A hallmark of OWC FLEX technology is the ability to use U.2 NVMe SSDs, as well as the OWC ecosystem of U.2 drives and adapters. U.2 NVMe drives are specifically designed to maximize the PCIe bus and when combined with Thunderbolt, you'll blast past fast with real-world transfer speeds of up to 2750 MB/s. Whether you use your rackmount setup to complete massive backups faster, stream content during a live performance, edit large format video, or run high transactional and complex calculation applications, you can do it with the OWC Flex 1U4.

The OWC Flex 1U4 goes with the flow when needing to move data outside or beyond the local network. With the OWC U.2 ecosystem, moving and sharing data is fast and easy. Swap out and ship a project from field to post in video production workflows. Move backup data to an offline colocation for backup workflows. The combination of OWC Flex 1U4 and the OWC U.2 ecosystem opens a new dimension to data transfer possibilities.

• OWC U2 ShuttleOne: Convert an NVMe M.2 "blade" style SSD into a swappable 2.5" U.2 SSD with the peace of mind that your drive and its contents are protected by the full metal heat-dissipating adapter.
• OWC U2 Shuttle: Combine four NVMe M.2 SSDs into a 3.5" U.2 carrier shuttle to create a swappable, massive capacity RAID solution.
• OWC Helios 3S with Interchange System: Create an external Thunderbolt powered set to post U.2 solution that safeguards your data while lowering shipping costs.
• OWC Mercury Pro U.2 Dual: Put blazing fast Thunderbolt powered storage and backup on a desktop with a compact two bay footprint that can use U2 ShuttleOne and U2 Shuttles.
• OWC ThunderBay Flex 8: Take control of your media workflow with a 3-in-1 Thunderbolt storage, docking, and PCIe expansion desktop solution. Easily swaps U2 ShuttleOne and U2 Shuttles to/from the Flex 1U4.

The Flex 1U4 comes complete with hardware for mounting into most racks and cabinets.

Harness the full capability of your OWC Flex 1U4 drive array with the included SoftRAID XT, which is powerful and intuitive RAID management software 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. It is packed with features like multiple RAID options, validation and verification of drives, and predictive disk failure with SoftRAID Monitor.

SoftRAID provides a level of storage performance that you simply can't get with hardware RAID and is ideal for anyone who needs to safely store and backup massive amounts of data, including educational institutions, government agencies, businesses, content creators, and M&E professionals. If you need even more power and flexibility, you can upgrade to SoftRAID Pro to spread volumes over two or more disk enclosures.

OWC understands having confidence in gear reliability is paramount to creative professionals. That's why OWC Flex 1U4 solutions go through a multistep performance certification prior to shipping. This ensures they arrive operating properly and are immediately ready for demanding use.

Unexpected disconnects during file transfers or a work session can be devastating. The OWC ClingOn, sold separately, helps reduces and eliminate cable strain on the OWC Flex 1U4's Thunderbolt connection ports.

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. Can I use this drive on 2015 MacBook Pro, which predates Thunderbolt 3 ?

A: You can get a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter (https://bhpho.to/2VdXuZP), and plug THAT into the drive. Then use Thunderbolt 2 to connect to your computer.

Q: 2. Any USB4 variant?

A: The OWC 4TB Flex 1U4 4-Bay Thunderbolt 3 Storage Array (4 x 1TB SSDs) is not available with a standard USB-C connection.

Q: 3. Can this work on bus power over Thunderbolt 3?

A: Unfortunately this drive cannot be bus powered.

Q: 4. Is it at all possible to use this with Linux?

A: There is no simple answer due to the various Linux builds out there. It will all depend on the availability of Thunderbolt drivers available. One thing that I do know, is that unless you have a PC available to reformat the drive within the PC version of SoftRAID, the volume likely will not mount.

Q: 5. Does this device's power brick supply enough power to charge a MacBook Pro (or similar PC) over a Thunderbolt 3 cable?

A: No, there is very little residual power.

Q: 6. Can both Thunderbolt ports be used to access the drive from two computers simultaneously?

A: Sorry, you are only able to connect the hard drive to a single computer.

Q: 7. Does the 1TB product come with 4x 250GB NVMe or 1x1TB? Other capacities?

A: Yes, the OWC / Other World Computing 1TB ThunderBlade External Thunderbolt 3 Solid-State Drive B&H # OWTB3TBV4T01 has 4 x 250GB NVME SSD's configured in RAID 0.

Q: 8. Is there a version that can fit more as M.2 rather than U.2?

A: The OWC 4TB Flex 1U4 4-Bay Thunderbolt 3 Storage Array (4 x 1TB SSDs) is not currently available in an alternate M.2-based configuration.

Q: 9. Does this SSD work with APFS? (I know SoftRaid still doesn't.)

A: Thanks, Andy. Because APFS is now the default file system for Macs (apart from Time Machine drives), and overall, it’s a more advanced file system with various performance (and security) advantages over the legacy system, not just for boot drives.

Q: 10. Does it support installing Samsung Evo and EvoPlus NVMe M.2 SSDs?

A: No, it is not intended to be opened and SSDs to be swapped out by the user.