Built to handle demanding needs, the 8TB Express 1M2 USB4 External SSD from OWC / Other World Computing is designed for photo and video professionals, DITs, prosumers, performance enthusiasts, and other creative professionals. Equipped with an 8TB OWC Aura Ultra IV PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD, the Express 1M2 delivers speeds of up to 3151 MB/s, which is fast enough for 8K raw and 4K video in slow motion as well as ProRes and other demanding codecs, plus high resolution photos in both raw and compressed formats. It comes preformatted APFS for macOS 10.13 and later, iPadOS 13 and later, and iOS 17, but may be used with Windows, Chrome, Linux, and Android with a simple reformat. It connects to your host system using a 40 Gb/s USB4 port, but is backward compatible with 10 Gb/s USB 3.2 Gen 2, which delivers real world speeds of up to 990 MB/s.

If you ever need to replace or upgrade the Express 1M2's internal storage, its one M.2 slot supports PCIe 4.0 x4 SSDs with a 2230, 2242, and 2280 form factor. Its aluminum enclosure offers rugged protection, while also keeping the drive cool for improved performance. The Express 1M2 may be used as a boot drive, but only on Mac. It is plug-and-play, meaning no drivers are required for use, while bus power means that the drive is powered solely using the included USB4 cable.

8TB Storage Capacity    OWC Aura Ultra IV PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD    40 Gb/s USB4 Interface    Up to 3151 MB/s Data Transfer Speed    Bus Powered    Aluminum Enclosure    Supports M.2 2230, 2242, and 2280 SSDs    Preformatted APFS for macOS and iPadOS    Windows & Linux Compatible via Reformat    Chrome & Android Compatible via Reformat

Give yourself the ultimate in creative power by building the portable drive of your dreams or choosing an advanced technology OWC Aura SSD powered OWC Express 1M2. Whether repurposing a drive, starting with a new drive, or wanting the convenience of a ready-to-run solution, you will infuse your workflow with the highest performance and reliability with an Express 1M2.

The Express 1M2 is the fastest single portable SSD OWC offers and was purposefully built to maximize the performance capabilities of today and tomorrow's USB4 equipped Macs and Windows computers. Experience speeds up to an astonishing 3151 MB/s when you use the Express 1M2 with most PCs you own from 2020 and newer. You can also enjoy highly effective performance (yep... you can edit 4K video, no problem) and flexible compatibility with millions of yesterday's Thunderbolt and USB-C machines and devices. When used with an Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 Mac & iPad or a USB4 port or a Thunderbolt 4 on a Windows computer, the Express 1M2 will run as a 40 Gb/s USB4 device with speeds up to 3151 MB/s. When used with a Thunderbolt 3 port on an Intel Mac or Windows computer, or a 10 Gb/s USB-C port on an iPad, Mac, or Windows computer, the Express 1M2 will run as a 10 Gb/s USB 3.2 Gen 2 device with speeds of up to 990 MB/s.

Because of OWC's Thunderbolt expertise and their close work with Intel, they are familiar with details that others may overlook. While specific OWC solutions are certified for full speed on Thunderbolt, they (and everyone else) are limited to half that speed with DIY enclosures. USB4 unleashes the Express 1M2 performance capabilities so you can build the drive of your dreams. Unlike budget brand pretenders that do not follow Intel specifications—and will leave you feeling fooled and disappointed in far lower speeds—the Express 1M2's USB4 connectivity assures you of the maximum speed and reliability you count on and expect from every OWC solution.

Build your Express 1M2 with a brand new drive, or re-task an existing drive replaced during an upgrade. Or, make it simple by choosing a pre-built proven OWC reliable solution. Whatever your decision, the Express 1M2 gives you the power to make it happen.

Designed to support almost any NVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 SSD, the Express 1M2 gives you the freedom of flexibility to use a wide variety of drives, including OWC Aura SSDs up to 8TB capacity as well as being ready for tomorrow's 16TB and future capacities without limit.

You'll never have to worry about thermal throttling because form meets function with the Express 1M2. Its solid aluminum heat sink design ensures proper heat dissipation so you can depend on consistent maximum performance. Unlike a snap together toolless enclosure, the Express 1M2 screws together to securely protect your drive inside its rugged enclosure. And when you need to share the Express 1M2, it can work cross-platform with Macs and Windows computers using OWC MacDrive software (available separately) for peace between the platforms.

Photo and video professionals wanting an affordable yet solid editing drive that can be used both to backup and edit demanding content including 8K raw video, 4K video in slow-motion, ProRes and other demanding codecs, and ultra high-resolution pictures both in raw and compressed formats.

DITs looking to assemble the NVMe of their choice while also getting maximum offload speeds (faster than Thunderbolt) and thermal stability.

Prosumers/performance enthusiasts seeking an external enclosure to clone data from an internal drive at blazingly fast speeds.

OWC products are loved around the world for It Just Works ease-of-use and reliability. To provide the highest performance, reliability, and ready-to-run convenience available, your solution comes formatted in the native APFS macOS and iPadOS file system. With OWC, you don't have to worry about reformatting hassles or confusion like other solutions, just plug your drive into your Mac or iPad and you're good to go.

Anyone can put a bunch of components in a housing and call it an enclosure or a drive. OWC is not just anyone. They're a group of filmmakers, musicians, designers, content creators, and parents, just like you, wanting to capture and preserve that irreplaceable moment. Their data storage products go through countless hours of ongoing development testing and certification processes. OWC then subjects them to extreme real-world abuses. The priority for some drives is to be a mass-produced, lowest price commodity. They do it differently because the reliability of your data and the longevity of an OWC product is priority #1.

• 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 10 (32-Bit)
• Windows 10 (64-Bit)
• Windows Server 2016
• Windows 11

• Yes

• iPadOS 13
• iPadOS 14
• iPadOS 15
• iPadOS 16
• iPadOS 17
• iOS 17
• Android 13.x

• ChromeOS version 102 and later

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. how about some specs? BnH USED to be good about that...

A: Product Specifications Specifications RAID Support No RoHS Compliant Yes Certifications BSMI CE FCC RCM VCCI Compatibility Mac OS Compatibility macOS 10.13 High Sierra macOS 10.14 Mojave macOS 10.15 Catalina macOS 11.0 Big Sur macOS 11.1 Big Sur PC OS Compatibility Windows 10 64-bit Edition Windows Server 2016 Other Requirements macOS 10.13.6 or later required. NVMe M.2 SSD with 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, or 22110 form factor and M-key connector. Physical Dimensions Height: 6.7 cm (2.6 in) Length: 15.4 cm (6.1 in) Weight 101.0 g (0.22 lbs) Activity LED Yes Environmental Ambient Temperature Operating: 41°F to 95°F (5°C to 35°C) Non-Operating: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C) Altitude Operating: -304.8 m to 3,048.0 m (-1,000 ft to 10,000 ft) Non-Operating: -304.8 m to 12,192.0 m (-1,000 ft to 40,000 ft) Humidity Operating: 8% to 90% non-condensing Non-Operating: 5% to 95% non-condensing Acoustics Idle (Typical) 0.0 bels Seek (Typical) 0.0 bels Applications Applications High-performance And General Purpose Storage Applications Notes Please note that compatible AKiTiO or OWC enclosures that utilize a PCIe slot may require its own minimum hardware and OS operating requirements which may differ from the Accelsior 1M2. The 1M2 minimum system requirement must be met in additional to those requirements in order for both to operate. Booting support requires that your motherboard BIOS support booting via PCIe NVMe drives. Booting on Mac Pro (2010-2012) requires macOS 10.14.6. Hynix Gold P31 SSD’s are only compatible with Windows 10 when installed on this card. Manufacturer provided specifications for OWC p/n OWCSACL1M

Q: 2. Can these be stacked, or is heat an issue?

A: The vents on the OWC 8TB Mercury Elite Pro External Hard Drive are located on the sides, and not the top of the drive, so you could potentially stack them, but dues to the shape of the drive and the nature of rotating HDDs, I would not advise it.

Q: 3. Is it compatible with Crucial 2TB P3 NVMe PCIe 3.0 M.2 Internal SSD?

A: Yes, this OWC Express 4M2 4-Slot M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure is compatible with the Crucial 2TB P3 NVMe PCIe 3.0 M.2 Internal SSD.

Q: 4. After connecting with USB-B can you daisy chain a FireWire 800 drive?

A: A FireWire signal cannot be sent over a USB connection, so to make use of the OWC 16TB Mercury Elite Pro External Hard Drive's FireWire daisy-chaining feature would require a FireWire host connection as well.

Q: 5. Will this work with Apple iPad Pro?

A: Yes, the OWC Envoy Express Thunderbolt 3 M.2 NVME SSD Enclosure BH #OWTB3ENVXP00 would work with an iPad Pro that has USB C or Thunderbolt 3/4.

Q: 6. Can I connect my camcorder to transfer videos directly to this enclosure? My camcorder has a 1394 port.

A: If the camcorder is compatible with external drives, then yes, you will be able to connect the OWC 20TB Mercury Elite Pro External Hard Drive via the 1394B Firewire 800 port.

Q: 7. Is the 4M2 compatible with WD_BLACK 4TB SN850X NVMe?

A: Yes, the WD 4TB WD_BLACK SN850X Gaming Internal NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD is compatible with the OWC Express 4M2 4-Slot M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure.

Q: 8. Will this work with the Apple TB3 to TB2 adapter?

A: The OWC Envoy Express Thunderbolt 3 M.2 NVME SSD Enclosure is compatible with the Apple TB 3 to TB 2 adapter.

Q: 9. Is it comptiable to Samsung 1TB 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 Internal SSD? I intend tro use it on iMac 2020 as an external drive for photo editing. Thankls!

A: Yes, it is compatible!

Q: 10. Is it compatible with the "Corsair 8TB MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 Internal SSD" ?

A: Yes, the OWC Express 1M2 USB4 External SSD Enclosure will be compatible with your Corsair 8TB MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 Internal SSD, however, potential transfer speeds of the drive will be bottle necked by the enclosure.