INTRODUCTION

   Solid state drive prices have reached an all-time low and so consumers who are looking for read and write performance levels surpassing 1000MB/s can now find even 1TB PCIe NVMe models priced at around the $100/100Euros mark. Now PCIe NVME models may have been around for a while now but not many SSD manufacturers have actually focused their resources in the design, development and release of portable SSD models based on them so consumers looking for affordable M.2 NVMe portable solutions are out of luck. Unfortunately, unlike 2.5" SSD models there aren't that many M.2 NVMe compatible external enclosures out in the market currently and so if you'd like to "make" your very own portable solution your choices are limited at best. ORICO just released not one but two M.2 NVMe USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) compatible enclosures so we decided to check them out.

   ORICO Technologies Co. Ltd is an innovative national high-tech enterprise of USB data transmission and charging technology. Centre on USB/Type-C, ORICO designs and manufactures all kinds of personal, family and enterprise innovative practical products. In IT peripheral storage, ORICO takes the lead in integrating the advanced theory "EASY YOUR PC" into product design and manufacture, With innovative ideas and excellent quality, ORICO gets universal acceptance from users and now it has become the leading brand of the HD storage and peripherals in China.

   In order to cater to a wider range of consumers ORICO released both the TCM2-C3 (available in red, blue, silver and black colors) and the PCM2-C3 (available in silver and grey colors) M.2 NVMe SSD enclosures. Both enclosures support all M.2 sizes (2230/2242/2260/2280), M.2 SATA and M.2 PCIe/NVMe models up to 2TB in capacity (although higher capacity models should also work) and are based on the JMS583 USB 3.1 Gen 2 to PCIe Gen3x2 Bridge Controller by JMicron which features support for TRIM and power-saving mode and is fully compliant with NVM Express v1.3, PCI Express Base Specification Revision 3.1a, Bulk-Only (BOT) and USB Attached SCSI (UASP Rev 4). The only differences between these two enclosures have to do with design/appearance (clear plastic housing for the TCM2-C3 and aluminum housing for the PCM2-C3) and passive cooling properties since the TCM2-C3 just has a top aluminum heatsink whereas the PCM2-C3 is entirely made out of aluminum. So basically, the PCM2-C3 seems like the better option of the two, at least when it comes to heat dissipation. So, let's move forward with today’s review and see what these two M.2 NVMe enclosures.