CES: OWC 8-Bay ThunderBay 8 and ThunderBay FLEX 8 Multiports/Slots Desktop Storage With Thunderbolt 3

Other World Computing, Inc. (OWC) announced 2 additions to its ThunderBay product family: the ThunderBay 8 and the ThunderBay FLEX 8.

ThunderBay 8 open

ThunderBay 8
The ThunderBay 8 is a professional-grade 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 storage solution for pros. Think of it like a performance personal data center offering several configuration possibilities and almost limitless storage capacity for filmmakers, video production gurus, photographers, graphic designers and small business workgroups.

With 8 hot swappable drive bays, the ThunderBay 8 offers professional-grade storage capacity in a Thunderbolt 3 desktop-sized design. Mix 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch HDDs and/or SSDs in any combination up to 112TB of capacity and use them independently or match drives and combine them in a speed and/or redundant RAID with the included SoftRAID setup and management software.

Thunderbay 8 front and rear

Capacity, and bandwidth
Need more capacity? Daisy-chain up to 6 of these storage behemoths together for up to 672TB to create your own custom, one-of-a-kind data center. With real-world tested speed up to 2,586MB/s via Thunderbolt 3 and the ability to SoftRAID software together 8 SSDs or HDDs, ThunderBay 8’s rugged, field-tested aluminum design has the horsepower needed to conquer high bandwidth requirements. You can connect multiple ThunderBay 8 solutions to multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports on your Mac or PC to achieve speed increases.

Highlights:

• Pro-grade transfer speeds – up to 2,586MB/s of real-world tested speed via with Thunderbolt 3 port (Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt backward compatible)

• Capacity – store up to 112TB of critical footage, images, and files

• Create data center – daisy chain 6 units together for up to 672TB of storage capacity

• Eight hot-swappable universal drive bays – mix or match 2.5-inch (no adaptor needed) and 3.5-inch HDDs and SSDs

• SoftRAID – software for creating, monitoring, and managing RAID sets

• See work: DisplayPort 1.2 for connecting up to 4K monitor

• Daisy-chain expansion: Second Thunderbolt 3 port for adding up to 5 additional Thunderbolt devices

• Deployment ready – pre-configured solutions undergo rigorous multi-hour drive burn-in

• Hardware plug-and-play – no drivers needed; includes Thunderbolt 3 cable

• ClingOn-ready: cable stabilizer prevents work session interruption and possible data loss

• Worry-free – up to 5-year company’s limited warranty with 1-year level 1 data recovery

The ThunderBay 8 will be available in 1Q in capacities from 0GB (add your own drives), or from 16TB to 112TB with pricing starting at $1,228.99.

ThunderBay FLEX 8 – future standard of storage

Thunderbay Flex 8 open

Whether you call it a workflow workhorse, a productivity platform, or a configurable command center, one description of the ThunderBay FLEX 8 says it best. The ThunderBay Flex 8 was designed as the solution for advanced, demanding workflow needs. It’s the first 3-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 storage, docking, and PCIe expansion solution from Thunderbolt accessory manufacturer.

Thunderbay Flex 8 front and rear

The ThunderBay FLEX 8 offers 8 drive bays that support a mix of SATA/SAS/U.2 NVMe drives for up to 128TB of storage capacity. Next, there are ports including 2xThunderbolt 3, 1xUSB-C and 2xUSB-A ports for device docking and charging. See work with clarity by adding an up to 8K display via the built-in DisplayPort 1.4 connection. Ingest hi-res images and video via front-side SD 4.0 and CF-Express card readers. When you want to expand your desktop capabilities, there’s a PCIe x16 slot waiting for specific project needs.

Thunderbay Flex 8 PCIe x16 slots

ThunderBay FLEX 8 was built to address the storage standards of today and tomorrow. All 8 bays can utilize legacy 6Gb SATA 2.5-inch SSDs or 3.5-inch HDDs. To take advantage of the direct connection PCIe technology offers to achieve transfer rates up to 40Gb/s, the top 4 bays are NVMe U.2 SSD ready. With these fast SSDs emerging as the preferred drive form factor of M&E industry professionals, ThunderBay FLEX 8 meets the future storage needs of content creators and video production pros.

Highlights

• Eight FLEXible drive bays with up to 2,750MB/s real-world tested speed:

  • • Four top bays: install your choice of U.2 NVMe SSDs (1-bay PCIe 3.0 x4, 3-bay PCIe 3.0 x1), 2.5-inch 6Gb SATA SSDs, or 3.5-inch 6Gb SATA HDDs.

    • Four bottom bays: install your choice of 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch 6Gb SATA drives.

• Capacity: store up to 128TB of critical footage, images, and files

• Connect up to 5 additional Thunderbolt devices in a daisy-chain

• Includes SoftRAID: software for creating, monitoring, and managing RAID sets

• Deployment ready: pre-configured solutions undergo multi-hour drive burn-in

• Connect and charge devices: 1xUUSB-C and 2xUSB-A ports for audio or video mixers, digital cameras, peripherals, and mobile devices

• See work: DisplayPort 1.4 for connecting up to 2x4K displays or 1x8K display

• Fast and easy camera uploads: up to 985MB/s with frontside SD 4.0 and CFexpress card readers

• Play your card: One PCIe (x16) slot for half-length, full-height, single-width audio and video capture cards, high-speed networking card, SSD storage card, hardware RAID card, and even I/O cards like FireWire, FC, or USB 3.2.

• Power to spare: 500W handles drives, expansion cards, and charging up accessories

The ThunderBay FLEX 8 integrated storage, docking and PCIe expansion solution will be available in 1Q as a 0GB enclosure (add your own drives) or from 16 to 128TB solutions.