Overview
FLEXible 8-Bay Storage + 8-Port Connectivity + PCIe Expansion
Tame your workflow with this highly configurable productivity platform for digital imaging, VFX, video production, and video editing professionals. With unrivalled FLEXibility, you can choose drive type(s), enjoy docking convenience, and expand your capabilities with PCIe cards.
FLEXible Storage
- Eight drive bays: use a mix of SATA/SAS1 and U.2/M.22 NVMe drives for for virtually limitless capacity and real world speeds up to 2750MB/s
- Future ready: top four bays can use U.2 SSDs…the emerging M&E industry storage standard
- Powerfully easy RAID: create, manage, and monitor advanced RAID sets with SoftRAID
FLEXible Connectivity
- Do more: second Thunderbolt 3 port3 for daisy chaining devices or additional display(s)
- Connect more: (1) USB-C and (2) USB-A 10Gb/s ports for peripherals and mobile devices
- See more: DisplayPort 1.4 for connecting up to an 8K display4
- Fast media ingest: front-side SD 4.0 and CFexpress card readers with up to 985MB/s speed
FLEXpandable for Unique Needs
- Play your card: (1) PCIe slot for audio/video capture, networking, SSD storage, hardware RAID card, or I/O card
Flex Your Way Through Every Workflow
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. It’s a groundbreaking 3-in-1 workflow solution for digital imaging, VFX, video production, and video editing professionals from the world’s leading Thunderbolt accessory manufacturer.
ThunderBay Flex 8 offers eight drive bays that support a mix of SATA/SAS and U.2/M.2 NVMe drives for virtually limitless storage capacity. Next, there’s a plethora of ports including (2) Thunderbolt 3, (1) USB-C, and (2) USB-A for device docking and charging.
See your work in greater detail by adding up to an 8K display via a built-in DisplayPort 1.4 connection. Ingest hi-res images and video via front-side SD 4.0 and CFexpress card readers. And when you want to expand your desktop capabilities, there’s a PCIe slot waiting for your specific project needs.
ThunderBay Flex 8 is the one Thunderbolt 3 desktop device that rules them all. With an irresistible economy of scale, this consolidated solution is ideal for anyone waiting for the right moment to invest in Thunderbolt technology.
NVMe. PCIe. What’s It Mean to Me?
At the heart of the ThunderBay Flex 8 capabilities are two cutting-edge technology standards: NVMe and PCIe. Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) optimises the performance of modern flash technology over the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) standard. It enables significantly faster SSD performance with a more direct and optimised path to a computer’s processor.
Tying both of these technologies together is the Thunderbolt 3 interface which uses the PCIe bus. This interface offers the fastest data transfers possible on a single cable between computers and peripherals like storage solutions, docks, and expansion devices while also supplying charging power.
The Future Standard of Storage Available Today
Right out of the packaging, all eight bays can utilise SATA 6Gb/s 2.5-inch SSDs or 3.5-inch HDDs. To take advantage of 40Gb/s PCIe technology, the top four bays are NVMe U.2 SSD ready. These emerging super-fast SSDs enable ThunderBay Flex 8 to meet the future storage needs of content creators and video production pros.
A Protective, Economical Post-Production Solution
Sending a drive from set to post-production typically entails tedious and time-consuming drive enclosure disassembly to access the storage drive or costly shipping of the entire enclosure to the post lab. But ThunderBay Flex 8 offers yet another option.
By installing an OWC U.2 NVMe Interchange System carrier tray (sold separately) with a built-in U.2 connector into a ThunderBay Flex 8 drive tray, you can protect the U.2 SSD drive’s connector from repeated install/removal wear for improved drive longevity and investment. When done with your shoot, just ship the lightweight protective carrier and drive to the lab where the carrier can be installed into an OWC Helios 3S equipped with the OWC Interchange System. It’s a complete solution to safeguard your data while lowering shipping costs.
Muscle-FLEXing Data Performance
Are you a video pro working with 4K/8K and even Phantom high-speed files? The ThunderBay Flex 8 offers a variety of drive configurations that deliver real-world read/write speeds of 2750MB/s that saturate the Thunderbolt 3 speed threshold. Try any of these options:
- A single U.2 NVMe SSD in Bay A
- Multiple U.2 SSDs installed in top four bays (A-D) in RAID 0
- Six or more SATA SSDs in any bays in RAID 0
- Swap out the built-in SATA drive controller card with a SATA/SAS hardware RAID card and configure 8 x SATA/SAS drives in hardware RAID 0
- Eight drive bays: use a mix of SATA/SAS and U.2/M.2 NVMe drives for virtually limitless capacity and real world speeds up to 2750MB/s
- Future ready: top four bays can use U.2 SSDs…the emerging M&E industry storage standard
- Powerfully easy RAID: create, manage, and monitor advanced RAID sets with SoftRAID
- Do more: second Thunderbolt 3 port for daisy chaining devices or additional display(s)
- See more: DisplayPort 1.4 for connecting up to an 8K display
- Fast media ingest: front-side SD 4.0 and CFexpress card readers with up to 985MB/s speed
- Play your card: (1) PCIe slot for audio/video capture, networking, SSD storage, hardware RAID card, or I/O card
Compatibility
Compatible with the devices listed below.
MacBook Air
MacBook Pro
Mac Pro
iMac
Mac mini
iMac Pro
Specifications
- Mac OS Compatibility
- macOS 10.15 Catalina
- Windows Compatibility
- Limited support on compatible Windows systems. This device is not Thunderbolt certified for Windows.
- Host Port Requirements
- Thunderbolt 3
- Driver Required
-
- The SoftRAID driver is installed with the SoftRAID application.
- Drivers for PCIe cards must be Thunderbolt-aware to function.
- Number of Bays
- 8
- Drive Mechanisms Supported
-
- Bay 1 thru 8 - 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA drives
- Bay 1 thru 4 - 2.5-inch U.2 NVMe SSD or M.2 NVMe SSD with U.2 Adapter Bay 1 thru 8 - 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SAS drives - Requires SAS drive controller card
- U.2 Drive Bay PCIe Spec
-
- Bay 1 - PCIe x4 lane
- Bay 2, 3, 4 - PCIe x1 lane
- Hot Swap Support
- Yes
- RAID Levels Supported
- RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 4, RAID 5, JBOD
- Bootable
- Dependent upon configuration. Independent Mac volumes should boot in most scenarios.
- Chipset
-
- Thunderbolt: Intel JHL7440
- PCIe Switch: ASMedia ASM-2824
- USB Controller: Genesys Logic GL-3590
- Ports
-
- (2) Thunderbolt 3 Ports
- (1) USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Port
- (2) USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A Ports
- (1) DisplayPort Port
- Memory Card Slots
-
- (1) Secure Digital (SD) 4.0 (UHS-II)
- (1) CFexpress Slot
- PCIe Slots
-
- (1) PCIe Gen 3 x16 connector/x4 lane slot (empty)
- (1) PCIe Gen 3 x16 connector/x4 lane slot with SATA controller card
- PCIe Cards Supported
-
- Supports one full-height, half-length, single-width card (driverless or with Thunderbolt-aware driver).
- GPUs not supported.
- Hot Swap Support
- Yes
- Data Transfer Rate (Max)
-
- Thunderbolt 3 : 40 Gb/s (or 5000 MB/s)
- Secure Digital (SD) 4.0 (UHS-II): 985MB/s
- CFexpress: 985MB/s
- Display Support
-
- DisplayPort 1.4: Up to 8K @ 60Hz or 4K @ 120Hz
- Thunderbolt 3: Up to 5K @ 60Hz via a native Thunderbolt 3
- display or 4K @ 60Hz via a Thunderbolt display or a USB-C display adapter
- Certifications
- CE, FCC, VCCI, RCM, BSMI
- Cooling
- (1) 120mm cooling fan
- Security Slot
- Yes
- Power Button
- Yes
- AC Input
- 100-240V, 47-63Hz, 4.0A-8.0A
- DC Output
- +12V, 42A
- Wattage
- 504 Watts
- Power Delivery
- (2) Thunderbolt 3 Ports (15W, 85W)
- Dimensions
- H: 34.9 cm x W: 14.9 cm x L: 39.0 cm
- Weight
- 9.2 kg
What's in the box?
- 1 x OWC ThunderBay Flex 8
- 1 x Thunderbolt 3 cable
- 1 x External power cable
- 1 x Keys for front panel lock
- 1 x Hex key
- 1 x Assembly Manual and User Guide
- 1 x SoftRAID software bundle
Warranty
- 3 Year Limited Warranty
Part Number
- OWCTB3F80C000