OWC ThunderBay 8

Like a Data Center on Your Desk

• Pro-grade transfer speeds: up to 2,586MB/s real-world tested speed with Thunderbolt 3 (Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt backward compatible)^1,2
• Massive capacity: store up to 144TB of critical footage, images, and files
• Eight hot-swappable universal drive bays: mix or match 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch HDDs and SSDs (no adapter needed)
• Includes SoftRAID XT: robust software for creating, monitoring, and managing advanced RAID sets
• Create a data center: daisy-chain six units together for up to 864TB of capacity
• Deployment ready: preconfigured solutions undergo rigorous multi-hour drive burn-in
• See more + save a Thunderbolt port: add a 4K display via DisplayPort
• Worry free: up to 5 Year OWC Limited Warranty³

Performance & reliability at an exceptional value

Wide array of model
configurations

Part of the top rated ThunderBay family

Industry-leading warranty & support. Get help »

Stay Ahead of Your Storage Needs

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 or SSDs in any combination for up to 144TB of capacity. The 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.

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.

Conquer High-Bandwidth Demands

With up to 2,586MB/s real-world tested speeds and the ability to RAID together eight SSDs or HDDs, ThunderBay 8 has the under-the-hood horsepower needed to conquer high-bandwidth requirements. Plus, its rugged, field-tested aluminum design stands up to studio and on-location workflows. You can even configure multiple ThunderBay 8 solutions connected via multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports on your Mac or PC to achieve exponential speed increases. Take on multi-stream 4K workflows. Export and render footage with effects at full speed. Whatever your set up, when you’re racing against a deadline, ThunderBay 8 puts you in the winner’s circle.

Multiple RAID Levels

Create advanced RAID 0/1/4/5/1+0 (10)1 volumes for higher performance and/or redundancy.²

Disk Health

More accurate than SMART, SoftRAID protects your data by alerting you to issues before anything happens, providing peace of mind and giving you more time to address issues. Solutions that rely exclusively on SMART data can be seeing performance loss or corruption before flagging an issue.

Cross-Platform

Built-in MacDrive technology lets you read/write SoftRAID HFS+ RAID 0/1/5 arrays and use them interchangeably between Windows and macOS.

Flexible, Upgradeable

With SoftRAID you’re not locked to expensive hardware. SoftRAID is upgradable and portable.

Easy License Management

New license management enables quick activation or deactivation so your license can move between computers.

Compatible

Works with macOS 10.12 or later and Windows 10 and later.³

SoftRAID is ideal for anyone who needs to safely store and backup massive amounts of data, including video editors, audio producers, photographers and graphic designers.

• RAID 4/1+0 (10) is available for Mac only at this time.
• Improved data protection/redundancy requires RAID 1/4/5/1+0.
• SoftRAID serial numbers work on both Mac and Windows. SoftRAID is licensed per computer. In order to use SoftRAID on multiple computers, you will need a unique, valid license per computer. Additional licenses can be purchased anytime.

8 Drive Bays of Multi-RAID Gold

Featuring 8 universal drive bays that support large capacity 3.5-inch hard drives, and 2.5-inch blazing fast SSDs, the ThunderBay 8 opens up an entirely new realm of multi-RAID capabilities — all from a single desktop solution.

You can create two RAID 5 arrays, four RAID 1 arrays, four RAID 0 arrays, or create RAID arrays on-the-fly to suit any project or data need. Heck, with so many drive bays available, you could leave a few empty — enabling you to create a new RAID, or add an additional drive with ease.

Swap and Identify Drives with Ease

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 to access a 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 a safe house for your data. Plus, with SoftRAID XT’s e-notifications via the macOS menu bar or Windows pop-up messages, you can rest easy there’s a vigilant guard watching over the integrity of your digital assets.

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-C 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.

Thunderbolt Made Easy

We make it easy to choose the right gear. Our Thunderbolt Certified products offer the same performance and functionality whether they are Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4. And if you’re rocking a beloved Thunderbolt 2 machine, we offer an adapter so you can plug into our universe of award-winning solutions. No hassles, no confusion. That’s the OWC Difference.

Apple Mac models with Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt ports can be connected using an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and a Thunderbolt 2 cable (available separately). This configuration provides data transfer at up to 20Gb/s but does not support notebook charging.

Your Digital Life...
Protected for Free

Your data is irreplaceable, and we take protecting it seriously. That's why this OWC Solution includes Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office – the world's only combination backup and antimalware solution that keeps your data protected from accidents, failures, and malware/ransomware attacks.

• 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 Backup - Back up locally, to the cloud, or both. With 250GB of cloud        storage, it’s your choice.
• Integrated Protection from Malware - Behavioral heuristics stop ransomware and cryptojacking.

Learn more about Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office » Acronis Logo

Stabilize Thunderbolt and USB-C Cables with OWC ClingOn

Active workspaces expose gear to bumps, shoves, or even the random tail wag from a pet. OWC ClingOn custom cable stabilizers (sold separately) screw into the OWC ThunderBay’s housing to reduce – if not completely eliminate – cable strain on Thunderbolt and USB-C connections so you
can work with confidence even in the highest traffic environments.

Professional Grade =
Ready to Work

We understand having confidence in gear reliability is paramount to creative professionals. That’s why every ThunderBay undergoes OWC's multi-hour "burn-in" performance certification prior to shipping. This ensures your ThunderBay arrives operating properly and immediately ready for demanding use.

OWC Thunderbolt
Cable Included

OWC ThunderBay solutions come with a certified 0.7M OWC Thunderbolt (USB-C) Cable. But if your workflow demands a different length to make the connection, OWC Thunderbolt (USB-C) Cables are the perfect choice.

OWC, Trusted by Pros & Enthusiasts the World Over

We build our hardware to the highest standards of reliability and performance. Because 100% reliability is always the goal, we rigorously quality test and back our hardware with up to a 5 Year OWC Limited Warranty and award-winning customer support.

• 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).
• Apple Mac models with Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt ports can be connected using an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and a Thunderbolt 2 cable (available separately). This configuration provides data transfer at up to 20Gb/s but does not support notebook charging.
• 5 Year OWC Limited Warranty for Enterprise Hard Drive solutions. 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty for Hard Drive solutions. 1 Year OWC Limited Warranty for Enclosure only.