Everyone needs more digital storage these days. Especially as file sizes continue to grow and companies supply criminally small amounts of devices to begin with. Orico's ClearLink M.2 2TB DIY Portable SSD offers a solution with a duo of SSD drive and enclosure that is cost-effective, but not great.
Orico ClearLink SSD Review – Assembly Required.
The Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD offers a sleek, portable design with enough storage capacity for just about anyone, from photographers to screenwriters. Transfer speeds are fast enough to transfer large files, but USB-C support may be limiting for the most extreme users, and the clear plastic housing is prone to scratches. Therefore, it is suitable for home and office use.
Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD Review – Unboxing and First Impressions
The Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD is a two-part SSD drive, with the enclosure sold separately from the J-10 solid state drive or as a bundle, like the unit we tested. A separate enclosure allows you to swap out his NVMe drives and take advantage of higher transfer speeds if needed.
Orico ClearLink SSD Review – Install the drive into the enclosure.
First I unpacked the solid state drive. This is an Orico J-10 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2 2TB SSD drive that can be installed in a variety of machines, including PC towers. In our case, we paired it with Orico's ClearLink M.2 SSD enclosure, which supports USB-C without any tools.
The J-10 ships with several heatsink pads and metal plates for different configurations. Only one of each was used for testing, as the enclosure only had enough space to accommodate one.
We appreciate that it comes with multiple heatsinks and is easy to install. The J-10 drive's circuitry is also polished, free of scratches and discoloration, and the materials appear to be of high quality, giving a positive first impression.
A heatsink is also included with the enclosure, so you have a spare just in case. It also has a short 12-inch USB-C cable with an aluminum plug housing and a thicker cord gauge than the MacBook Pro's charging cable.
Orico ClearLink SSD Review – Small enough to carry.
The part of the casing that houses the electronics is covered in aluminum, but the rest of the casing is clear plastic, reminiscent of the late 90s and early 2000s. While we enjoy its aesthetics, especially the glowing LED indicator light, the housing is prone to scratches, especially when used in transit.
The Orico ClearLink DIY Portable SSD has very few parts, no buttons or dials, and only one port for connecting the drive to your device, so there's not much to miss. It has a sleek form factor and takes up less space than a compact USB-C dock.
First impressions are promising, even if there are some scratches on the casing.
Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD Review – Tool-Free Setup and First Use
Splitting the Orico ClearLink M.2 SSD enclosure is as easy as sliding the top half away from the rest of the housing. Next, to install the J-10 drive, line up the connector pins, slide the drive into the port, and secure with the rubber pins.
Orico ClearLink SSD Review – Necessary tools and know-how.
The J-10 SSD is an M-key interface type, and the enclosure also supports B+M-key SATA-based drives and can accommodate up to 4 TB SSD. Once the drive is installed, the top half will snap back into place.
Although the ClearLink M.2 design requires no tools and promises a stress-free installation, there is some play left and right and top and bottom between the two parts of the enclosure. The separation of components does not negatively impact home or office use, but it does mean that the ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD is not as robust as rugged alternatives.
I was also able to connect the ClearLink SSD to my MacBook Pro directly to the USB-C port without using any adapters. However, when I used a new external hard drive, I had to format it to work properly with my computer.
Luckily, macOS software makes formatting easy and even walks you through the steps to set up your ClearLink SSD if you plan to use it as a Time Machine backup drive. After formatting, I was pleasantly surprised to find 2.05TB of available space. On the other hand, other drives I've used in the past were often less than full capacity.
Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD Review – Transfer Speed ​​and Practical Usage
Orico has other drives that support Thunderbolt, but this particular model, the ClearLink M.2 enclosure, is rated as USB-C 3.2 with transfer speeds of up to 10Gb/s. However, this home-built enclosure comes at a much lower price per TB than off-the-shelf external drives.
In fact, Orico enclosures cost only around $15 to $25, and drives sell for about $100 at the 2TB level. In reality, unless you want to future-proof your setup or build a robust backup system, USB-C 3.2 speeds are usually fast enough for most users, so don't spend a lot of money on a Thunderbolt 4 drive. It doesn't make much sense to spend.
Orico ClearLink SSD Review – Compact and desk-friendly.
In reality, I use an M1 MacBook Pro and have between 5 and 10 applications open at any given time. We do not have any special equipment or environment, and basically work under everyday conditions.
Using Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD in this situation will give you good results. For example, I was able to transfer a large 9.58 GB file containing over 600 RAW and JPEG images in just 18 seconds. This means you can save time when editing photos and videos.
For comparison, it took nearly 4 minutes to transfer the same file between my high-speed SD card and my MacBook Pro. Similarly, using a disk-based external hard drive, the transfer took about 6 minutes.
Naturally, I needed a more accurate measurement of speed, so I downloaded the Black Magic disk speed test app. With loads up to 5 GB, the Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD reached an average read speed of 837 MB/s and write speed of 807 MB/s.
Orico ClearLink SSD Review – Speed ​​tests show decent real-world numbers.
Compared to the aforementioned SD card that can't even reach 100MB/s, the Orico SSD ran much faster. Needless to say, the MacBook's internal SSD drive isn't all that advanced, with read speeds of just over 2,900MB/s and write speeds of just over 1,600MB/s.
These results are based on real-world conditions, and the results you receive may vary depending on a variety of factors. These factors include your machine's processor, the remaining space on your SSD and internal storage drives, the type of files being transferred, and even your workstation's temperature.
Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD Review – A Portable and Capable Storage Companion
Orico's ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD has a thin and slim design, making it portable enough to take to the office, library, or around the house. It offers fast transfer speeds, especially when compared to other storage options such as SD cards and disk-based hard drives.
The Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD is easy to assemble and requires no tools or expertise. Similarly, it was easy to pair with my MacBook Pro for the first time, unlocking over 2TB of storage.
Although the Orico ClearLink DIY SSD is a portable SSD solution, it relies on removable components, making it less robust than other external storage devices. Plastic casings can get scratched and scuffed, which can take away from the cool retro design.
Overall, the Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD performs as expected, but we recommend using it at home or in the office to protect it from damage. The DIY nature creates vulnerabilities that can cause damage if carried frequently.
Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD Review: Pro
- Sophisticated design for easy portability
- Real-world fast transfer speeds
- Easy to install with no tools required
Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD Review: Cons
- Plastic housing that is prone to scratches and scratches
- There is play between the halves of the enclosure
- Compete with more robust alternatives
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Where can I buy the Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD?
Readers interested in purchasing the Orico ClearLink 2TB DIY SSD drive and tool-free enclosure can find the bundle on sale for $139.99 through Amazon.At press time, shoppers can take advantage of his 10% off using the code 88L9H7Z5 Checking out.
