As many of you know, I have this crazy 10 gigabit Internet connection from Comcast. It started out as a 2 gigabit connection which they ramped up to 10 over the last couple of years to keep up with local competitors. As cool as it is to have a connection this fast, you do need specialized ethernet gear to hit those speeds. I’m therefore always on the look-out for the higher speed gear, especially USB-based solutions.
Orico reached out to me recently to check out their new 10 gigabit adapter. This is the smallest 10-gig adapter I’ve tested, and it works with Thunderbolt 3, 4, and 5, as well as USB 4 devices. However, it won’t function with USB 3, which is something to keep in mind before purchasing.
You can check out my full video review here.
For this review, I used a USB 4-based mini PC from Beelink, an AMD-powered machine that has a 40 gigabit per second USB 4 ports on the back. I also tested it on my Mac with Thunderbolt.
At $159, the Oro adapter is priced a bit lower than other 10-gig adapters I’ve seen over the years, though it’s significantly more expensive than the more common 2.5-gig models. The hardware itself is minimalistic, with a USB-C/Thunderbolt port on one end and a standard 10GBase-T Ethernet port on the other.
It runs off bus power, but like most 10-gig adapters, it generates a lot of heat over time. Instead of a large heatsink, this one uses an internal fan, which stays on and becomes quite loud after extended use—louder, in fact, than the mini PC I was testing it with!
The chipset inside is a Marvell AQtion, which I hadn’t worked with before. It worked immediately on macOS, but on Windows, I had to check for driver updates before it functioned properly. If it doesn’t work right away on a Windows machine, running Windows update and rebooting should solve the issue.
Performance-wise, I conducted two different tests. The first was a basic Speedtest.net run, but as expected, the results varied based on internet traffic conditions and the limitations of the test servers. While I have a 10-gig symmetrical internet connection, getting full speeds on a public server is rare. A more reliable measure came from a local iPerf test between two 10-gig connected devices. Here, the Orico adapter delivered consistent speeds of around 9.48 Gbps in both directions, which is in line with expectations when accounting for network overhead.
Functionally, the adapter does exactly what it promises, delivering full 10-gig speeds over USB 4 or Thunderbolt. The trade-off comes with the fan noise. While it’s compact and portable, the fan’s constant hum is hard to ignore. Those who prioritize silence might prefer a larger device with passive cooling, such as the slightly more expensive OWC 10G adapter, which is bulkier but completely quiet.
That said, if portability is a priority and the noise isn’t a deal-breaker, the Orico adapter is a solid choice. Just keep in mind that while 10-gig speeds sound great on paper, actual internet usage rarely maxes out that capacity, meaning a 2.5-gig adapter might be a more practical and cost-effective alternative for most users.
Disclosure: Orico sent this device to my channel for review, but they did not review or approve the content before uploading. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.