OWC / Other World Computing ThunderBay Flex 8 8-Bay 64TB (4x4TB SSD, 4x12TB HDD) Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 External Storage Solution with SoftRAID

4 SSD + 4 HDD Maximum Flexibility Configuration
Get the best of both worlds: a blazing-fast, high-capacity SSD RAID 0 project drive for large-format, multi-stream workflows along with the added long-term storage capacity of an HDD RAID. Plus, select a recommended PCIe card or add your own.

SSD RAID for Flex Bays 1-4

4 U.2 Solid State Drives
Nothing speeds up your workflow like large SSD storage. This blazing-fast SSD RAID is perfect for large-format and multi-stream workflows.

Ultra-capacity RAID for Flex Bay 4-8

4 Enterprise-class hard drives
Edit and store entire projects on this ultra-capacity HDD RAID array that arrives pre-certified in RAID 5 for the best balance of data integrity and performance. Or, setup the RAID of your choice with flexible user configurable RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, 1+0 (10) options.

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 is a groundbreaking 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 two Thunderbolt 3, one USB-C, and two 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) optimizes 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 optimized 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 85W of power to keep your laptop ready to go at a moment's notice.

Muscle-FLEXing Data Performance
Right out of the packaging, the top four bays are configured with four SSDs while the bottom four bays are configured with high-performance enterprise-class 3.5-inch HDDs. On solutions with four SATA 6Gb/s SSDs, you enjoy broad drive-swappable compatibility with other OWC ThunderBay units. On solutions with four U.2 NVMe SSDs, you are ready for the future storage standard used in content creation and video production. With real-world read/write speeds of 2750MB/s that saturates the Thunderbolt 3 speed threshold, you're ready to handle 4K/8K and even Phantom high-speed files.

Done with the drives but need the docking connectivity?
Eject the ThunderBay Flex 8 drives and any external drives in a single click with the free OWC Dock Ejector app. It ensures all data has been written before any drive is unmounted to protect against data loss. It will even warn you from accidentally ejecting an in-use drive.

Docking FLEXibility
A virtual buffet of productivity-enhancing possibilities awaits you with the docking connections built into ThunderBay Flex 8. Power your notebook with up to 85W power delivery while capturing multi-stream hi-res footage at full frame rate. Connect audio and video mixers, digital camera, keyboards, and other peripherals and charge mobile devices via one USB-C and two USB-A 10Gb/s ports. Ingest and work with 4/8K RAW video and RAW photo files immediately at speeds up to 985MB/s with frontside SD 4.0 and CFexpress card readers. Add more viewing space with up to an 8K monitor via the DisplayPort 1.4 interface. And if all that's not enough to satisfy your project needs, daisy-chain up to five additional Thunderbolt 3 devices!

FLEXpandable for Unique Needs
By removing the enclosure's side panel, you can expand your capabilities by installing a half-length, full-height, single-width expansion card in the PCIe x16 connector/x4 lanes slot. Add a 4K video capture card for direct ingest of multi-stream high-res footage. Record high-quality tracks with an audio card and then edit and archive tracks.

Create a powerful file server with a high-speed networking card. By replacing the built-in SATA drive controller with a SATA or SAS RAID card, you can turn ThunderBay Flex 8 into a hardware RAID storage solution while keeping a PCIe slot open for other cards.

The Most Powerful RAID Tool on the Planet.
SoftRAID is the world's fastest and most flexible application to configure, maintain, and protect your RAID volumes on Mac and PC. OWC enclosures include 3 Years of SoftRAID Premium.

• High-Performance RAID 0/1/4/5/1+0 (10) volumes
• Predictive Health Monitoring proactively notifies of Volume and Disk issues well before failure - provided on your computer and remotely
• 35+ Years of Experience of Pro Support to provide peace-of-mind with setup help, ongoing questions, or urgent disk issues

SoftRAID works with macOS 10.14+, Windows 10+, and Windows Server 2019/2022. M1 Macs require macOS 11.3 or later. SoftRAID is licensed per computer.

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.

End-To-End Workflow Possibilities

FLEX On-Set
Protects U.2 SSD drive connectors from install/ removal wear to improve drive longevity and extend your drive ROI.

• OWC Interchange System Carrier Tray with SSD
• OWC ThunderBay Flex 8

Transit to Post
Lightweight protective carrier safeguards data while lowering shipping costs vs shipping the entire enclosure.

• OWC Interchange System Carrier Tray with SSD
• Small and economical. Ship only what you need

Post-Production Lab
Desktop U.2 NVMe SSD swappable storage for fast processing of footage.

• OWC Interchange System Carrier Tray with SSD
• OWC Helios 3S (sold separately)
• OWC Interchange System (sold separately)

OWC Thunderbolt cable Included
OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 comes with a certified 0.7 meter OWC Thunderbolt cable, with other lengths from 0.5 meter to 2.0 meters available separately.

Innergize Your Workflow with Highest Performance and Reliability
OWC Innergize is the first stage of the Capture to Completion ecosystem of OWC products designed to seamlessly propel professional photographers, videographers, and content creators to the highest level of workflow performance and reliability. This OWC custom-designed app is a complete health, performance, and field upgrade management tool when using OWC Atlas memory cards with OWC Atlas readers and reader-equipped products.

• Health: Over time and use cycles, flash memory does wear out. Innergize verifies and reports the percentage of use life remaining. Now you can work with full confidence your OWC Atlas memory card will deliver the reliability you can trust
• Sanitize: Writes, deletes, and formatting all take their toll on memory cards. Innergize cleans and restores the flash memory performance of your OWC Atlas memory card so you can get the best results on every use
• Field Upgrade: When new cameras or firmware updates to existing cameras are introduced, they may not work properly with flash memory cards. Innergize gives OWC Atlas memory card users the ability to quickly upgrade their firmware in the field for full compatibility, additional performance enhancements, and bug fixes for optimal reliability

Note:
• SAS drives are supported with SAS drive controller card (available separately)
• Up to four U.2 drives are supported. M.2 drives are also supported with M.2 to U.2 adapter (available separately)
• Apple Mac models with Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt ports can be connected using an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter (sold separately). This configuration provides data transfer at up to 20Gb/s but does not support notebook charging
• Full DisplayPort 1.4 capabilities depends on host computer support of DisplayPort 1.4 specification through its Thunderbolt 3 connection, host computer GPU capabilities, and connecting cable capabilities