Bring flexible storage to your setup with with the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 84TB Thunderbolt 3 RAID Arrayfrom OWC. Designed to streamline production workflows, this RAID array features eight 2.5/3.5" drive bays preinstalled with four 1TB U.2 NVMe SSDs and four 20TB HDDs. Preconfigured in RAID 5, 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 84TB 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID Array is compatible with macOS 10.15 and later.

84TB (4 x 1TB U.2 SSD, 4 x 20TB 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    Software 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. If I have a USB 3.1 type a to USB-C cable, and plug this into a USB 3.1 port, is it backwards compatible? I'm asking because I will be upgrading my computer in the not too distant future, but the one I have now tops out with USB 3.1 Type A (the square port) ports.

A: No, the OWC ThunderBay 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID Enclosure BH #OWCTB38JBKIT requires that your computer has Thunderbolt 3.

Q: 2. Is it possible to use eight(u.2) drives if I change the controller to something like Megaraid 9560-8i that supports 8 u.2 drive?

A: The OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Enclosure only has four U.2 NVMe SSD compatible drive bays.

Q: 3. Where is the unit made? Taiwan? China? Singapore?

A: The OWC ThunderBay 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 Raid Array with SoftRAID XT has a country of origin from Taiwan.

Q: 4. The serial number on the bottom does not work as for SoftRAID license. How do I get the license?

A: The OWC ThunderBay 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID Enclosure, B&H # OWCTB38JBKIT, does not come with SoftRaid XT. Model OWC ThunderBay 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 Raid Array with SoftRAID XT. B&H # OWTB38SRKIT0, does include SoftRAID XT.

Q: 5. How much is the SoftRaid XT software?

A: It is included with the drive.

Q: 6. Is there any way to set this system up to be "hot-swappable", meaning adding a larger capacity drive(s) to increase space without re-formatting? Something similar to Synology's SHR or Drobo's BeyondRAID?

A: No, the OWC ThunderBay 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID Enclosure BH #OWCTB38JBKIT does not support that functionality.

Q: 7. Would there be a performance difference if I install 8x SATA III SSDs versus 4x U.2 SSDs and 4x HDDs?

A: While NVMe U.2 and M.2 drives will perform very similarly, U.2 drives have the advantage of being available in larger capacities that are easier to handle, while being externally swappable in enclosures

Q: 8. How noisy is it?

A: There is no official acoustic rating for the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 8-Port Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Enclosure BH #OWTBF80C000 since that will also depend on what you end up installing inside the unit but with all the bays filled up, it won't be absolutely silent.

Q: 9. This listing shows: SoftRAID XT Software - Can you tell me how we can download and get a license for it? Since it's included in the purchase. Do we get a license key after purchase? Thanks

A: The unit itself will come with a trial version and on the bottom of the unit will be the serial number to activate the trial version into the full version of SoftRAID XT.

Q: 10. If I start with 3-4 HDDs set up in RAID 5, will I be able to add HDDs for storage later without having to do anything else?

A: Drives cannot be added to a RAID 5 array without rebuilding the array. If you need to expand the storage pool of the array, the best option is to backup your data and then delete and rebuild the volume with the additional drive(s) included.