Expand storage with the OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual 8TB USB 3.2 RAID Arrayfrom OWC. Designed to provide plenty of storage space for creative workflows, this 8TB RAID array features 4TB drives in dual drive bays. Utilizing a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 interface, this array is capable of transfer speeds up to 1250 MB/s. Hardware RAID control supports RAID 0, 1, SPAN, and JBOD modes.

Connect to accessories using a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port and two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports. A 60mm cooling fan ensures adequate thermal offloading, while a Kensington Lock slot can be used to secure the array. The Mercury Elite Pro Dual supports 2.5 and 3.5" drives and is bootable in macOS. Supported operating systems include Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS, and iPadOS.

Open Box Products Have a Limited 3-Year Manufacturer Warranty    2 x 4TB 7200 rpm HDDs    Dual Drive Bays    USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 Interface    RAID 0, 1, SPAN, and JBOD    Hardware RAID Controller    1 x Cooling Fan    1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 Port    2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 Ports    Bootable in macOS    Windows, Mac, Linux & Chrome OS Support

Doubling the speed of its predecessor, USB 3.2 Gen 2 features a maximum throughput of 10 Gb/s when used with compatible devices and is synonymous with USB 3.1 Gen 2.

From high-demand production studios to your home office, the Mercury Elite Pro Dual integrates with any work environment. Dual drive bays let you install your choice of 2.5 or 3.5" SSDs or HDDs. Built-in hardware RAID gives you enhanced data protection or maximum throughput.

OWC's free Dock Ejector app lets you safely dismount the OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual and any additional external drives connected to it from your computer in a single click. You'll be sure that all data has been safely written before any drive is unmounted, protecting against accidental data loss or corruption.

The Mercury Elite Pro Dual is compact and portable, leaving you more workspace. It connects to any Windows or Mac computer with an available USB port. You can also work cross-platform with Macs and Windows computers using OWC's MacDrive software, available separately.

Active workspaces expose gear to bumps, shoves, and the random tail wag from a pet. Just one ill-timed touch can cause an accidental cable disconnection, interrupting your workflow. Optional OWC ClingOn custom cable stabilizers screw into the housing to secure your USB Type-C connections so you can work with confidence even in the highest foot-traffic environments.

Get started right out of the box thanks to included USB Type-C and Type-C to A cables.

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. I have this drive array with smaller drives and I would like to replace them with larger drives. How would I do that? What specs do I need for the drives? How do I transfer data from the existing drives? How do I install the new drives? Many thanks!

A: You will need to backup the information to an external drive and use any larger capacity SATA III 3.5" Drives. You would use a checksum software which is great to have for large and critical files. This can check every bit of the transfer and provide verification. A checksum software to look into Hedge. Please see the link: https://hedge.video/hedge. One can technically transfer files/folders from the source to the new destination, but it is a nice safety measure to get verification at the end of the transfer. After backing up, install the new drives and build the RAID you want and transfer the data to the new drives. Also check the link below for the drive assembly instructions. https://www.owcdigital.com/assets/products/mercury-elite-pro-dual-thunderbolt/mep-dual-tb-usb-guide.pdf

Q: 2. I am looking for an external storage solution (just like this item) that i can plug into both my windows pc and mac laptop via usb, and just access the unit as a storage drive. Am looking to use it regularly to store my photography library (store all the photos and use adobe softwares using pictures that are on the external unit). Is this the best unit for this, or is a different unit recommended?

A: Ari,I can only speak to this unit. The Qx2 can be moved between platforms if properly configured, but you cannot have them plugged in simultaneously.

Q: 3. Is there any security such as password protection on this drive?

A: No, there are no built in security features.

Q: 4. I want to use this as a storage drive and for backup of my photos on a Windows 8.1 pc with a capacity of 1.8 TB and only 620GB used now. Is this ready just to plug in and use? Easy to use?

A: You might need to change the RAID mode depending on your needs but the drive is easy to use.

Q: 5. Can this be used to backup a synology nas?

A: As long as the total amount of data can fit on the OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual 36TB 2-Bay USB 3.2 Gen 2 RAID Array with 3-Port Hub (2 x 18TB), you can use it to backup the data from a NAS.

Q: 6. What is the read/write speed?

A: 397 Read 389 Write via USB 3.1 using the AJA System Test.

Q: 7. If you use this drive as a RAID 1, then if changes are made (or files added) to one drive, is the 2nd drive updated as well?

A: When the OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual 40TB 2-Bay Thunderbolt 2 RAID Array (2 x 20TB) is configured to RAID 1, any changes to Disk 1 will automatically be applied to Disk 2, as they are a complete 1:1 copy and will always be identical.

Q: 8. When these drives are full, will I be able to put new drives in and continue to use the enclosure for a new Raid?

A: Yes, you can install new drives and create a new RAID volume.

Q: 9. Will this drive work to edit 6K prores video footage?

A: The OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual 32TB 2-Bay USB 3.2 Gen 2 RAID Array with 3-Port Hub will have USB-3.2. I would recommend that this can be used for editing assuming that your computer has USB-C 3.2 as well. Otherwise, it will not be to your advantage.

Q: 10. Can you compare the Elite pro dual to the Genesis?

A: The OWC Gemini offers a Thunderbolt 3 connection, whereas the OWC Mercury Elite Pro uses only USB 3.1/3.2 Gen 2.