SSD enclosure, I ran a series of benchmarks using CrystalDiskMark, ATTO and AS SSD. For these tests, I used ADATA's 512GB XPG SX6000 Pro SSD and Samsung's 2TB 970 EVO SSD. The enclosure was plugged directly into one of the USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports on the motherboard.
CrystalDiskMark 5.1.2:
First, I ran a few quick tests using CrystalDiskMark. This benchmark tool measures the performance of a storage device by testing its sequential read and write speeds as well as its random read and write speeds using blocks 512K and 4K in size.
 ADATA XPG SX6000 Pro 512GB with Enclosure |
 ADATA XPG SX6000 Pro 512GB |
 Samsung 970 EVO 2TB with Enclosure |
 Samsung 970 EVO 2TB |
As you can see, the SSDs from ADATA and Samsung don't perform nearly as well when installed in Orico's enclosure. This is to be expected, though, with the JMicron JMS583 bridge controller having only two lanes (x2) and the USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface limiting the data transfer speed to 10Gbps.
ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46:
Next, I used ATTO Disk Benchmark to test the SSDs' sequential read and write speeds. The test was run using blocks ranging in size from 0.5KB to 8192KB and the total length set to 256MB.
 ADATA XPG SX6000 Pro 512GB with Enclosure |
 ADATA XPG SX6000 Pro 512GB |
 Samsung 970 EVO 2TB with Enclosure |
 Samsung 970 EVO 2TB |
AS SSD:
Lastly, I ran a series of tests using AS SSD. Designed specifically for solid state drives, this application contains five synthetic tests which are used to determine the sequential and random read and write performance of a drive.
 ADATA XPG SX6000 Pro 512GB with Enclosure |
 ADATA XPG SX6000 Pro 512GB |
 Samsung 970 EVO 2TB with Enclosure |
 Samsung 970 EVO 2TB |
Final Thoughts:
NVMe SSDs have been around for a couple of years now and, if you're like me, you probably have a few sitting around, collecting dust. With ORICO's new transparent NVMe M.2 SSD enclosure you can now breathe some new life into these drives by turning them into portable storage devices. This compact enclosure features a clear, plastic case that lets you see the drive inside as well as an aluminum heatsink that is available in a number of colors. Most importantly, ORICO's new enclosure is equipped with USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface which lets you access their data at speeds in excess of 900 MB/s.
The only real issue I have with ORICO's transparent NVMe M.2 SSD enclosure is that the heatsink can get pretty hot, especially under heavy loads. In our tests we saw temperatures in excess of 130°F which can cause burns if you're not careful. Needless to say, you'll want to make sure that the enclosure has cooled off a bit before you shove it in your pocket.
ORICO's transparent NVMe M.2 SSD enclosure is available now in your choice of blue, black, red and silver and can be purchased from Amazon for about $40.
