Orico IG740-Pro SSD Review: Performance and Value

At a Glance

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Expert’s Rating

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Best Prices Today: Orico IG740-Pro SSD

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I have tracked and tested Orico’s drive enclosures effectively, but this is my first experience with an SSD from the company. The IG740-Pro proved to be a capable NVMe drive, competitively priced within the market. Overall, it is a welcome addition.

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Continue reading to learn more, and then check our roundup of the best SSDs for comparison.

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What are the Orico IG740-Pro’s Features?

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The IG740-Pro is a PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe M.2 2280 (22mm wide, 80mm long) SSD. It utilizes a Maxio MAP1602A controller and features 232-layer 3D TLC NAND.

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Orico provides a five-year warranty for the IG740-Pro, with a typical endurance rating of 600TBW per 1TB of capacity. If you exceed 600TB of writes within five years, the drive may switch to read-only mode. Many vendors rate their SSDs’ TBW (terabytes written) more conservatively than their actual capabilities, primarily for liability reasons.

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Orico includes a slightly beefier heat spreader with a thermal compound strip, along with a screwdriver and a retaining screw for installation. These thoughtful additions, particularly the screw, are beneficial as they are small and can easily be misplaced.

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How Much is the Orico IG740-Pro?

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The Orico IG740-Pro is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities, priced at $71, $135, and $240, respectively. These prices are competitive for a host memory buffer TLC SSD.

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How Fast is the Orico IG740-Pro?

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The IG740-Pro is not the fastest option available, but it performs adequately for its price point. It ranks as the fifth fastest PCIe 4.0 host memory buffer drive overall, and 29th among all NVMe SSDs tested.

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I compared the IG740-Pro against several strong PCIe 4.0/HMB competitors, including the WD Black SN7100, Teamgroup MP44Q, and the budget-friendly Kingston NV3. Below are its CrystalDiskMark sequential performance numbers, which demonstrate that it holds its own in performance.

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Orico includes a slightly beefier heat spreader with a thermal compound strip, as well as a screwdriver and a retaining screw…

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Host memory buffer SSDs typically exhibit slower random operations, and the Orico IG740-Pro is no exception, performing particularly below average in this area. Therefore, it may not be the best choice for running an operating system, which often involves numerous small file operations.

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The Orico IG740-Pro achieved an aggregate time of two minutes and nine seconds, which is respectable, though not the fastest observed from an HMB design. It is important to note that host memory buffer drives generally perform well in real-world transfer scenarios.

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During a 450GB write test, the Orico IG740-Pro’s speed decreased from approximately 3GBps to 2GBps around the 75% mark, which caused it to lag slightly behind its competitors.

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It is important to note that the drop to 2GBps was not due to the drive writing natively. When writing natively (which occurs well beyond 450GB—an unlikely scenario for most users), the write rate typically hovers between 500MBps and 750MBps. The image below illustrates a second consecutive 450GB write without allowing the IG740-Pro time to recover its secondary cache.

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Additionally, the Teamgroup MP44Q is a QLC (Quad-Level Cell/4-bit) drive, which means that when its secondary cache is exceeded, the write rate drops significantly to around 100MBps.

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Should You Buy the Orico IG740 Pro?

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While the Orico IG740-Pro may not be the fastest SSD available, it offers a solid balance of performance and value, making it a worthwhile consideration for users seeking an affordable NVMe option.</