Streamline your professional workflow with the versatile OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Enclosure, which includes two 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 ports to connect to your computer and daisy chain compatible devices such as additional storage drives and displays. This powerful enclosure supports up to eight 3.5" and 2.5" SATA drives, or a combination with up to four U.2 NVMe solid-state drives for exceptionally fast performance. Installed drives can be put into RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 4, 5, or JBOD configuration using the software-based controller, with transfer speeds reaching up to 2750 MB/s. A SATA drive controller is pre-installed in the PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, and you may swap it out for expansions such as network adapters, capture cards, M.2 SSD storage adapters, SAS drive controllers, and hardware RAID controllers. Please note that the ThunderBay Flex 8 does not support dedicated GPUs.

Other features include a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port and two USB-A ports, which can transfer up to 10 Gb/s with compatible devices. The front panel has integrated SD and CFexpress card readers that allow you to quickly transfer video footage, photos, and other files to the installed drives. For added convenience, there is also a DisplayPort 1.4 output that supports 8K displays, so you can quickly view your work in high detail. The ThunderBay Flex 8 works with macOS 10.15 or later systems and limited support for Windows computers.

8 x 3.5" / 2.5" SATA / SAS Drive Bays    4 x U.2 NVMe SSD Compatible Drive Bays    2 x Thunderbolt 3 Ports    USB 3.2 Gen 2 | DisplayPort    Supports RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 4, 5 & JBOD    Up to 2750 MB/s Data Transfer Speeds    1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 Slot    SD Card Reader | CFexpress Card Reader    Software Controller | 1 x 120mm Fan    Works with MacOS 10.15 or Later

Up to eight 3.5/2.5" SATA storage drives can be put into RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 4, 5, or JBOD configuration with transfer speeds reaching up to 2750 MB/s. You can install SAS drives by swapping out the pre-installed controller card with a separately purchased SAS controller.

The ThunderBay Flex 8 supports up to four U.2 NVMe solid-state drives, which can deliver exceptionally fast performance that can take fuller advantage of the 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 bandwidth for ProRes footage and other extremely large files. Alternatively, you can install M.2 SSDs into the enclosure by using separately purchased U.2 adapters.

Thunderbolt 3 is a hardware interface that utilizes the reversible USB-C connector. Doubling the speed of its predecessor, Thunderbolt 3 features a maximum throughput of 40 Gb/s when used with compatible devices. The connector also transmits data via USB 3.1 at up to 10 Gb/s, and dual-bandwidth DisplayPort 1.2 allows you to connect up to two 4K displays simultaneously. Additionally, you can daisy chain up to six devices from a single Thunderbolt 3 port.

The ThunderBay Flex 8 features USB-C and USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports. Doubling the speed of its predecessor, USB 3.2 Gen 2 features a maximum throughput of 10 Gb/s when used with compatible devices.

This enclosure includes a PCIe 3.0 x16 x4 slot that allows you to install compatible expansions such as network adapters, capture cards, SSD storage devices, and more. Please note that the ThunderBay Flex 8 does not support GPUs.

The front panel includes SD and CFexpress card readers that allow you to quickly transfer video footage, photos, and other files.

A 120mm fan helps to maintain optimal temperatures.

With SoftRAID, you can quickly access and protect your data by quickly creating RAID volumes through a guided process. Multiple RAID options are available, letting you decide which configuration best suits your needs to balance between performance and data redundancy.

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. 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: 2. What adapter would I need to mount 4 x NVMe drives in bay one?

A: M.2 NVMe drives can be used with the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Enclosure's U.2 bays with a U.2 2.5" adapter such as B&H #OWCU2SHTLONE.

Q: 3. 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: 4. If using all flash, how loud is the unit? Quiet enough to have on your desk next to monitor?

A: With only SSD drives, the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Enclosure (Software Controller) should be barely audible.

Q: 5. Is the internal PCIe slot compatible with the Sonnet MacFiver expansion card?

A: The OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Enclosure (Software Controller) should be compatible with the Sonnet McFiver.

Q: 6. Is TB3 support Power delivery to MBP?

A: There is only 15W available, so in effect there is no power delivery.

Q: 7. if i install 4 U.2 SDDs, can I configure to raid 0 or do i need to buy something else?

A: Yes, the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 8-Port Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Enclosure BH #OWTBF80C000 would allow you to install 4 x U.2 SSD's and configure them in RAID 0.

Q: 8. How much does it cost to How much does it cost to upgrade to "SoftRaid" software to do all RAID configurations?

A: SoftRAID Software would be included with this product.

Q: 9. Is there a list of supported hardware raid cards for this enclosure?

A: The OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 8-Port Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Enclosure does not have any hardware RAID card recommendations. This unit has software RAID that you can use with the device.

Q: 10. How much cost the software for a Raid 1+0?

A: The included software can be used to reconfigure this into a 1+0 volume. No need for any additional software purchase.