I would like to thank ASUS for supplying the sample.


While ASUS may be best known for their graphic cards and motherboards, the ROG or Republic of Gamer sub-brand also offers all things a gamer could want for, including cases, chairs, monitors, peripherals, and the ROG Strix Arion NVMe Enclosure.

Package and a Closer Look

The ROG Strix Arion ships in a full-color package with an image on the front and lots of details on the rear. This presentation is meant to draw your attention at a brick and mortar store, and may be hung on a shelf.


The enclosure itself has been placed in a foam tray with additional accessories on the second layer. Overall, the unboxing experience is quite nice and cohesive.


Asus ships the ROG Strix Arion NVMe enclosure with two cables, one with USB-C for the host system and another utilizing USB-A. Both cables are sturdy as well as nice and long. A pin much like the one you would find with your cell phone to access the sim card tray is also included for accessing the interior of the ROG Strix Arion. On top of that, ASUS also included a silicone bumper and R-shaped clip. While a great little additional accessory, it would be good if the clip were made of some sort of metal instead of plastic. Lastly, a manual and some legal warranty papers are also included.


The unit itself looks pretty nice. It is asymmetric in its design, with flat sides and lots of design details.


On the main side is an inlay with the ROG logo, and a clear plastic bit above it will light up when the enclosure used. Turning the case on its side, you will find a black sticker with all the legal necessities. On the bottom is the USB-C port and a pin-hole for the tool to be pushed in to open up the ROG Strix Arion.


Putting it on the scale, it clocks in at a nice and hefty 100 grams, so it should be able to cool the SSD rather well given all that mass.


The spring-loaded locks are easily pushed in with the pin, which opens up the ROG Strix Arion and reveals its pre-applied thermal pads and the PCB that will host your drive. There is absolutely no reason for you to pull out the PCB, but we did to see which IC is being used. It is also cooled by the housing using a thermal pad. While its markings are hard to make out, it is an ASMedia IC, and we know the enclosure is capable of 10 Gbps data transfer. ASUS also placed a warning here to let you know that you should initialize your SSD first before installing it, which is interesting as this is the first time we have seen this.