Designed for DITs, productions, editors, and other creative professionals, the OWC ThunderBlade X8 16TB Thunderbolt 3 RAID Arrayfrom OWC ThunderBlade X8 16TB Thunderbolt 3 RAID Arrayfeatures a rugged aluminum build with a heat-dissipating chassis and a mobile-ready small footprint, allowing it to used almost anywhere, whether you're on location or in the studio. Built to handle multicam sequences, 8K raw video, and VFX, this ThunderBlade X8 has a storage capacity of 16TB, which comes in an 8 x 2TB NVMe PCIe 3.0 M.2 2242 configuration. It supports software-controlled RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 1+0 (10), each of which provides performance, data redundancy, or a combination of both. Preformatted as RAID 0 for Mac, the ThunderBay X8 can achieve read speeds of up to 2949 MB/s and write speeds of up to 2826 MB/s in RAID 0 or read speeds of 2565 MB/s and write speeds of 2464 MB/s in RAID 5.

While the ThunderBay X8 comes preformatted for Mac, it may be reformatted for use with Windows. It connects to your host system using a 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 port, while a second Thunderbolt 3 port lets users create a daisy-chain with up to 5 additional devices, including a 5K/60 Hz display, a 4K/60 Hz display, or a 4K/30 Hz display.

Please note that SoftRAID only works with Windows 11 or macOS 10.14 or later. Also, while SoftRAID serial numbers work on both Windows and Mac, SoftRAID is licensed per computer. In order to use SoftRAID on multiple computers, you will need a unique, valid license per computer. Lastly, RAID 4 and 1+0 (10) are currently only available for Mac.

16TB Storage Capacity    8 x 2TB NVMe M.2 2242 SSDs    2 x 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 Ports    RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 10 (1+0)    Preformatted RAID 0 for macOS    Includes SoftRAID XT    Read Speeds up to 2949 MB/s (RAID 0)    Write Speeds up to 2464 MB/s (RAID 0)    Supports One 5K or 4K Display    Windows and Mac Compatible

Built rugged and silently cool for on-location use, The ThunderBlade X8's mobile-ready small footprint blazes through uncompressed high bandwidth content streams with high speeds and reliability. In fast paced environments where time is money, you'll keep productions ahead of deadline while elevating your professional reputation to the highest level with ThunderBlade X8.

OWC's team is filled with creatives highly experienced in all phases of the video production world. They understand your need for more speed and capacity when it comes to making everything from backups to editing faster. The ThunderBlade X8 was purposefully built to be the a reliable high-performance mobile-ready RAID SSD in the universe for:

• DITs needing to offload memory cards on set at maximum transfer speeds while also having the option to choose RAID 5 reliability for peace-of-mind or production requirements.
• DITs and productions needing a fast, highly reliable shuttle drive that can be easily and safely shipped.
• Creative professionals working with cutting edge workflows such as multi-cam sequences, 8K raw video, and VFX looking for the best possible performance from an easy to transport, plug and play external storage solution.
• Remote editors working with cloud-based workflows such as LucidLink which require a high performance cache drive solution to ensure flawless video editing performance.
• Professional video editors desiring a seamless editing experience when working on large projects with all their files centralized for easy access.

The ThunderBlade X8 gives you all the options you need to work at your best. With an extra Thunderbolt port, you have the flexibility to daisy-chain devices and place a USB-C device at the end of your chain to create a world of possibilities.

Using RAID 5 in the past meant giving up precious capacity and taking a big hit on performance. OWC's 8 drive ThunderBlade X8 model solves that problem by offering the most amount of useable capacity while still offering fast write speeds up to 2464 MB/s. Now you can streamline ingestion and backup times on set, edit ultra high-res multi-cam sequences, and adhere to mandatory requirements (the 3-2-1 Principle) when producing content for large studios such as Netflix.

• Hold at least 3 copies of all original camera files (OCF) and audio
• Store the OCF and audio copies on at least 2 different types of media
• Keep at least 1 of these backups in a different geographic location from the others

Harness the full capability of your OWC drive array with the included SoftRAID XT software, a powerful, 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.

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 PC with built-in OWC MacDrive technology

SoftRAID provides a level of storage performance that you can't get with hardware RAID. Software RAID 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.

You won't have to worry about heat throttling slowing you down because OWC focuses on the little details that will keep you working at consistent top speed. Besides keeping the ThunderBlade X8 securely in place, the non-skid rubber feet elevate the heat dissipating aluminum housing to create a highly effective silently cool encompassing airflow.

OWC understands having confidence their gear reliability is paramount to creative professionals. That's why every ThunderBlade X8 undergoes their rigorous multi-hour burn-in performance certification prior to shipping and includes a Thunderbolt connection cable. This ensures your ThunderBlade X8 arrives operating properly and immediately ready for demanding use.

While one ThunderBlade X8 is great, two are awesome when daisy chained together for additional speed and capacity gains. Keep them running cool and fast by stacking them vertically with the OWC ThunderBlade X Spacer. This innovative, no tools required aluminum drive spacer keeps your drives secure while enhancing your conquer any challenge image.

Active workspaces expose gear to bumps, shoves, or even the random tail wag from a pet. OWC ClingOn custom cable stabilizers (sold separately) screw into the OWC Dock or OWC Drive housing to reduce—if not completely eliminate—cable strain on Thunderbolt and USB-C connections so you can work with confidence even in the highest traffic environments.

• 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

• Windows 11

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. 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.

Q: 2. 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: 3. I do not want to use the RAID on the OWC? Is that possible?

A: SoftRaid software can be used with the OWC 16TB ThunderBlade Thunderbolt 3 RAID Array to remove the RAID family and yield JBOD volumes.

Q: 4. Does this drive work with Big Sur Mac OS 11.7.4?

A: Yes, this OWC 8TB ThunderBlade Thunderbolt 3 RAID Array (4 x 2TB) is compatible with MacOS 11.7.4. https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TB3TBV4T08/#specs

Q: 5. Is there any way to buy just the enclosure so I could put in my own nvme?

A: The OWC 32TB ThunderBlade Thunderbolt 3 RAID Array (4 x 8TB), B&H # OWCTB3TBV432, does not have an option for just the enclosure.

Q: 6. Can this work on bus power over Thunderbolt 3?

A: Unfortunately this drive cannot be bus powered.

Q: 7. 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: 8. Does it provide enough power to daisy chain a bus-powered TB3 external drive like an OWC Envoy Pro EX?

A: Yes, you can connect the OWC Envoy Pro EX to the OWC ThunderBlade.

Q: 9. The product specifications say the speed is 2800MB/s, but I know that the individual speed of the SSD in NVME format is over 2800MB/s. Why is the speed of Thunder Blade using RAID method only 2800MB/s?

A: To accommodate the 4 blades a switch must be used, this is what limits the speed.

Q: 10. Definitely a niche question, but does the unit power on and off depending if it's plugged in to a computer? I'm unsure if there's a power button somewhere on it that I'm missing. Would be really convenient if unplugging it from a laptop would have it power down.

A: The LED array indicator on the front of the device will glow blue when the device is receiving power and is connected to an active host. The LED will glow white when the device is connected to a host that is in Sleep or hibernation mode, or when it has power but is not connected to a host. When the LED glows white, the device is disconnected and in low power standby mode.