ORICO e7400 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

Thin form factor | High-performance | Graphene Heat Spreader

The ORICO e7400 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD represents a compelling balance of high-performance specifications and value in today's competitive storage market. This SSD delivers impressive read speeds of up to 7400MB/s and write speeds up to 6600MB/s, positioning it as a formidable option for users seeking to upgrade their storage solutions without breaking the bank. The following report provides a comprehensive analysis of this drive's capabilities, performance metrics, and compatibility across various computing platforms.

Introduction

As digital content continues to grow in size and complexity, the demand for faster, more efficient storage solutions has become increasingly urgent. The e7400 enters the market as a high-performance PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD designed to meet these evolving needs. With its impressive speed specifications and thermal management features, this drive aims to serve tech enthusiasts, gamers, and content creators who require rapid data access and transfer capabilities without premium pricing.

Product Overview

This SSD is available in multiple capacity options ranging from 512GB to 4TB. Built on the M.2 2280 form factor (22mm x 80mm x 2mm), this drive utilizes the latest PCIe 4.0 x4 interface to deliver exceptional performance. The drive employs a Maxio MAP1602A controller paired with YMTC 232-layer flash memory, enabling it to achieve impressive throughput while maintaining competitive pricing. This combination makes the e7400 particularly attractive for users looking to maximize performance per dollar in their storage upgrades.

Key Features

High Sequential Performance

The SSD delivers remarkable sequential read speeds of up to 7400MB/s and write speeds of up to 6600MB/s for the 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB models, while the 512GB variant offers slightly lower but still impressive speeds of 7200MB/s read and 4400MB/s write. These specifications place the drive firmly in the high-performance tier of PCIe 4.0 storage solutions, enabling quick file transfers, rapid application loading, and responsive system performance. The drive leverages Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology and dynamic SLC caching to maintain performance consistency during intensive operations.

Advanced Thermal Management

Heat management is crucial for maintaining optimal SSD performance, and it addresses this challenge with an integrated graphene heat spreader. This innovative cooling solution efficiently dissipates heat away from critical components, preventing thermal throttling that could otherwise impact performance during sustained operations. Although not intended as a replacement for a heat sink, the graphene cooling technology allows the drive to maintain consistent performance levels even during extended high-intensity workloads, making it suitable for demanding applications like video editing or gaming.

Endurance and Reliability

The e7400 offers impressive endurance ratings across its capacity range, with the 512GB model rated for 300TBW (Terabytes Written), the 1TB model for 600TBW, the 2TB model for 1200TBW, and the 4TB model for 2400TBW. These specifications ensure the drive can withstand years of typical consumer usage patterns. The durability is complemented by ORICO's reliability engineering, making the e7400 a dependable storage solution for both everyday computing and more demanding professional applications.

Performance Analysis

Sequential Speeds

In benchmark testing, the ORICO e7400 consistently delivers performance in line with its advertised specifications. The drive achieves read speeds approaching 7400MB/s and write speeds of approximately 6600MB/s in ideal conditions, placing it among the faster PCIe 4.0 SSDs available in its price category. Real-world file transfers demonstrate excellent performance, with large file operations maintaining speeds of over 1.5GB/s before cache saturation, which is impressive for a drive in this price bracket.

Random Performance

Random performance, which is crucial for system responsiveness and application loading, is equally impressive on the e7400. The drive is rated for up to 1000K IOPS for random reads and up to 800K IOPS for random writes. In practical testing, the drive demonstrates excellent 4K random performance, particularly in reading operations, which contributes to snappy system responsiveness and quick application launches. This random I/O capability makes the e7400 well-suited for operating system drives and gaming applications where small, non-sequential data access is common.

Thermal Management

The integrated graphene heat spreader in the e7400 effectively helps maintain optimal operating temperatures. However, for even better cooling, especially during demanding tasks or in systems with poor airflow, adding a dedicated heatsink is beneficial. While the thin graphene layer helps equalize temperatures, its cooling capability (around a 9% temperature reduction) is less significant than that of a proper aluminum heatsink, which can lower temperatures by up to 15%.

A dedicated heatsink, particularly when used with thermal pads, offers superior cooling compared to a standalone graphene sticker. This helps prevent thermal throttling during prolonged high-speed operation. For the best cooling performance, you can even keep the graphene sticker in place and install a heatsink on top, ensuring good contact with the SSD components using thermal pads.

Our testing shows that this drive efficiently dissipates heat, even under continuous heavy use, preventing the thermal throttling that can affect other high-performance SSDs during intensive workloads. This effective thermal management is especially advantageous in small form-factor systems or laptops where airflow might be limited. For users seeking even greater cooling, the drive is also compatible with most third-party M.2 heatsinks.

Compatibility

PlayStation 5

The ORICO e7400 is fully compatible with the PlayStation 5 as an internal storage expansion option. With read speeds well exceeding Sony's recommended minimum of 5,500MB/s, the drive offers excellent performance for loading and running PS5 games. The integrated graphene heat spreader helps manage temperatures in the console's limited internal space, though users may want to consider additional cooling solutions for extended gaming sessions. The single-sided design ensures easy installation within the PS5's storage expansion bay without clearance issues.

Steam Deck and Handheld PCs

The Steam Deck supports M.2 2230 NVMe SSDs in its internal slot, which means the e7000 (M.2 2280) is not compatible with the internal SSD slot of the Steam Deck without modification or adapters, which are not officially supported and may void warranty or cause fitting issues.

However, the e7000 can be used with the Steam Deck via an external M.2 NVMe enclosure connected through USB-C. Orico and other brands offer M.2 NVMe enclosures that are confirmed to work with the Steam Deck and similar handhelds.

Desktops and Laptops

The ORICO e7400 is compatible with a wide range of desktop and laptop computers that feature M.2 slots with PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 3.0 interfaces. In systems with PCIe 4.0 support, the drive will deliver its full performance potential, while in PCIe 3.0 systems, it will automatically operate at the lower bandwidth (approximately 3500MB/s) but remain fully functional. The single-sided design ensures compatibility with thin laptops where space constraints might prevent the use of double-sided M.2 drives. This versatility makes the e7400 an excellent choice for both system builders and those looking to upgrade existing machines.

Advantages and Limitations

Strengths

The primary strength of the ORICO e7400 is its exceptional performance-to-price ratio. Offering speeds comparable to more expensive premium drives but at significantly lower price points, the e7400 represents excellent value for consumers seeking high-performance storage. The drive is frequently available at competitive pricing, often undercutting similar-spec drives from more established brands without significant performance compromises.

Another key advantage is the drive's versatile compatibility and single-sided design. This makes the e7400 suitable for a wide range of devices, from desktop PCs to space-constrained laptops and gaming handhelds. The graphene cooling solution further enhances this versatility by ensuring thermal management without requiring bulky heatsinks in most use cases, though additional cooling can be added if desired.

Constraints

One limitation of the e7400 is its sustained write performance after cache saturation. Like many drives using QLC NAND and HMB instead of DRAM cache, the e7400's write speeds can decrease significantly during extremely large file transfers once the SLC cache is exhausted. While this won't affect most typical consumer workloads, content creators working with very large files might notice performance drops during extended write operations.

The second constraint relates to heavy workload scenarios. In tests involving sustained, intensive operations that repeatedly fill the drive, the e7400 doesn't maintain the same level of consistent performance as premium drives equipped with DRAM cache. This makes it less ideal for professional workstations with demanding storage requirements involving constant heavy data manipulation, though it remains more than adequate for gaming and general productivity tasks.

Conclusion

The ORICO e7400 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD delivers impressive performance capabilities at a competitive price point, making it an excellent choice for users seeking to upgrade their storage without paying premium prices. With sequential read speeds up to 7400MB/s and write speeds up to 6600MB/s, alongside strong random performance and effective thermal management, this drive offers sufficient performance for most consumer applications including gaming, content creation, and productivity tasks.

The e7400 particularly shines in scenarios where price-to-performance ratio is a priority. It's well-suited for gaming systems (including PS5 and handheld PCs), general productivity machines, and content creation setups with moderate workloads. While not the absolute fastest drive available for sustained professional workloads, it delivers excellent value and performance that will satisfy the vast majority of users. The combination of performance, compatibility, and pricing makes the ORICO e7400 a compelling storage option in today's market.

Works Cited

ORICO. "PCle 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD." ORICO Official Website, 2024. orico.cc/usmobile/product/detail/id/15540

Team Pandory. "PCIe 3x4 vs PCIe 4.0: Is ORICO's 4TB NVMe a Game Changer?" YouTube, 19 Mar. 2025. youtube.com/watch?v=DeeBrshYNFs

TweakTown. "Orico O7000 1TB SSD Review - Good Performance, Great Value." TweakTown, 3 Jan. 2025. tweaktown.com/reviews/10940/orico-o7000-1tb-ssd-good-performance-great-value/index.html