The 4TB Flex 1U4 4-Bay Thunderbolt 3 Storage Array from OWC / Other World Computing is a flexible storage, docking, and PCIe expansion solution for rackmount use. Compatible with macOS 10.15, 11.x, and 12.x, the Flex 1U4 features a storage capacity of 4TB, which is split between 4 x 1TB NVMe 2.5" U.2 SSDs. Connectivity to your host system is established using a 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 port, which supports data transfers at up to 5000 MB/s. Daisy-chain five additional devices or add a second display to a second Thunderbolt 3 port, while two 10 Gb/s USB-C, three 10 Gb/s USB-A ports, and one DisplayPort 1.4 port provide additional connectivity options. Further expansion, such as audio/video capture cards, 10Gb Ethernet, SSD storage, a hardware RAID, or other I/O card can be realized using the PCIe 3.0 x16/x4 slot.
If you'd like to upgrade or replace the storage in your Flex 1U4, the drive bays natively support 2.5" and 3.5" SATA drives, as well as 2.5" and 3.5" U.2 drives. SAS drives are supported with an SAS drive controller (sold separately) and M.2 drives are supported using an M.2 to U.2 adapter, such as the OWC U2 Shuttle and OWC U2 ShuttleOne (sold separately). Also, the Flex 1U4 may be used on Macs with Thunderbolt 2 and Thunderbolt ports via an adapter (sold separately), but this will not support notebook charging via Thunderbolt.
- OWC U2 ShuttleOne: Convert an NVMe M.2 "blade" style SSD into a swappable 2.5" U.2 SSD with the peace of mind that your drive and its contents are protected by the full metal heat-dissipating adapter.
- OWC U2 Shuttle: Combine four NVMe M.2 SSDs into a 3.5" U.2 carrier shuttle to create a swappable, massive capacity RAID solution.
- OWC Helios 3S with Interchange System: Create an external Thunderbolt powered set to post U.2 solution that safeguards your data while lowering shipping costs.
- OWC Mercury Pro U.2 Dual: Put blazing fast Thunderbolt powered storage and backup on a desktop with a compact two bay footprint that can use U2 ShuttleOne and U2 Shuttles.
- OWC ThunderBay Flex 8: Take control of your media workflow with a 3-in-1 Thunderbolt storage, docking, and PCIe expansion desktop solution. Easily swaps U2 ShuttleOne and U2 Shuttles to/from the Flex 1U4.
SoftRAID provides a level of storage performance that you simply can't get with hardware RAID and is ideal for anyone who needs to safely store and backup massive amounts of data, including educational institutions, government agencies, businesses, content creators, and M&E professionals. If you need even more power and flexibility, you can upgrade to SoftRAID Pro to spread volumes over two or more disk enclosures.
Please note that the included SoftRAID license provides 3 years of coverage.