PSA: Orico's Misleading Advertising – QLC NAND used in IG740-PRO
Posted by SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit | hardware | View on Reddit | 50 comments
1. TLC?
Orico recently launched the IG740-PRO, marketing it as an "Industry grade" (Note that is different from the actual "Industrial grade", Orico has used the same word play in their Chinese promotional material). The drive garnered positive attention from reviewers, including prominent outlets like Tweaktown, Dong Knows Tech, and even Forbes. These reviews often highlighted the drive's competitive pricing and the use of YMTC 232L TLC (Tri-Level Cell) NAND flash, a detail Orico explicitly stated in Amazon's promotional materials and their official homepage.
https://i.imgur.com/XFzSIPH.jpeg
2. QLC?
However, discrepancies have emerged. A video review by TechteamGB shows that the NAND flash on their IG740-PRO review unit was QLC (Quad-Level Cell) NAND, based on the part numbering etched onto the flash chips. YMTC's part numbering system uses the 6th digit to denote the flash type, with "T" for TLC and "Q" for QLC – the latter being present on the reviewed hardware. In fact, Techinsights has directly called NAND with this exact same part number QLC. This observation was not an isolated incident, as a separate video review by Mike's Unboxing also reportedly showcased the same QLC NAND flash in their sample. Using QLC instead of TLC impacts sustained write performance and endurance, and is in direct contradiction to Orico's own promotional materials.
https://i.imgur.com/opo1ohC.png
https://i.imgur.com/sxtRRFl.jpeg
3. What Can You Do?
For those who have not yet purchased the Orico IG740-PRO, obviously avoid buying it, as what is advertised may not be what is actually delivered. Moreover, I would caution against purchasing any other products from Orico, as I am not confident that their other offerings are free of the conflicting and downright misleading information exhibited in the advertising materials of the IG740-PRO.
If you have already purchased an IG740-PRO, definitively identifying the NAND type can be challenging, since the VLO flash ID tool cannot be used to identify the NAND flash used in the drive. This is due to the Maxio MAP1602 controller used in the drive being locked down, preventing it from reporting the specific NAND details.
Therefore, the most conclusive method to determine the NAND type would be a physical inspection of the NAND chips themselves by carefully peeling off the drive's sticker. However, this action will void your warranty and carries a risk of physically damaging the SSD, and is therefore strongly discouraged.
A less invasive, though not entirely definitive, method to infer the NAND type is to prepare a single file that is larger than one-third of the drive's total capacity, then copy this file to the IG740-PRO and observe the write speed after the SLC cache is exhausted. If the write speed drops significantly to much below 500 MB/s, it may indicate the presence of QLC NAND, as exhibited in TechteamGB's review, compared to 500-800MB/s showcased by the TLC variant. If you suspect you have received a QLC variant, you should reach out to Orico or the retailer from whom the drive was purchased for further support.
https://i.imgur.com/ka88nLI.png
As a side note, TechPowerUp has already updated with the QLC variant in their SSD database.
varignet@reddit
Hi, I found your post super-helpful.
I just received an orico o7000 4tb nvme, and would like to find out if it has TLC or QLC NANDS.
I peeled the sticker slightly to find the exact same NAND printings as in the Chinese review:
https://imgur.com/zDyKE6g
This is mine:
https://imgur.com/a/z5fkwMY
Any idea whether it's TLC or QLC?
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
It is not really possible to determine the NAND flash based on this third-party printing without knowing what each digit means
Can you see if running VLO tool shows any results?
varignet@reddit
Thanks, I literally just received an email from orico and they confirm the 4tb version has qlc NANDs.
I was curious because the screenshot you captured from the Chinese review of the 7450 version has nearly exact writings, and the subtitle said 3DTLC. I don't speak Chinese so I don't know whether he said 'this is not 3DTLC' or 'this is 3DTLC'.
Anyway, it appears orico confirmed my 4tb has qlc. I'll consider return it. I got it at a discount at 208Eur, but I can see TLC versions from other manufacturers at 270Eur. I'll think about it.
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
Those "reviewers" know nothing and often just read out what ever is written on the product page so don't put too much mind on it
varignet@reddit
sure thing, what tool exactly from that page? i’m not familiar with it thx
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
The first one under Maxio utility
varignet@reddit
I run the utility but it reported that it cannot read it.
I also found another utility called mxutility specifically for the map1602, and that one also didn't give any info, it said 'error, unable to open the device in system mode' or something similar.
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
I am actually an idiot The one you should run is Maxio NVME flash id
varignet@reddit
sorry I should've specified, that is the one I run, the third one in the list, not the first one.
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
Welp the Maxio fid tool is a finicky mess even before manufacturers figured out how to encrypt the controller
popop143@reddit
Thrift store ADATA ass brand
enchanted_crystal@reddit
I would trust Adata ever so slightly more over Orico
logosuwu@reddit
Adata literally does the same thing omE
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
Adata wouldn't be this stupid and explicitly claim TLC in the products they plan to swap with QLC
Blue-Thunder@reddit
Adata closed their reddit sub because they were being bombarded by users who were being fucked over by their RMA process. I myself was one of those who bought a drive that spent more time out for RMA during the first year than it did in my computer.
crab_quiche@reddit
Yeah I think a lot of people are missing how this is different than the normal SSD bait and switch of having official numbers be slow, but the first batch of drives are faster which is what you see if you look up reviews, but after a couple months all you can buy is the slow official spec versions.
Strazdas1@reddit
i stopped trusting adata when i was gifted some of their USB sticks and they were all dirty. Now in case you dont know what that means, it means adata would be cheaping out on buying legitimate hardware ids and would use a single id for all the drives in a release. this is technically illegal but never enforced. However OS would spot such mass produced IDs and flag them as dirty, meaning the drive would be prevented from running unless user directly interferes in attempt to discourage people from using these drives.
popop143@reddit
Adata was swapping NAND chips before Orico even became known in the West.
logosuwu@reddit
Most of them do that. NAND is considered somewhat of a commodity so budget SSDs are always a mixed bag.
AreYouAWiiizard@reddit
I wish there was more regulation on bait-and-switch of parts... It should be illegal to sell with the same product name...
mechdreamer@reddit
This is extremely common in the SSD world. Even some of the more reputable brands do it, and they seem to get away with it because they only advertise the speeds and not the actual internals.
What generally happens is they will send out a decent-to-good SSD to reviewers who open it up to show off the internal parts, and then they later swap those parts out for less expensive ones. A lot of 2TB SSDs that also offer 4TB storage option are guilty of this. Usually, the 2TB SSDs are TLC and sent out for reviews, but the 4TB SSD variant will be QLC and not be sent out for reviews anywhere.
Because the internals aren't advertised, the makeup of an SSD is often crowdsourced. You can look up the TPU SSD database to find variants (if any) of a lot of SSDs, but that's probably as consumer-friendly as it's going to get.
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
Yes and this is why manufacturers often only advertise using 3D NAND to keep it vague enough to swap between TLC and QLC at will
But this time Orico explicitly advertises TLC and yet still ships out the QLC variant, and that gos from vague advertising to false advertising
alelo@reddit
well Samsung specifies what type it uses e.g. TLC, MLC
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
I don't like Samsung's x-bit MLC presentation, but when they claim the drive is using TLC (3-bit MLC) then you will get TLC, and when they claim 4-bit MLC you will get QLC
But Orico is saying you will get TLC in your drive while shipping out QLC
skttsm@reddit
So if you buy this and get QLC then can't you juts file a fraud dispute with your credit card after inquiring with Orico?
Nicholas-Steel@reddit
Yes but they're talking about releasing a 2TB drive with TLC and swapping the TLC out for QLC as a revision to the drive with either no indication on the consumer packaging/device or sometimes an indication is provided but it's buried in some document somewhere on their website that's not advertised/marketed anywhere.
mechdreamer@reddit
Yes, I know. The 2TB to 4TB part swapping is one example but a very common one.
Orico isn't the only company who does this unfortunately. Silicon Power US75 also swaps between TLC and QLC within the same storage size option: https://www.techpowerup.com/ssd-specs/silicon-power-us75-4-tb.d2343
Kingston NV3 also does it too: https://www.techpowerup.com/ssd-specs/kingston-nv3-1-tb.d2162
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
The difference is neither SP or Kingston explicitly claim to use TLC on US75 or NV3, but Orico does
mechdreamer@reddit
Right. Your example here is extra scummy for sure.
itsabearcannon@reddit
This is at least one area where Samsung, if not outright better, isn't worse than other manufacturers.
Like when they changed the NAND configuration on the 970 EVO, they didn't just keep calling it the 970 EVO - they changed the model to the 970 EVO Plus. Same with the 990 EVO and 990 EVO Plus.
And with their SATA SSDs, they clearly identified the QLC models - the 860/870 EVO is TLC, while the 860/870 QVO with a 'Q' stands for QLC.
They did downgrade from MLC to TLC on the PRO lineup from the 970 to the 980, but again, that wasn't the same model. It incremented the model number.
capybooya@reddit
The 970 EVO Plus actually got a significant performance boost over the regular and was a champ for years after release. There was a minor controversy over a NAND change in the EVO Plus one or two years after release though. As far as I remember they did not change the model name for that. But it was better in some scenarios and worse in others, so after reading some reviews I didn't blacklist Samsung for it, but it was not ideal either.
logosuwu@reddit
It's also cos they source whatever is the cheapest. There's some SSDs that can literally go from a SM2258XT to a Phison S11 (o7 data) to innogrit and maxiotek and realtek.
_Synchronicity-@reddit
They actually advertise this as TLC though??? That's literally false marketing.
At least from their marketing in china's taobao.
Strazdas1@reddit
Just want to point out that removing the sticker does not in fact void warranty unless the company can prove you damaged the chip while doing it.
Luc117@reddit
It's pretty nasty, but on its Chinese website it mentioned the NAND chip is EMS/WDS. EMS is short for Emei Shan, which is the internal code name for YMTC X3-6070 232L QLC; and WDS is short for Wudang Shan, which is the internal code name for YMTC X3-9070 232L TLC. It kinda tells you what to expect (either TLC or QLC) but in a very obscure way to the consumers.
Bait and switch has been in the SSD industry (at least for consumer SSDs) for years. e.g. Micron budget line using both Micron and Spectek TLC/QLC NANDs; WD green/blue and Sandisk SSDs with BiCS4 TLC/QLC and/or downgraded TBW; Kingston also does this regularly even in their high-end products.
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
Orico is probably discretely changing the product description page since Chinese online shopping platforms still show 232L TLC https://i.imgur.com/phtCziV.jpeg
TussleBrooks@reddit
This is certainly news to see, considering this can certainly implicate Orico in a bit of a legal pickle regarding false advertising... shame to see, because I thought Orico was a pretty decent company, product wise.
Killmeplsok@reddit
They were, at least they was 10 years ago when they were selling HDD cases/caddies, backup stations for cheap, they have been going downhill quality wise since then, their USB hubs has not been reliable at all and has a long history of destroying laptops and accessories connected to it.
Soggy_Marsupial_7247@reddit
Oof. Glad I spent the extra $1-2 for anker
AnxiousJedi@reddit
I'm hoping they get sued on Europe. Consumer protection agencies in the U.S. don't give a fuck.
SmileyBMM@reddit
Any "warranty void if removed" stickers are invalid and legally unenforceable in the United States.
https://www.ifixit.com/News/74736/warranty-void-stickers-are-illegal-in-the-us-what-about-elsewhere
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
But it doesn't stop you from ripping off a NAND flash along with the sticker from the drive
-protonsandneutrons-@reddit
Great work compiling this information; this is genuinely false advertising when they explictly state "TLC".
zakats@reddit
Extra! Extra! Chinesium drive company does shady chinesium shit, more on pg 6
_ExecutiveOrder_@reddit
Also
- Orico IG740 Pro swapped or mixed with QLC like Orico O7000 (but this one did not describe TLC anyway), O7000 uses BW (BIWIN) marking, but it looks fake.
- Orico IG740 Pro uses a no-name package (only YMTC codes) and is much different than YMTC's packaging (found in Zhitai, YMTC's SSD brand). Even Orico O7000 uses fake BW or BIWIN marking, unlike that found in Acer SSD (Acer and BIWIN jointly make SSD products). The grade or quality is questionable; that's why the "industry grade" gimmick praised by websites is misleading, more like industry grade swaps.
- Drive fill speed is much slower than TLC 1449 vs 167 MB/s (300 MB/s or lower in this thread, actually peak, average is around 139 MB/s during folding state).
- Standard durability is cut by half, Orico IG740 Pro still markets a common TBW for the TLC variant.
- Orico adds other unnecessary marketing like Power Loss Protection, which is basically what other consumer-level SSDs offer, no fancy big-capacity capacitors found in enterprise, just look at MAP1602 + YMTC 232-layer drives, not much difference happening on PCB.
- Orico claims "premium NAND, good die," which is odd, while bad or black dies are rejected and sold for cheap, mainly found in cheap no-name brands from China; it looks like Orico is trying desperately not to be similar to them.
- And many more bs from Orico for this particular drive.
- This is much worse than something like ADATA, which did not say TLC unless they guarantee TLC, which in their website only says "3D NAND" instead of "3D NAND TLC", even though actual config swap spree like found in SX8200 Pro (one of SSD out there with most hardware variant) and S70 Blade which are ALL TLC with DRAM, only in cheaper segment with no DRAM like Legend 900 (MAP1602) QLC swap exist (marketed as "3D NAND", no TLC in sight, no controller guarantee either unlike S70 Blade).
_ExecutiveOrder_@reddit
And it seems Orico IG740 PRO is lying from DAY ONE, not because of BOM swap, based on reviews with Orico themself sent the unit.
QLC 2TB [Mar 27, 2025] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOv9WiqhrJ8
TLC 2TB [Apr 12, 2025] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hslrO5gnY2M
QLC 2TB [Apr 15, 2025] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_WBtAM3etI
TLC 2TB [May 12, 2025] https://tech4gamers.com/orico-ig740-pro-2tb-review/
_ExecutiveOrder_@reddit
I tried to reach out to a YouTube review (IG740 Pro) where the author replied fast and asked for proof, too bad YouTube shadow-banned me shortly after and prevents me from creating new comments, including edits automatically delete replies, I still can edit my main comment for a while before all gone for good (including his reply).
If you see this, check this reply to see my original YT replies.
droptableadventures@reddit
Re point 1: it's not really like 'industrial grade' has a meaning either.
Or, 'military grade' - which if it did, it would be 'built by the lowest bidder to barely comply with the specifications'.
SunnyCloudyRainy@reddit (OP)
It is just funny seeing Orico skirting around the word "Industrial" in both Chinese and English promotional materials
Gippy_@reddit
I still remember Kingston doing the NAND bait-and-switch over ten years ago. Thankfully I bought my V300 before the switch, but that was the last time I ever bought any Kingston SSD. As for Orico, they make great SSD enclosures, but that's about it.