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OWC ThunderBay 4 Four-Bay Thunderbolt 2 RAID Array

BH #OWT24 • MFR #OWCTB2IVKIT0GB
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OWC ThunderBay 4 Four-Bay Thunderbolt 2 RAID Array
Key Features
  • 4 x 3.5" SATA III 6 Gb/s Drive Bays
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 2 Ports
  • RAID 0: Up to 859 MB/s Read Speed
  • RAID 0: Up to 838 MB/s Write Speed
Add the capabilities of Thunderbolt 2 speed and storage to your Windows or Mac system with the ThunderBay 4 Hard Drive Enclosure from OWC / Other World Computing. This is a four bay, SATA III 6 Gb/s enclosure and each bay will support a 3.5" hard drive or a 2.5" hard drive or SSD. Each 2.5" drive requires an optional NewerTech AdaptaDrive adapter. Once drives are installed, you can RAID them using the software RAID of your choice to setup the ThunderBay 4 for multi-drive performance or data redundancy.
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OWC ThunderBay IV Overview

Add the capabilities of Thunderbolt 2 speed and storage to your Windows or Mac system with the ThunderBay 4 Hard Drive Enclosure from OWC / Other World Computing. This is a four bay, SATA III 6 Gb/s enclosure and each bay will support a 3.5" hard drive or a 2.5" hard drive or SSD. Each 2.5" drive requires an optional NewerTech AdaptaDrive adapter. Once drives are installed, you can RAID them using the software RAID of your choice to setup the ThunderBay 4 for multi-drive performance or data redundancy.

The ThunderBay 4 will provide you with plenty of space to store files such as music, photos, movies, and documents. It also allows you to operate a production workflow with 2K and 4K video in Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, and Avid Media Composer, audio in Avid Pro Tools and Logic Pro X, and photos in Adobe Photoshop, Apple Aperture and Adobe Lightroom. When configured as a RAID 0, this array features read speeds up to 859 MB/s and write speeds up to 838 MB/s.

The ThunderBay 4 comes with two Thunderbolt 2 ports that provide bi-directional data transfer rates of 20 Gb/s. Dual Thunderbolt 2 ports allow you to daisy-chain up to six devices such as additional ThunderBays, 4K displays, and more. To help ensure a smooth operating environment, the array uses a 92mm nosie-quieting fan. The ThunderBay 4 is compatible with Windows 7 SP1 and later and Mac OS 10.9 and later. It may be used as a boot drive On Mac systems, but does not support Boot Camp. It operates using a 100-240 VAC power supply that runs at 50/60 Hz. Included with this ThunderBay 4 array is a 3.3' / 1.0m Thunderbolt cable, an 3-prong power cable, 2 keys for the front panel lock, and a PC & Mac compatible software bundle. Please bear in mind that while users are free to select drives of their choice for this RAID, variable spin drives, such as WD Red and WD Green, are not recommended. The issue with variable spin drives is that because the drives could potentially be spinning at different speeds, this could lead to constant rebuilds within the RAID, as it could think that one or more drives are not in operation. While WD Red and WD Green drives are specifically being mentioned, please bear in mind that variable speed drives also manufactured by other companies, such as Seagate, are also not recommended.

Cooling
ThunderBay utilizes an open "flow-thru" vented design with a 92mm, low-turbulence, noise-quieting fan to keep the drives running cool and reliably
Multi-Drive
Daisy-chain up to six ThunderBays for massive storage capabilities and increased performance, or connect multiple ThunderBays to multiple Thunderbolt 2 ports to achieve exponential speed capabilities
Vibration Dampened
ThunderBay's drive isolating design reduces sonic resonance and is aided by over-sized, rugged, vibration-absorbing, non-skid feet
DisplayPort 1.2 Support
The Thunderbolt ports also support DisplayPort 1.2 that allows daisy-chaining displays through the drive

OWC ThunderBay IV Specs

Number of Bays
4x 2.5"/3.5"
Inputs/Outputs
2x Mini DisplayPort Thunderbolt 2 (20 Gb/s)
Packaging Info
Package Weight
10.335 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
13.25 x 10.3 x 8.55"

OWC ThunderBay IV Reviews

See any errors on this page? Let us know

Can I boot a Mac from one of the drives in this?

Can I boot a Mac from one of the drives in this?
Asked by: Audra
The Mac OS no longer boots from a RAID volume.
Answered by: OWC Andy
Date published: 2020-01-09

question

Does the Thunderbay come with SoftRAID? I read somewhere that it does, but it doesn't mention it on B&H.
Asked by: Adam D.
If you select the RAID 5 option, then its included. If you select the RAID 0 option is not. Theres a difference on the rates of each version.
Answered by: Cristian
Date published: 2019-03-28

Is necesary an adapter for ssd disk?

Is necesary an adapter for ssd disk?
Asked by: Agustin
No adapter is needed.
Answered by: OWC Andy
Date published: 2018-12-20

a 2.5 to 3.5 disk adapter is required?

a 2.5 to 3.5 disk adapter is required?
Asked by: Agustin
No adapter is needed.
Answered by: OWC Andy
Date published: 2018-12-20

question

What is the maximum capacity drive that you can install in each bay?
Asked by: Matt M.
We use four 8TB drives (Seagate IronWolf NAS) and they've been working perfectly fine.
Answered by: Gerardo L.
Date published: 2019-11-21

question

What would be a good set of drives for this enclosure for RAID 0/5?, I'm seeing contradictory info about TLER. Should I be looking at WD Black, Gold (enterprise) or Red Pro (NAS). Or something else?
Asked by: Mark B.
I got the WD Black drives at 4TB 7200rpm each. According to my BlackMagic speed test, my write speed is 547 MB/s and read is 562 MB/s. Good enough for 4K ProRes. (software RAID 0)
Answered by: Brian M.
Date published: 2018-08-25

question

In the product description it says not to use green of red labeled drives. Basically Das drives. Can I use WD 6TB Black drives?
Asked by: Eric
WD Black drives will work very well in that enclosure!
Answered by: Andy L. OWC Expert
Date published: 2018-08-25

question

In the product description it says not to use green of red labeled drives. Basically NAS drives, and when clicking on the accessories tab there are only 2 drives that are recommended and they are both red labeled drives. Can I use WD 6TB Black drives in this unit? Im planning on using one 1TB SSD in one bay for cache and rendering and the other three bays with WD 6TB black in Raid 0. will this configuration work?
Asked by: Eric
WD Black drives will work very well in that enclosure!
Answered by: Andy L. OWC Expert
Date published: 2018-08-25
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