- Description
- Specifications
- What's Included
- Demo Videos
- Reviews
Eight-Drive Thunderbolt External Storage Solution with SoftRAID XT
Like a Data Center on Your Desk
- Pro-grade transfer speeds: up to 2546MB/s peak performance (RAID 0)
- Eight hot-swappable universal drive bays: mix or match 2.5-inch (no adapter needed) and 3.5-inch HDDs and SSDs
- Includes SoftRAID: robust software for creating, monitoring, and managing advanced RAID sets
- See your work: DisplayPort 1.2 for connecting up to a 4K display
- Daisy-chain expansion: second Thunderbolt 3 port for adding up to five additional Thunderbolt devices
- Quick drive swaps: thumb screw release trays
- Plug-and-play ready: no drivers needed and includes Thunderbolt cable
- Thunderbolt certified: for Mac and Windows
- OWC ClingOn ready: cable stabilizer prevents work session interruption and possible data loss
- 5 Year OWC Limited Warranty
This latest addition to the popular ThunderBay line, introduced in 2014, now offers eight drive bays for either 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch HDDs and/or SSDs in any combination. The OWC ThunderBay 8 is like a high-performance personal data center that offers multiple configuration options to suit ever-expanding storage needs. Photo, film and video editors can take advantage of the largest capacity desktop RAID storage solution we’ve ever offered to handle the voracious drive space appetite of RAW, 4K, large format, and VR workflows.
Conquer High Bandwidth Demands
With Thunderbolt 3 offering real-world transfer rates up to 2586MB/s and the ability to RAID together eight SSDs or HDDs, ThunderBay 8’s rugged, field-tested aluminum design has the under-the-hood horsepower needed to conquer high-bandwidth requirements. You can even configure multiple ThunderBay 8 solutions connected via multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports on your Mac or PC to achieve exponential speed increases. Whatever your set up, when you’re racing against a deadline, ThunderBay 8 puts you in the winner’s circle.
Monstrous Capacity
Need even more capacity? Daisy-chain up to six of these capacity behemoths together for up to a staggering 960TB. Now you can capture vast amounts of footage from multiple cameras or store vast libraries of production work with a unified and reliable storage solution.
SoftRAID: RAID Made Easy
Harness the full capability of your OWC drive array with the included SoftRAID XT, the most powerful, intuitive RAID management software on the market for macOS and Windows. SoftRAID’s RAID creation and management technology has been finely tuned to perfection with over 20 years of development to provide rock solid protection of your data and optimize drive performance.
SoftRAID XT provides an unbeatable combination of speed, protection, and compatibility:
- Advanced: Create RAID 0/1/4/5/1+0 (10) arrays
- Protected: SoftRAID Monitor constantly watches your disks and alerts you if problems are detected
- Validated: Volume validation ensures sectors can be read and parity is correct
- Certified: Checks disks before use to ensure they are safe for data storage
- Vigilant: Error prediction helps protect against unexpected failure
- Universal: Move SoftRAID arrays seamlessly between Mac and PC2 with built-in OWC MacDrive technology
Beyond Hardware RAID
SoftRAID provides a level of storage performance that you simply can’t get with hardware RAID. SoftRAID gives you increased power and control over your RAID drives and disks that hardware RAID can’t deliver and doesn’t lock you into technology that you can’t upgrade or expand.
Swap and Identify Drives Easily
ThunderBay 8 makes it easy to keep large data sets organized for every project thanks to its eight hot swappable drive bays. Whether you’re using 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch HDDs and/or SSDs, the drives mount in alphabetically labeled trays for easy identification and are secured by a thumb screw. If you want the freedom to access an extensive collection of drives quickly, you can create a drive “bullpen” with additional OWC drive trays (sold separately).
As Secure as a Bank Vault
With a locking front panel and security slot on the backside, the ThunderBay 8 is like an ironclad vault l for your data. Plus, with front panel LEDs indicating the status of each drive, you’ll know at a glance if your data is secure.
See More, Do More
ThunderBay 8 isn’t just about high-capacity, high-performance storage. It’s about giving you all the options you need to work at your best. Attach a 5K Thunderbolt display or two 4K displays. Place a USB 3.1 device at the end of a daisy chain. With an extra Thunderbolt 3 port, you have the flexibility to add more devices to your workflow and master any task at hand.
Secure Your Workflow with OWC ClingOn
Greatly reduce — if not eliminate — cable strain and accidental disconnects with the OWC ClingOn. These custom cable stabilizers (sold separately) screw into the ThunderBay 8's housing to secure your Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C connections and prevent work session interruption and possible data loss.
Number of Bays
8
Total Solution Cache Size
2048 MB
Standard Mechanism
(8) 2.0TB Western Digital WD Blue 7,200RPM Hard Disk Drive with 256 MB cache
*OWC reserves the right to replace or upgrade to equivalent or better components.
Plug and Play
Yes
Hot Swap Support
Yes
Boot Support
Mac only
Rotational Speed
7,200RPM
Drive Interface
SATA 6.0 Gb/s
RAID Capable
Yes
Default RAID Level
RAID 5
RAID Levels Supported
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 0+1
RAID 4
RAID 5
JBOD
RAID Features
Software RAID
Device Ports
(1) Host Port - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) up to 40 Gb/s (5000 MB/s)
(1) Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Port
(1) DisplayPort Port
Display Support
Up to two 4K displays @ 60Hz,
or one 5K display @ 60Hz
Display Support by Port
Thunderbolt 3: Up to 5K @ 60Hz via a native Thunderbolt 3 display or 4K @ 60Hz via a Thunderbolt display or a USB-C display adapter
DisplayPort 1.2: Up to 4K @ 60Hz
Data Transfer Rate (Maximum)
Thunderbolt 3 : Up to 40 Gb/s (or 5000 MB/s)
Benchmark Speed, Read (Max)
Up to 2546 MB/s
Benchmark Speed, Write (Max)
Up to 1991 MB/s
Chipset
Thunderbolt: (1) Intel JHL-6540
SATA Controller: (2) JMicron JMB-585
Contact Start Stops
300,000
Host Port Requirements
Thunderbolt (USB-C) port (backward compatible with Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt1)
Mac OS Compatibility
macOS 10.12 Sierra
macOS 10.13 High Sierra
macOS 10.14 Mojave
macOS 10.15 Catalina
macOS 11.x Big Sur
macOS 12.x Monterey
macOS 13.x Ventura
macOS 14.x Sonoma
PC OS Compatibility
Windows 10 64-bit Edition
Windows 11
Driver Required
SoftRAID Only
Other Requirements
SoftRAID XT works with macOS 10.14 or later and Windows 10 or later. SoftRAID is licensed per computer. The SoftRAID serial number will work with both Mac and Windows but can only be active on one computer at a time. Additional seats can be purchased. RAID 4/1+0 (10) are currently Mac only at this time.
External Power Adapter
No
Power Supply
Internal UL-listed universal auto-switching power supply
AC Input
90-264V, 47-63Hz, 3.5A At 115V, 1.8A At 230V
DC Output
+12V, 25A
Wattage
300W
Cooling
(1) 92mm cooling fan
Security Slot
Yes
Power Button
Yes
Power/Activity LED
Yes
Housing Color
Black
Housing Material
Aluminum
Dimensions
Height: 18.0 cm (7.1 in)
Length: 24.0 cm (9.4 in)
Width: 26.0 cm (10.2 in)
Weight
10.9 kg (24.07 lbs)
Certifications
CE, FCC, VCCI, RCM, BSMI
Ambient Temperature
Operating: 41°F to 95°F (5°C to 35°C)
Non-Operating: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C)
Altitude
Operating: -304.8 m to 3,048.0 m (-1,000 ft to 10,000 ft)
Non-Operating: -304.8 m to 12,192.0 m (-1,000 ft to 40,000 ft)
Humidity
Operating: 8% to 90% non-condensing
Non-Operating: 5% to 95% non-condensing
Noise
Varies depending on drive mechanism installed
- (1) OWC ThunderBay 8 External Storage Solution
- (1) 0.7M (29") Thunderbolt Cable
- (1) US Power Cable
- (2) Security Keys for Front Panel Lock
- (1) Quick Start Guide for OWC ThunderBay 8
- (1) Assembly Manual & User Guide for OWC ThunderBay 8
- (1) OWC SoftRAID XT Software Bundle
- (1) Quick Start Guide for OWC SoftRAID XT
- (1) Manual & User Guide for OWC SoftRAID XT
- 5 Year OWC Limited Warranty