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OWC ThunderBay 4 4TB 4-Bay Thunderbolt 2 RAID Array (4 x 1TB, RAID 5 Edition)

BH #OWTB4TB24 • MFR #OWCTB2SRT04.0S
99 reviews
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OWC ThunderBay 4 4TB 4-Bay Thunderbolt 2 RAID Array (4 x 1TB, RAID 5 Edition)
Key Features
  • 4 x 1 TB 3.5" 7200 rpm Hard Drives
  • 4 x 3.5" SATA III 6 Gb/s Drive Bays
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 2 Interfaces
  • 7200 rpm
Add 4TB of Thunderbolt 2 storage to your Mac with the ThunderBay 4 4TB 4-Bay Thunderbolt 2 RAID Array (4 x 1TB, RAID 5 Edition) from OWC / Other World Computing. These drives are pre-configured for RAID 5 via software. 4TB provides you with plenty of space to store files such as music, photos, movies, and documents, but this array also allows you to operate a production workflow with 2K video, 4K video, and audio.

Within the array are four bays that each house a single 1TB hard drive. Each included 3.5" drive connects to the array via the SATA III 6 Gb/s interface and has a rotational speed of 7200 rpm. Since the array ships with four drives, they can be software configured as RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 1+0, each of which offers performance, data redundancy, or a combination of both. This array comes pre-formatted and is software configured as a RAID 5 volume.

This volume will be recognized on systems running with OS X 10.9.3 and later, and requires the included SoftRAID 5 via download for Mac OS X 10.8.5 or earlier. RAID 5 allows read speeds of up to 548 MB/s and write speeds of up to 533 MB/s.
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OWC ThunderBay 4 External HDD Overview

Add 4TB of Thunderbolt 2 storage to your Mac with the ThunderBay 4 4TB 4-Bay Thunderbolt 2 RAID Array (4 x 1TB, RAID 5 Edition) from OWC / Other World Computing. These drives are pre-configured for RAID 5 via software. 4TB provides you with plenty of space to store files such as music, photos, movies, and documents, but this array also allows you to operate a production workflow with 2K video, 4K video, and audio.

Within the array are four bays that each house a single 1TB hard drive. Each included 3.5" drive connects to the array via the SATA III 6 Gb/s interface and has a rotational speed of 7200 rpm. Since the array ships with four drives, they can be software configured as RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 1+0, each of which offers performance, data redundancy, or a combination of both. This array comes pre-formatted and is software configured as a RAID 5 volume.

This volume will be recognized on systems running with OS X 10.9.3 and later, and requires the included SoftRAID 5 via download for Mac OS X 10.8.5 or earlier. RAID 5 allows read speeds of up to 548 MB/s and write speeds of up to 533 MB/s.

The ThunderBay 4 comes with two Thunderbolt 2 ports which allow you to daisy-chain up to six devices such as additional ThunderBays, 4K displays, and more. Thunderbolt 2 offers a single 20 Gb/s bi-directional channel that allows you to stream and write 4K video at the same time. To help ensure a smooth operating environment, the array uses a 92mm noise-quieting fan.

Included with this ThunderBay 4 array is SoftRAID XT, a 3.3' Thunderbolt cable, a 3-prong power cable, and two keys for the front panel lock.

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.
SoftRAID XT
SoftRAID combines advanced RAID modes, fast performance, monitoring, email notification, and fast rebuild capabilities that only software RAID can deliver. ThunderBay 4 models with drives come pre-configured in RAID 5, and are plug-and-play ready with OS X 10.9.3 or later. Advanced features such as drive notification and monitoring require SoftRAID installation.

OWC ThunderBay 4 External HDD Specs

General
Number of Bays
4x 2.5"/3.5"
Inputs/Outputs
2x Mini DisplayPort Thunderbolt 2 (20 Gb/s)
Form Factor
Desktop
Pre-Format
No
Physical
Cooling
1x 92 mm Fan
Packaging Info
Package Weight
15.8 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
16 x 15 x 12"

OWC ThunderBay 4 External HDD Reviews

Noisy and crashes after sleep - known issue to OWC.

By John
Rated 3 out of 5
Date: 2022-02-15

Several times now I keep getting SoftRaid Volume Locked, to avoid data corruption. It advises restarting your computer. It takes forever to shut down. And then the fan suddenly hisses in a short burst before rebooting. On one occasion I had to re-arrange my display preferences in the Control pannels as somehow that was affected also. Info reports error is known and they are expecting a fix from Apple. This is not really acceptable at this price. Also, the drive is really clunky noisy requiring a really expensive optical Thunderbolt cable to put it in another room or closet. Other than these annoying qualities it seems to work well. I had Caldigit drives before and had none of these issues. They are cheaper than the others so despite the flaws there is still value. The noise is really not good though. They should include a long TB cable with this box. As it is $250.00 to buy one. I would see if there are other drives that do not have these issues. Too late for me, I bought two of these. So twice the troubles.

Great drive but...

By Satesh
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2022-01-11

This is a great drive. I am a video editor and it has great speeds enough for 4k video. This is actually my second one because I wanted the newer thunderbolt 3 port. My old one is thunderbolt 2. I have never had any drive failures or issues. My only issue is with the updated softraid software on the new M1 MacBook Pro. It is a mission to get it to work. I'm still having issues where the drive doesn't mount or my max immediately crashes due to a kernel panic. Hopefully owc updates the software soon.

Fast but noisy.

By Anthony
Rated 3 out of 5
Date: 2021-12-31

It's fast but also pretty noisy.

Have MACos Big Sur? Don't buy this.

By Cody
Rated 1 out of 5
Date: 2021-10-22

IMO, If you spend over $2K on an item, it should actually work out of the box.

I want to say good things as I've always liked their gear bu

By greg
Rated 1 out of 5
Date: 2021-08-03

I can't. How many OWC products and had always thought that they were quality until recently. For the purposes of this review I'll stay specific to this product though the issue encompasses Thunder Bay, the thunderbolt 4 hub, and the thunderbolt 3 dock. First, it wouldn't mount. (Latest greatest os on 2020 iMac 10 core i9, 128gb OWC-ram) after back and forth with OWC and Apple I brought it in and had the logic board replaced to no avail. I determined that it must be some old ktext or extension or whatever so I wipe my system, started fresh and got it to mount every time. Loaded software back..not much but Adobe CC and Microsoft for sure. Opened Premier Pro project an a separate ssd volume, media an thunder bay. After 25 minutes the entire box freezes, and 1 minute latter the computer reboots itself. Every time. I've been dealing with their cs people since the end of February and still nothing has been resolved. None of my other gear, from glyph, caldigit, Samsung, Seagate or even G-tech EVER causes this crash. I've given them to this week before I have to consider my options.

This is awesome!

By Suzanne
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2021-07-22

This is the first RAID system I have set up. I settled on the OWC with included drives because I felt like it would be less hassle. I did have a few problems setting it up but the OWC customer service team was great and worked with me until I had I it set up the way I want it. This is super fast and holds a lot of data (even though I went with a RAID 1 0 configuration). I will definitely buy another one when I need to daisy chain for more storage. A big thumbs up!

Caution: Performs poorly on Windows computers

By Aaron
Rated 1 out of 5
Date: 2022-02-14

I attempted to use this device on two different Windows computers and tried multiple Thunderbold 3 to Thunderbold 3 cables (including the one that was included in the packaging). The out of the box (RAID5) peak transfer speed was 120/MBs - and the average was 70MBs. The advertised peak transfer speed is 704/MBs On the third contact with OWC support, the agent admitted that this device is known to have extremely slow transfer speeds on Windows. The agent was unable to provide information on whether a fix was in the pipeline. I would consider this device unusable for Windows users despite claims of Windows compatibility on their website and packaging.

Great for editing

By Paul
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2022-02-01

My go-to drive for feature-length documentary editing!

See any errors on this page? Let us know

If I currently have Thunderbolt 2 connections on ...

If I currently have Thunderbolt 2 connections on my macbook pro, but am planning to upgrade to one with thunderbolt 3, is there an adapter I can buy now that will allow me to use this drive with thunderbolt 2 until I upgrade my macbook?
Asked by: Tim
The Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter will work.
Answered by: OWC Andy
Date published: 2020-05-13

There's a $50 difference between the RAID5 and ...

There's a $50 difference between the RAID5 and the RAID0 configurations. Since this is driven by the RAID software you have to install locally, is it possible/easy enough to just reconfigure it from 0 to 5 and save the money or is there a $50 reason it's worth ordering it as RAID5 from the outset?
Asked by: Zach
OWC has two distinct part numbers for these items and it appears that the only difference is that the RAID 5 model comes pre-configured. If you want RAID 5 out of the box without having to deal with configuration, the RAID 5 version is the one to get.
Answered by: Gregorio M.
Date published: 2020-10-14

Will this work with the M1 Mac Mini?

Will this work with the M1 Mac Mini?
Asked by: Shane
Yes, it is compatible.
Answered by: OWC Andy
Date published: 2021-03-08

I only have USB 3.1 port. Can i use usb C to usb ...

I only have USB 3.1 port. Can i use usb C to usb 3.1 Cable or adapter for connect ? And if one of them has problem, can I keep my data? Or it will lose ?
Asked by: Liam
I'm sorry, but it will not run via USB-C or 3.1 with an adapter. This requires a native Thunderbolt connection.
Answered by: OWC Andy
Date published: 2020-07-06

If you use this with one set of 4 SATA HDD's as ...

If you use this with one set of 4 SATA HDD's as "Project 1" for example, and then swap out all 4 HDD's to start "Project 2", will this function that way. Ultimate goal is to edit multiple documentaries on Premiere by swapping out HDDs depending on which project is currently active. Thanks! ?
Asked by: Daniela
It can be done, but you need to make sure the inactive set of drives is properly stored and numbered to match the slots in the enclosure.
Answered by: OWC Andy
Date published: 2021-04-22

question

Does this come with the OWC 3 year warranty?
Asked by: Jeffrey G.
This product has a Limited 3-Year Warranty.
Answered by: Heather S.
Date published: 2018-08-25

Is this Thunderbay 4 a DAS unit and does it come ...

Is this Thunderbay 4 a DAS unit and does it come with dual thunderbolt cables? Are the instructions included for the hook up and details regarding changing the raid array and how to format this unit
Asked by: Raymond
This DAS comes with one Thunderbolt 3 cable.
Answered by: Michael
Date published: 2021-01-27

Can you use this RAID on a 2013 MacPro with an ...

Can you use this RAID on a 2013 MacPro with an Apple Thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter?
Asked by: Martin
If your macOS is macOS 10.12 or later, yes. You can use Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter for compatibility.
Answered by: jessica
Date published: 2019-07-03
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