This latest addition to the popular ThunderBay line, introduced in 2014, now offers eight drive bays for either 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch HDDs and/or SSDs in any combination. The OWC ThunderBay 8 is like a high-performance personal data center that offers multiple configuration options to suit ever-expanding storage needs. Photo, film and video editors can take advantage of the largest capacity desktop RAID storage solution we’ve ever offered to handle the voracious drive space appetite of RAW, 4K, large format, and VR workflows.
Conquer High Bandwidth Demands
With Thunderbolt 3 offering real-world transfer rates up to 2586MB/s and the ability to RAID together eight SSDs or HDDs, ThunderBay 8’s rugged, field-tested aluminum design has the under-the-hood horsepower needed to conquer high-bandwidth requirements. You can even configure multiple ThunderBay 8 solutions connected via multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports on your Mac or PC to achieve exponential speed increases. Whatever your set up, when you’re racing against a deadline, ThunderBay 8 puts you in the winner’s circle.
Monstrous Capacity
Need even more capacity? Daisy-chain up to six of these capacity behemoths together for up to a staggering 864TB. Now you can capture vast amounts of footage from multiple cameras or store vast libraries of production work with a unified and reliable storage solution.
SoftRAID: RAID Made Easy
Harness the full capability of your OWC drive array with the included SoftRAID XT, the most powerful, intuitive RAID management software on the market for macOS and Windows. SoftRAID’s RAID creation and management technology has been finely tuned to perfection with over 20 years of development to provide rock solid protection of your data and optimize drive performance.
SoftRAID XT provides an unbeatable combination of speed, protection, and compatibility:
- Advanced: Create RAID 0/1/4/5/1+0 (10) arrays1
- Protected: SoftRAID Monitor constantly watches your disks and alerts you if problems are detected
- Validated: Volume validation ensures sectors can be read and parity is correct
- Certified: Checks disks before use to ensure they are safe for data storage
- Vigilant: Error prediction helps protect against unexpected failure
- Universal: Move SoftRAID arrays seamlessly between Mac and PC2 with built-in OWC MacDrive technology
Beyond Hardware RAID
SoftRAID provides a level of storage performance that you simply can’t get with hardware RAID. SoftRAID gives you increased power and control over your RAID drives and disks that hardware RAID can’t deliver and doesn’t lock you into technology that you can’t upgrade or expand.
Swap and Identify Drives Easily
ThunderBay 8 makes it easy to keep large data sets organized for every project thanks to its eight hot swappable drive bays. Whether you’re using 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch HDDs and/or SSDs, the drives mount in alphabetically labeled trays for easy identification and are secured by a thumb screw. If you want the freedom to access an extensive collection of drives quickly, you can create a drive “bullpen” with additional OWC drive trays (sold separately).
As Secure as a Bank Vault
With a locking front panel and security slot on the backside, the ThunderBay 8 is like an ironclad vault l for your data. Plus, with front panel LEDs indicating the status of each drive, you’ll know at a glance if your data is secure.
See More, Do More
ThunderBay 8 isn’t just about high-capacity, high-performance storage. It’s about giving you all the options you need to work at your best. Attach a 5K Thunderbolt display or two 4K displays. Place a USB 3.1 device at the end of a daisy chain. With an extra Thunderbolt 3 port, you have the flexibility to add more devices to your workflow and master any task at hand.
Secure Your Workflow with OWC ClingOn
Greatly reduce — if not eliminate — cable strain and accidental disconnects with the OWC ClingOn. These custom cable stabilizers (sold separately) screw into the ThunderBay 8’s housing to secure your Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C connections and prevent work session interruption and possible data loss.
Your Digital Life…Protected for FREE
Backing up and protecting your data is critically important. But all too often it’s a task that falls to the bottom of the “to do” list, and you don’t realize it until it is too late. That’s why OWC has partnered with Acronis to give you 1 full year of the #1 personal backup and antivirus software to integrate into your workflow.
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office safeguards you from today’s data threats—from accidents to failures to attacks. With easy, intuitive backup and Ai-enhanced antimalware technology, your digital life is protected—photos, files, applications, systems, and the devices they are on.
- Complete Backup and Fast Recovery: quickly restore your files or entire system at any time
- Easy Disk Cloning and Full Image Backup: just two clicks to start a full disk image backup
- Cloud, Local or Hybrid Cloud: back up locally, to the cloud, or both. It’s your choice
Learn more about Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office
- Sequential read/write performance with 8 x 2.0TB Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD in RAID 0 connected to iMac Pro Late 2017 (iMacPro1,1) with 32GB RAM and 3.2GHz processor running AJA System Test (4K-Full resolution, 64GB file size, 10bit RGB codec, single file test).
- Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt compatibility requires a certified Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) adapter and a Thunderbolt 2 cable (available separately). This configuration provides data transfer at up to 20Gb/s but does not support notebook charging.
- OWC ClingOn available separately.
- SoftRAID XT works with macOS 10.12 or later and Windows 10. M1 Macs require macOS 11.3 or later. SoftRAID is licensed per computer.
- RAID 4/1+0 (10) are Mac only at this time.
OWC ThunderBay 8 External HDD Specs
Drives
| Storage Capacity | 16 TB |
| Included Drives | 8 x 2 TB 3.5″ HDD |
| Initial RAID Configuration | RAID 5 |
| Interface | SATA |
General
| Number of Bays | 8 x 2.5″/3.5″ |
| I/O | 2 x USB Type-C (Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gb/s)) 1 x DisplayPort (DisplayPort 1.2) |
| Compatible Drive Interface | SATA |
| Form Factor | Desktop |
| RAID | RAID 0, 0+1, 1, 4, 5, JBOD |
| Hot-Swap Support | Yes |
| Transfer Rates | 2586 MB/s (Read/Write) |
Software
| OS Compatibility | Windows 10 macOS 10.13 macOS 10.14 macOS 10.15 *As of February, 2020: Check with manufacturer for the most up-to-date compatibility |
Security
| Security Features | Kensington Security Slot, Lockable Bay Door |
Electrical
| AC Input Power | 115 to 230 VAC, 50 / 60 Hz at 1.8 to 3.5 A |
| Power Source | Internal Power Supply |
Environmental
| Operating Temperature | 41 to 95°F / 5 to 35°C |
| Storage Temperature | -4 to 140°F / -20 to 60°C |
| Certifications | BSMI, CE, FCC, RCM, VCCI *as per Manufacturer |
Physical
| Status Monitoring | LED Indicator |
| Cooling | 1 x 92 mm Fan |
| Dimensions | 10.2 x 9.4 x 7.1″ / 26 x 24 x 18 cm |
| Weight | 16.1 lb / 7.3 kg |
Packaging Info
| Package Weight | 30.835 lb |
| Box Dimensions (LxWxH) | 18.9 x 18.2 x 17″ |
