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75% positive over last 12 months
OWC ThunderBay 4 RAID 5 with Dual Thunderbolt 3 Ports (0GB RAID), Includes SoftRAID XT
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Purchase options and add-ons
Digital Storage Capacity | 4000 GB |
Hard Disk Interface | Raid |
Connectivity Technology | Thunderbolt |
Brand | OWC |
Special Feature | Portable |
Hard Disk Form Factor | 2.5 Inches |
Hard Disk Description | Raid |
Compatible Devices | Desktop |
Installation Type | Internal Hard Drive |
Specific Uses For Product | storage |
About this item
- 4-Drive SSD Storage Solution with Dual Thunderbolt 3 Ports
- Up to 1527MB/s sustained performance; Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
- Works with 3.5" or 2.5" drives — no adapter needed; Intelligent drive monitoring with desktop and email notifications
- User configurable in RAID 0, 1, 4, 5 & 1+0; Ultra quiet, heat dissipating aluminum chassis; Rigorously pre-tested with multi-hour burn-in
- Featuring SoftRAID XT, RAID-5 Pre-configured. Thunderbolt 3 cable included, 1 Year OWC Limited Warranty
Frequently bought together
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This Item OWC ThunderBay 4 RAID 5 with Dual Thunderbolt 3 Ports (0GB RAID), Includes SoftRAID XT | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | $579.99$579.99 | -13% $699.99$699.99 List: $799.99 | -18% $329.99$329.99 List: $399.99 | -35% $264.99$264.99 New Price: $409.99 | $94.99$94.99 | $182.61$182.61 |
Delivery | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Value for money | 3.7 | 2.0 | 4.1 | — | 4.2 | 4.2 |
Easy to install | 3.6 | — | 4.6 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
Storage Capacity | — | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Tech Support | 3.8 | 2.7 | — | — | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Noise level | — | — | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
Sold By | OWC (Other World Computing) | Amazon.com | QuickDealStore | Tech on Tech | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
storage capacity | 4000 GB | 16 TB | 18000 GB | 20000 GB | 4 TB | 8 TB |
hardware interface | thunderbolt | thunderbolt, solid state drive | sata 6 0 gb | sata 6 0 gb | sata 6 0 gb | sata 6 0 gb |
compatible devices | Desktop | Desktop | Computer | Laptop | Desktop | Desktop |
form factor | 2.5-inch | Portable | 3.5-inch | 3.5-inch | 3.5-inch | 3.5-inch |
read speed | 1527 megabytes per second | 250 megabytes per second | 7200 gigabytes per second | — | 180 megabytes per second | 210 megabytes per second |
Videos
Videos for this product
2:52
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OWC Thunderbay 4 Mini SSD RAID 4K Drive Array Unboxing
Mariou Reviews
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Product information
Product Dimensions | 13.1 x 10.3 x 8.5 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 8.6 pounds |
ASIN | B079KR2JVM |
Item model number | OWCTB3SRKIT0GB |
Customer Reviews |
4.2 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #610 in External Hard Drives |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | February 6, 2018 |
Manufacturer | Other World Computing |
Warranty & Support
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Product Description
ThunderBay 4, OWC's flagship 4-bay RAID ready powerhouse is bigger and faster than ever before. Now with the unbelievable performance of Thunderbolt 3 — up to 1527MB/s sustained performance1 — it's the ultimate workhorse external storage solution. Not only faster, the new ThunderBay 4 Thunderbolt 3 is now natively compatible with both 2.5" and 3.5" drives, and with a redesigned chassis, it's even cooler and quieter too. Designed with performance in mind and engineered to harness the power of Thunderbolt 3, ThunderBay 4 is an incredibly flexible external solution with the throughput to support multi-stream compressed 4K video and other bandwidth-intensive operations. ThunderBay 4 is highly configurable to perfectly match your performance needs. Choose between traditional hard drives or Solid State Drives. Use each drive independently, or in the RAID configuration of your choice for the optimal balance of performance and data-redundancy. Get the most out of your storage, take the brakes off your workflow, and do more with a ThunderBay 4. Experience the most advanced software RAID available with the ThunderBay 4 RAID Edition. Empower your workflow with up to 35% faster RAID performance and exponentially faster rebuild times than comparable hardware RAID arrays. SoftRAID combines the advanced RAID modes, superior performance, comprehensive, real-time disk monitoring, e-mail notification, and fast rebuild capabilities that only software RAID can deliver. The SoftRAID engine is extremely flexible and can easily be updated, reconfigured and used across multiple enclosures to provide an amazing amount of robust options to empower you to make the most of your ThunderBay workflow. Easily setup drive monitoring and e-mail notifications to keep you informed about your ThunderBay's performance and drive health.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the quality, value, speed and ease of use of the computer drive. For example, they mention it's built heavy duty, has great materials and finishing, and is worth it. Some appreciate the speed and how easy it is to set up and use. That said, opinions are mixed on the noise it makes.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the quality of the computer drive. They say it's built heavy duty, is reliable, and has great materials. Customers also mention that it'd be a great addition to any computer setup.
"...It is quiet, sturdy, and works like a charm. Everything the ad said it would do - it does. I will be buying another soon." Read more
"Feels solid, very well built...." Read more
"...chose the OWC Thunderbolt 3 series for its exceptional build quality and performance...." Read more
"I continue to have major problems, not only with the horrible hardware but also with the software/driver...." Read more
Customers appreciate the value of the computer drive. They say it's well built, has excellent performance, and is worth the price. Some say that it works great to setup and manage their array of choice. Overall, customers are satisfied with the value and quality of the product.
"...It is quiet, sturdy, and works like a charm. Everything the ad said it would do - it does. I will be buying another soon." Read more
"...✅SoftRaid XT works great to setup and manage your array of choice. See below as to which version of SoftRaid you should use.CONS:..." Read more
"...So far, everything has been working well, and I hope it continues to be that way." Read more
"...Two are populated with new 4TB SSDs; the third with 1TB SSDs. All work fine and the transfer speeds to my iMacPro are excellent...." Read more
Customers like the speed of the computer drive. They mention that it is extremely fast, the transfer speeds to their iMacPro are excellent, and the performance is great if you're using Thunderbolt 3. Customers also appreciate the responsive and helpful vendor.
"...How fast? I routinely copy 1+GB files from the WD Black to the internal SSD in a 2018 mac Mini. This copy takes about .25 seconds!..." Read more
"...Unlike some other enclosures I've used (like QNAP's), this one is *fast*, sturdy (no cheap plastic), and getting it to recognize all my disks at..." Read more
"...them for your valuable data and on top of all of that it seems to be much faster...." Read more
"...I tested just a single 4TB WD Red drive in the enclosure, it only gave me 80 MB/s Write, and 81 MB/s Read, which isn't great considering I got a..." Read more
Customers find the computer drive easy to set up and use. They mention that the installation of the drives was very easy, and the Thunderbolt 3 connection is perfect for their 2018. The RAID software is easy to use and configure for the RAID, and they had no trouble connecting it or getting it to recognize their drives.
"...Set up was a breeze and took about 30 minutes. Installing the drives was very easy and the Thunderbolt 3 connection is perfect for my 2018 Macbook..." Read more
"This enclosure is an absolute delight to use with ZFS. I had no trouble connecting it or getting it to recognize my drives...." Read more
"...Setup was not problem, though I did have to reboot my iMac a few times during installation. The fan is louder than I expected...." Read more
"...It was fairly easy to set up and use. The included RAID software (SoftRaid) was easy to use and configure for the RAID level desired...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the noise of the computer drive. Some mention that it's very quiet, and does a good job of isolating drive noise. However, others say that it makes a constant noise, and the fan is louder than expected.
"...It is quiet, sturdy, and works like a charm. Everything the ad said it would do - it does. I will be buying another soon." Read more
"...The brick was so noisy that my wife complained about the racket that was created...." Read more
"...It does a good job of isolating drive noise. Drive access and fan noise are barely audible, never heard drives spin up. How fast?..." Read more
"...PROS:✅Very quiet. I was prepared for some fan noise but the combination of the enclosure + 7200 RPM Ironwolf drives works great✅FAST!..." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the performance of the computer drive. They mention that the LED is not working, the system will not restart or shut down, and the light on the first unit failed to illuminate.
"...That installation went wrong, ending with the 🚫symbol. Attempting to reboot failed, drive not visible...." Read more
"...In this case (when the drive will not eject) the system will not restart or shut down with the Apple menu...." Read more
"...After 2 weeks the power light on the first unit failed to illuminate (infant mortality). Access to the data (r/w) continued...." Read more
"...Also, drive arrived with LED for drive B not working. Thought disk B was bad until it showed up in Disk Manager utility, just LED is not working...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Cons:
Pretty hard to find but:
1. It's a light sleeper ;-) Super duper can't put it to sleep, while it does go into deep sleep when the Mini sleeps from the Apple menu, turning a monitor or Bluetooth mouse on or off wakes the box and spins up the drives.
2. Used in a home office environment, the blue power led is really bright, as in flashlight bright! When it wakes up at night and all 6 indicators light up, wow! quite the light show!
UPDATE 6-29-19
I installed macOS Mojave on an external USB drive (WD Blue 2.5"/Inateck FE2010). That installation went wrong, ending with the 🚫symbol. Attempting to reboot failed, drive not visible.
After installing the WD blue in the ThunderBay enclosure , the drive appeared in Disk Utility and after a successful First Aid run, it booted as expected. I suspect this means the ThunderBay is Apple APFS compatible, where the Inateck is not. Still lovin' the ThunderBay!
Set up was a breeze and took about 30 minutes. Installing the drives was very easy and the Thunderbolt 3 connection is perfect for my 2018 Macbook Pro. I'll update this review as needed but after using for about a week here are my thoughts:
PROS:
✅Very quiet. I was prepared for some fan noise but the combination of the enclosure + 7200 RPM Ironwolf drives works great
✅FAST! I just copied 400GB worth of footage from at Atomos drive in less than 30 minutes. NICE!
✅STURDY. This thing is a beast. All metal construction. Drive trays fit seamlessly. I like the locking mechanism on the front and the flashing light monitoring.
✅SoftRaid XT works great to setup and manage your array of choice. See below as to which version of SoftRaid you should use.
CONS:
❌I'm getting some bluetooth interference from the drive based on placement on my desk. It's about 3 feet away from my bluetooth keyboard and trackpad. I need to do some more placement testing to mitigate but bluetooth interference is a known issue with USB3 and (I assume) Thunderbolt devices.
❌It wasn't clear which SoftRaid product to use. From what I gather there is SoftRaid Lite ($49, no RAID 5), SoftRaid ($179, full features) and SoftRAID XT (included with Thunderbay purchase, seems like all features). USE SOFTRAID XT AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY A LICENSE. There's an activation code on the bottom of the Thunderbay for SoftRaid XT. I almost paid for the full license :\
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2019
Set up was a breeze and took about 30 minutes. Installing the drives was very easy and the Thunderbolt 3 connection is perfect for my 2018 Macbook Pro. I'll update this review as needed but after using for about a week here are my thoughts:
PROS:
✅Very quiet. I was prepared for some fan noise but the combination of the enclosure + 7200 RPM Ironwolf drives works great
✅FAST! I just copied 400GB worth of footage from at Atomos drive in less than 30 minutes. NICE!
✅STURDY. This thing is a beast. All metal construction. Drive trays fit seamlessly. I like the locking mechanism on the front and the flashing light monitoring.
✅SoftRaid XT works great to setup and manage your array of choice. See below as to which version of SoftRaid you should use.
CONS:
❌I'm getting some bluetooth interference from the drive based on placement on my desk. It's about 3 feet away from my bluetooth keyboard and trackpad. I need to do some more placement testing to mitigate but bluetooth interference is a known issue with USB3 and (I assume) Thunderbolt devices.
❌It wasn't clear which SoftRaid product to use. From what I gather there is SoftRaid Lite ($49, no RAID 5), SoftRaid ($179, full features) and SoftRAID XT (included with Thunderbay purchase, seems like all features). USE SOFTRAID XT AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY A LICENSE. There's an activation code on the bottom of the Thunderbay for SoftRaid XT. I almost paid for the full license :\
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I purchased this brick based on good reviews and OWC's long history with Apple peripherals. First I needed tech support to get this thing working, download the correct SoftRaid monitor because the one their website lead me to was not working with Mojave 10.14.5. As the tech walked me through the process he pointed to the four drives that he claimed were the correct drives to use. Unfortunately he uncorrected pointed to three drives in a drive case that had years of photography on them. Tech said follow the prompt, initialize the drives and bang-o the three drives were erased! Ok, the drives were sent to Seagate Data recovery, two were so damaged that they were unrecoverable! Now how can simply initializing drives damage them? After that was done and nothing could be corrected I decided to move on. I finally had the enclosure working with the four drives that were intended for the box. The brick was so noisy that my wife complained about the racket that was created. I had to disconnect the ThunderBay4 after each backup because of the distraction.. Tech does not know what to do about it. Next stop... Catalina, 10.15.1... Do you know that there is a big problem with these crackerjack boxes and Catalina? IF you can get the system to go to sleep with this decrepit crate attached, when the system wakes guess what happens? A kernel panic, the system crashes and then restarts! OWC tech support claims that they don't know why and blames it on Apple, you know how this goes. After two months of back and forth, still no support for Catalina and guess what? This thing still sounds like a rickety clickity clackity train going down a bent track. So frustrating. If there was some way to return this piece of crap and have access to the RAID5 data I would do so. OWC, NEVER AGAIN!
Top reviews from other countries
Affidabilissimo, anche grazie alla connessione TB3, estremamente ben costruito, tutto in metallo.
Unico neo, per chi lavora in un contesto dove i supporti sono spesso formattati per differenti sistemi operativi: l'applicazione SoftRaid della OWC *NON* è compatibile con Paragon (che permette di montare dischi in formato Mac OSX sotto Windows) per cui ho dovuto acquistare MacDrive (sempre della OWC) per poter installare SoftRaid e utilizzare i dischi Mac OSX per i quali Paragon era sempre andato bene.
Reviewed in Germany on January 29, 2022