Review: Orico O20 rugged external SSD (20Gbps)
Review sample provided by Orico
The Orico O20 is a rugged external SSD storage that supports USB 3.2 gen 2x2.
The most important thing you have to know about this SSD is your computer will need the USB 3.2 gen 2x2 type-C port in order to get the maximum transfer speed (2,000 MB/s advertised). Even the faster USB 4 or Thunderbolt 4 port on your computer will limit the transfer speed to half, which is around 1,000 MB/s from what I've measured.
Specs
- USB spec: USB 3.2 gen 2x2
- Transfer speed: 20Gbps
- Cache: Simulated 30%
- Port: USB-C
- Capacity, 512GB to 2TB
- Data cable: C to C/A, 30cm
- Material: Alloy and silicone
- Dimensions: 126.5 x 50 x 14mm
- Supported OS: Windows, MacOS, Android, Linux
Things included
Included with the purchase is a 30cm 20Gbps cable with USB-A and USB-C connectors.
Design
The rugged design looks good and is made to keep out water and dust. There is silicone or rubber padding on the sides for drop protection, but the padding does not extend above or below the metal body. There is a hole at the corner for you to run a string or keychain through it.
The USB-C port can be sealed by the rubber cover. Note that the hole here is kinda small and sized perfectly for the Orico cable. If you lose a cable, you will have to find a replacement cable with a small head, and the brand I know that sells small-head cables is Spigen.
If performance or transfer speed in Windows is not ideal, follow these steps (which are also shown in the Orico user manual):
- Connect your external storage device to the computer
- Right-click My Computer or This PC, and then click Manage.
- Select Device Manager.
- Expand Disk Drives.
- Right-click the drive on which you want to turn disk write caching on or off, and then click Properties.
- Click the Policies tab.
- Click to select Better performance
- Click to select Enable write caching on the device
- Click OK.
Speed test with my Windows tablet with Thunderbolt 4 port
Speed test with my Macbook Pro with Thunderbolt 4 port
Unfortunately I do not have a computer with USB 3.2 gen 2x2 specification, so I wasn't able to test the maximum transfer speed. Having said that, 1GB/s or 1,000 MB/s transfer speed to me is quite fast, and fast enough for intensive 4K video editing, or even 8K DCI 60FPS editing.
Conclusion
This is a well made external SSD that looks durable. Unfortunately I wasn't able to test the maximum transfer speed since I don't have any computer with USB 3.2 gen 2x2 ports. Anyway, the SSD is fast even at half the speed which is 1GB/s.
The main selling point here is the rugged design. If you don't need to use your SSD in outdoor environment with dust and water, you can build your own external storage at a lower price by buying your SSD and storage enclosure separately. And Orico does sell many SSD storage enclosures too. The one I use is the this Orico USB-4 enclosure.
Pros and cons at a glance
+ Rugged durable design
+ Designed to keep out dust and water
+ Cable works with USB-C and USB-A devices
+ Secure cable connection with no wiggle room
+ Fast USB 3.2 gen 2x2 transfer speed
- Port is sized for Orico cables
- USB 3.2 gen 2x2 speed is just halved when tested with Thunderbolt 4 ports
Availability
The Orico O20 rugged external storage is available on Amazon USA: 500GB | 1TB | 2TB
Use coupon code U6C9SVLN for 30% off.
