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Review Summary
2019-09-10T10:12:37
I was replacing an old Mac Pro tower with a new computer that is all display, but no room for storage. I had 4 hard drives inside the old tower, so I put them all into the new OWC enclosure. The build of the enclosure is excellent. Very solid with lots of vibration dampening. I migrated my old data from my old bootable hard disk to the new SSD via the Thunderbolt 3 connection. It took about 5 hrs. to transfer 1 TB of data. The Thunderbolt 3 is rated at 40Gb/s. The migration assistant displayed the speed of flow which ran between 35 Gb and 59 Gb. It produced all it was advertised to do. Noise?. The fan does make some noise. It's not bad. The hard drives themselves make most of the noise as they read or write. The enclosure sits on a desk about two feet from either myself or the computer, so there is going to be some sound. I'm really happy with it and definitely say it's worth a look.
DON M.
2017-05-14T04:31:14
After two data recoveries from my external hard drive for my pics nearly lost as a result of crashes/ accidental drops . I needed a better system. I was able to recover my images, but at a cost. I now have comfort and confidence my images will be safe. Though costly, but as I have said- it's cheaper than a data recovery ( I was lucky to get them back. ) I no longer worry about losing my pics. Peace of mind is priceless.
GARY M.
2016-10-24T08:43:35
This thing is amazing! I mainly shoot photos but I'm moving into video and my single disk USB 3.0 external (Lacie porche 4tb) was not fast enough for my needs. I first tried out a Mediasonic proraid 4, loading it with four Toshiba 3tb 7200rpm drives in raid 5 and I just wasn't happy with the speeds I was getting in Black magic's speed test. I sent it back and bought this OWC Thunderbay. The Proraid 4 is fine for photos and backup but for speed, the Thunderbay is 2 or 3 times faster. Yes, this is way 2 or 3 times more expensive but you are paying for speed and getting a bonus in the quality of the product. The thunderbay is a very solid build. I raid 5 with the the same drives I got around 200mbps read and write in the Proraid4, in the OWC Thunderbay 4, I'm getting about 520-530mbps.The software was easy to use as well. Only took about 10mins to install the drives and set up the raid 5 once I figured out where the softraid app was. I definitely recommend this enclosure to anyone working with photos and video. Excellent storage solution.
CHRISTOPHER S.
2016-01-21T14:34:48
This is really the best option for those editing on a Mac. No only do you get speeds that are slightly faster than the average SSD, you also get MUCH more storage capacity AND data protection. In my tests with the 20TB version I get about 505MB/s write and 580MB/s read. It's setup from the factory in Raid5 so you don't have to initialize the drives which saves time. In Raid 5 mode (best mode) you get 15TB of usable space as 5TB is setup for data protection. If one of the drives ever dies you slide it out and replace with a new one and you won't loose any data. I've been suggesting these to people for over a year now and I'm going to keep doing so. I have a video review of this drive on YouTube if you want to see it in action, speed tests, unboxing, and daisy chaining to a display just do a search for Max Yuryev Thunderbay and you'll find it. The 1.5 to 2.5 times as much. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a fast and reliable drive.
MAKSIM Y.
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Browse our FAQ
Black
Aluminum
4 bays
8TB
1024 MB
4x 2TB Seagate BarraCuda 7,200RPM Hard Disk Drive with 256 MB cache
Yes
Yes
Boot Camp is not supported
7,200RPM
SATA 6.0 Gb/s
Yes
RAID 5
JBOD
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 4
RAID 5
RAID 10
Software RAID
1x Host Port - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) up to 40Gb/s (5000MB/s)
1x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Port
Either Thunderbolt (USB-C) port can be used as the host port
Thunderbolt 3 ports each provide up to 15W of power to the host computer or attached device
Thunderbolt 3 : Up to 40Gb/s (or 5000MB/s)
Up to 1074 MB/s
Up to 1057 MB/s
SATA Controller: 1x ASM-1164
Thunderbolt 3: 1x Intel DSL6540
Thunderbolt (USB-C) port (backward compatible with Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt)
macOS 10.14 Mojave
macOS 10.15 Catalina
macOS 11.x Big Sur
macOS 12.x Monterey
macOS 13.x Ventura
macOS 14.x Sonoma
macOS 15.x Sequoia
Windows 10 64-bit Edition
Windows Server 2022
Windows 11
SoftRAID works with macOS 10.14 or later and Windows 10 or later. SoftRAID is licensed per computer. The SoftRAID serial number will work with both Mac and Windows but can only be active on one computer at a time. Additional seats can be purchased. RAID 4/1+0 (10) are currently Mac only at this time.
No
Internal UL-listed universal auto-switching power supply
100-230V
1x 92mm cooling fan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Operating: 50 Degree F to 95 Degree F (10 Degree C to 35 Degree C)
Non-Operating: -40 Degree F to 149 Degree F (-40 Degree C to 65 Degree C)
Operating: -1,000 to 10,000' (-304.8 to 3,048m)
Non-Operating: -1,000 to 40,000' (-304.8 to 12,192m)
Operating: 8% to 90% non-condensing
Non-Operating: 5% to 95% non-condensing
9.6 x 5.3 x 7" (24.5 x 13.5 x 17.7cm)
812437029680
Best video editing drive
By MAKSIM Y.
This is really the best option for those editing on a Mac. No only do you get speeds that are slightly faster than the average SSD, you also get MUCH more storage capacity AND data protection. In my tests with the 20TB version I get about 505MB/s write and 580MB/s read. It's setup from the factory in Raid5 so you don't have to initialize the drives which saves time. In Raid 5 mode (best mode) you get 15TB of usable space as 5TB is setup for data protection. If one of the drives ever dies you ...
View full Review
OWC ThunderBay 4-Bay Thunderbolt 3 Enclosure
By DON M.
I was replacing an old Mac Pro tower with a new computer that is all display, but no room for storage. I had 4 hard drives inside the old tower, so I put them all into the new OWC enclosure. The build of the enclosure is excellent. Very solid with lots of vibration dampening. I migrated my old data from my old bootable hard disk to the new SSD via the Thunderbolt 3 connection. It took about 5 hrs. to transfer 1 TB of data. The Thunderbolt 3 is rated at 40Gb/s. The migration assistant displa...
View full Review
Over the past decade, the OWC ThunderBay 4 4-Bay 8TB Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Array has established itself as a top-tier choice for content creators seeking speed, capacity, and configuration flexibility in a compact desktop design. This versatile RAID storage solution is ideal for a wide range of applications, from everyday file storage and backup to handling multi-stream compressed 4K video editing. Whether you opt for a preconfigured setup or prefer to customize with your own HDDs or SSDs, the ThunderBay 4 offers unmatched performance and data redundancy with OWC SoftRAID or your preferred RAID software.
Achieve real-world speeds of up to 1527MB/s, making it perfect for video editing, audio production, photo editing, and other bandwidth-intensive tasks. The ThunderBay 4 is bundled with OWC SoftRAID, the fastest and most flexible RAID tool, supporting RAID 0/1/4/5/1+0 (10) configurations, as well as Apple RAID and Microsoft Disk Manager. With a storage capacity of up to 80TB, you can access, back up, and expand your creative projects without limits.
Expand your storage capabilities by daisy-chaining up to five additional ThunderBay 4 or other Thunderbolt storage devices via the second Thunderbolt port. This feature makes the ThunderBay 4 a game-changer for individual content creators, filmmakers, audio editors, musicians, producers, photographers, and small production companies. It consolidates multiple external drives into one efficient solution, eliminating the hassle of scattered content.
The ThunderBay 4 is designed for seamless integration with both Mac (including Intel-based and the latest Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 machines) and Windows PCs, ensuring fast data access and centralized file management. Its proven reliability provides peace of mind, safeguarding your data against costly slowdowns or data loss.
With the ThunderBay 4, you have the flexibility to merge four drives in a RAID 0 for enhanced performance and capacity or use RAID 5 for data protection. Choose a DIY kit to add your own SATA SSDs for ultimate speed. SoftRAID, included with OWC enclosures, offers predictive health monitoring, cross-platform sharing, and over 35 years of pro support experience.
Designed with a heat-dissipating aluminum housing, low-turbulence fan, and vibration-absorbing feet, the ThunderBay 4 operates quietly and securely. Its locking faceplate and security slot ensure your data remains safe. The additional Thunderbolt port allows for daisy-chaining possibilities, supporting 5K or dual 4K displays and USB-C devices.
Every ThunderBay 4 undergoes OWC's rigorous "burn-in" performance certification to ensure reliability right out of the box. It comes with a certified 0.7M OWC Thunderbolt Cable, with additional lengths available to suit your workflow needs. For added stability, OWC ClingOn custom cable stabilizers (sold separately) can be used to minimize cable strain in active workspaces.
Experience the difference with the OWC ThunderBay 4, the ultimate RAID storage solution for creative professionals.
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