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OWC ThunderBay 8 16TB 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Array (8 x 2TB)

BH #OWTB38SRT016 • MFR #OWCTB38SRT016
7 reviews
OWC ThunderBay 8 16TB 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Array (8 x 2TB)
Key Features
  • 8 x 2TB HDDs
  • 8 x 3.5/2.5" SATA Drive Bays
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) Ports
  • 1 x DisplayPort 1.2
Get enough drive space for your raw, 4K, large-format, and VR workflows with the ThunderBay 8 16TB 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Array with from OWC / Other World Computing. Compatible with Windows and Mac systems, the ThunderBay 8 features dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, which use USB Type-C connectors. There is also a DisplayPort 1.2 port for connecting to a 4K display.
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$1,479.00
$124/mo. suggested payments for 12 Mos.
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Storage
16TB (8 x 2TB)
32TB (8 x 4TB)
48TB (8 x 6TB)
64TB (8 x 8TB)
96TB (8 x 12TB)
128TB (8 x 16TB)
144TB (8 x 18TB)
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OWC ThunderBay 8 External HDD Overview

Get enough drive space for your raw, 4K, large-format, and VR workflows with the ThunderBay 8 16TB 8-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID 5 Array with from OWC / Other World Computing. Compatible with Windows and Mac systems, the ThunderBay 8 features dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, which use USB Type-C connectors. There is also a DisplayPort 1.2 port for connecting to a 4K display.

The ThunderBay 8 has eight drive bays, which support both 2.5" and 3.5" hard drives (2.5" HDDs do not need adapters). This particular ThunderBay 8 model comes with eight 2TB drives for 16TB of total storage capacity. The included drives are configured in RAID 5. Using the SoftRAID XT software, you can reconfigure these drives from RAID 5 to alternate configurations including RAID 0, 1, 4, 1+0, and JBOD.

General Features
Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt 3 is a hardware interface that uses the reversible USB Type-C connector. Doubling the speed of its predecessor, Thunderbolt 3 features a maximum throughput of 40 Gb/s when used with compatible devices. The connector also transmits data via USB 3.1 at up to 10 Gb/s, and a dual-bandwidth DisplayPort 1.2 allows you to connect up to two 4K displays simultaneously. Additionally, you can daisy chain up to six devices from a single Thunderbolt 3 port.
RAID & JBOD Support
The ThunderBay 8 comes preconfigured in RAID 5, but also supports RAID 0, 1, 4, and 1+0 as well as JBOD.
Cooling
The Thunderbay 8 uses an oversized 92mm fan to keep the drives running cool and reliably.
Multi-Drive
Daisy chain up to six ThunderBay 8s for more storage capabilities and increased performance or connect multiple ThunderBay 8s to multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports to achieve higher speeds.
UPC: 810586034463

OWC ThunderBay 8 External HDD Specs

Drives
Storage Capacity16 TB
Included Drives8 x 2 TB 3.5" HDD
Initial RAID ConfigurationRAID 5
InterfaceSATA
General
Number of Bays8 x 2.5"/3.5"
I/O2 x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gb/s))
1 x DisplayPort (DisplayPort 1.2)
Compatible Drive InterfaceSATA
Form FactorDesktop
RAIDRAID 0, 0+1, 1, 4, 5, JBOD
Hot-Swap SupportYes
Transfer Rates2586 MB/s (Read/Write)
Software
OS CompatibilityWindows 10
macOS 10.13
macOS 10.14
macOS 10.15
*As of February, 2020: Check with manufacturer for the most up-to-date compatibility
Security
Security FeaturesKensington Security Slot, Lockable Bay Door
Electrical
AC Input Power115 to 230 VAC, 50 / 60 Hz at 1.8 to 3.5 A
Power SourceInternal Power Supply
Environmental
Operating Temperature41 to 95°F / 5 to 35°C
Storage Temperature-4 to 140°F / -20 to 60°C
CertificationsBSMI, CE, FCC, RCM, VCCI
*as per Manufacturer
Physical
Status MonitoringLED Indicator
Cooling1 x 92 mm Fan
Dimensions10.2 x 9.4 x 7.1" / 26 x 24 x 18 cm
Weight16.1 lb / 7.3 kg
Packaging Info
Package Weight30.835 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)18.9 x 18.2 x 17"

OWC ThunderBay 8 External HDD Reviews

Bad out of the box

By Howard
Rated 1 out of 5
Date: 2022-12-30

Needed extra storage for my business. This seemed like a good price/value option. Box was delivered with outside damage but it looked intact inside. It worked for a day then started crashing and unable to reboot. Called OWC customer support and they ran diagnostics. Were unable to fix. SoftRaid kept timing out. I believe since most of the user groups mention Mac that this isn't as compatible or supported for Windows.

Good stuff

By Toddy
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2022-07-25

Everything is good

Great Storage Value, M1Pro/Max Users See the Review

By Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2021-12-14

This is a great storage value! So far the Software based RAID setup has performed very well. For new Apple Silicon users, there are a few hoops to jump through that I was unaware of. The disk would not mount initially, but after I reached out to OWC tech support, they gave me detailed instructions on how to get everything sorted out. But, just be aware of that if you are a Mac M1Pro/Max chip user. The only other gripe I've had is that the provided thunderbolt cable is very short, too short. It's only about 18 long.

Loud, with slow write speeds

By Mike
Rated 2 out of 5
Date: 2020-12-16

It's loud, and when drives ramp up it clink/clanks and shakes my desk. The speed isn't where I'd expect. It's writing about 190MB/s and reading 506MB/s. For comparison my older Lacie 5big Thunderbolt 2 writes 482/MB/s and reads 506/MB/s.

Great product

By Bob
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2020-11-04

This arrived on time and packed extremely well. Worked first time with RAID 5 and been using it with no problems

Solid and dependable

By Stacy
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2022-11-24

Only used this drive for one week having transferred all my files onto it. So far so good. Little noisy but is working fine Customer service is excellent if you need to talk to someone even if it's a minor issue.

Apple Silicon users beware

By Frankie
Rated 1 out of 5
Date: 2022-11-08

I bought this to consolidate several 12-18TB drives I had. What a headache it's been. I've spent dozens of hours researching and reading other M1 MacBook Pro users frustrations with RAID, SoftRaid, and Apple's Disk Utility RAID Assistant to get this thing to work - but nothing seems to stick so I'm returning this and investing in a bunch of 20TB HDDs instead. I'd highly recommend reading up on M1 Macs kernel panics with SoftRaid, RAID volumes that erroneously disconnect when Macs go to sleep, and the lack of RAID options with Apple's native RAID Assistant in Disk Utility.

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Asked by: Dave
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What drive speed to you get when on RAID 5 ...

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Asked by: Joe
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