Designed as a high-performance personal data center that offers multiple configuration options to suit ever-expanding storage needs, the ThunderBay 8 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID Enclosure from OWC / Other World Computing can handle raw, 4K, large format, and VR workflows for photo, film, and video editors. Built with eight SATA drive bays that can handle 2.5" or 3.5" hard drives and SSDs, the ThunderBay 8 delivers sustained data transfer speeds of up to 2586 MB/s and connects to your host Windows or Mac system using a Thunderbolt 3 port, while a second Thunderbolt 3 port can be used to daisy-chain up to six ThunderBay 8 enclosures, or power one 5K / 60 Hz display or two 4K 60 Hz displays. There is also a dedicated DisplayPort 1.2 port that supports a 4K / 60 Hz display. Thanks to the SoftRAID software RAID controller, the ThunderBay 8 can be configured as RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 10, each of which provides data redundancy, performance, or a combination of both. For those who do not require a RAID, JBOD is available.
SoftRAID XT works with macOS 10.12 or later and Windows 10. Intel-based Macs require macOS 10.12 or later. M1 Macs require macOS 11.1 or 11.3 and later. macOS 11.3 is currently available as a public beta. 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 4/5/1+0 (10) are currently Mac only at this time. Additionally, Thunderbolt 2 Macs are supported using an Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter. The ThunderBay 8 may also be configured as bootable on Mac only.