Bring flexible storage to your setup with with the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 96TB Thunderbolt 3 RAID Arrayfrom OWC. Designed to streamline production workflows, this RAID array features eight 2.5/3.5" drive bays, each preinstalled with a 12TB HDD. Preconfigured in RAID 5 with an included PCIe hardware controller, the ThunderBay Flex 8 also supports RAID 0, 1, 0+1 (10), 4, and JBOD modes, allowing you to choose between speed or data redundancy. Thunderbolt 3 and SATA III interfaces as well as 7200 rpm HDD speeds ensure fast data access to make short work of video editing, VFX, digital imaging, and more. The 120mm cooling fan prevents overheating, and a lockable bay door and Kensington Lock slot ensure security.

Use the CFexpress and UHS-II SD card reader slots to import 4K or 8K video or hi-res photos with ease. A USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports accommodate a range of accessories and a host connection, with the Thunderbolt 3 ports delivering 15W and 85W of power. Connect a display with a resolution up to 8K using the DisplayPort 1.4 output. When you're ready to expand, a PCIe 3.0 x16/x4 slot can be used to host a hardware raid controller or other adapter card. The ThunderBay Flex 8 96TB 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID Array is compatible with macOS 10.15 and later.

96TB (8 x 12TB HDDs)    8 x 2.5/3.5" Drive Bays    NVMe and SATA III Drive Interfaces    Supports RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 4, 5, and JBOD    Hardware RAID Controller    1 x 120mm Cooling Fan    CFexpress & UHS-II SD Card Reader Slots    2 x Thunderbolt 3, USB-C & A 3.2 Gen 2    DisplayPort 1.4 Output    Compatible with macOS 10.15 or Later

Use SATA/SAS and U.2/M.2 NVMe drives for up to 172TB of capacity and real-world speeds up to 2750 MB/s.

Please note that SAS drives are supported with a SAS drive controller card (available separately) and up to four U.2 drives are supported. M.2 drives are also supported with an M.2 to U.2 adapter (available separately).

The top four bays can utilize U.2 SSDs, the emerging M&E industry storage standard.

Create, manage, and monitor advanced RAID sets with SoftRAID, the advanced RAID management solution with easy setup, e-notifications, and drive integrity monitoring.

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. Are 20TB drives supported?

A: Currently (11/22), the OWC ThunderBay 8 16TB 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Array supports up to 18TB drives in the unit.

Q: 2. Does the Raid Software License come with the system?

A: The OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 128TB 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID Array uses a hardware RAID controller, so software is not provided.

Q: 3. Is SoftRaid XT also compatible with Windows? If not, what do I need to make it work with Windows? I want to configure this as RAID 5 on a Windows laptop. Thanks.

A: SoftRAID XT can be downloaded for Windows as well. You can use it with the OWC ThunderBay 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 Raid Array with SoftRAID XT.

Q: 4. is OWC Thunderbay 8 compatible with OS Ventura?

A: Yes, the OWC ThunderBay 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 Raid Array with SoftRAID XT is compatible with MacOS Ventura.

Q: 5. I have 8 separate external hard drives that I want to take apart and insert into this Thunderbay 8 enclosure. I want to see the drives as separate drives, NOT raid drives. In other words, JBOD. If I do NOT install SoftRAID, is JBOD the default? Will I see my 8 separate drives mounted on my Mac with no further effort required? Thanks.

A: It can be used as a JBOD with out SoftRAID.

Q: 6. Is there an advantage to buying the ThunderBay pre-loaded with drives? If the drives are purchased separately, it would be substantially less expensive (about $1,300).

A: These drives pre-included are enterprise level drives. So the quality may vary on model.

Q: 7. What hard drives are included?

A: The OWC ThunderBay 8 has 8 x 14 TB drives. The manufacturer does not specify the make and model of the drives.

Q: 8. Does anyone know if the Apple Silicon compatibility issues have been solved with these units?

A: Yes, OWC has fixed the communication issues with the OWC ThunderBay 8 128TB 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Array (8 x 16TB) as well as all other OWC Thunderbolt drives/docks.

Q: 9. at raid 5 how much usable storage is there on this 32tb model?

A: This configuration of the OWC ThunderBay 8 32TB 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Array has 8 drives, that each hold 4 TB. There is 28 TB capacity for storage, with 4 TB dedicated to parity, in case of drive failure.

Q: 10. Hello, is this hard drive 144tb include?

A: Yes, the eight 18TB hard drives would be included with this OWC 144TB ThunderBay SoftRaid Pro