Pro-Class RAID: Introducing the ThunderBay 4 mini

Send us a Topic or Tip

Have a suggestion for the blog? Perhaps a topic you'd like us to write about? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Fancy yourself a writer and have a tech tip, handy computer trick, or "how to" to share? Let us know what you'd like to contribute!

OWC ThunderBay 4 mini — Professional-Grade Data Storage for Everyone that Delivers the Perfect Combination of Speed, Size and Redundancy

Four 2.5-inch drive bays, up to 16TB capacity, SoftRAID setup, and management software, and real-world speeds up to 1556MB/s in a pro-grade, super-compact Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 2 storage solution!

Today OWC announced the availability of the ThunderBay 4 mini storage solution, the newest addition to their ThunderBay line of external storage systems, available in either Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 2 interfaces. OWC’s newest data storage solution delivers the speed, versatility, and redundancy creative pros, SMBs, and prosumers rely on to manage workflows without limitations in a compact 4.6 x 3.8 x 7.5 inch design.

Featuring four bays for 2.5-inch drives, the ThunderBay 4 mini is available in pre-configured solutions up to 16.0TB, while the 0GB enclosure is ready out of the box for users to repurpose or maximize their choice of 2.5” SSDs and/or HDDs. Mixed drives can be used independently or combined as a RAID with the included powerful, yet accessible SoftRAID setup and management software. For creative pros or IT managers and remote/home office professionals seeking big RAID performance that’s small enough to fit on a desk, in a rack, or on a DIT cart, your wish is now a reality. The ThunderBay 4 mini transforms SSDs and HDDs into the perfect storage solution to use as is or adapt as needed to breeze through workflows and backups all the way up to today’s highest resolution audio, photo, and video formats.

Pro-Class RAID Performance and Reliability in a Super Compact Design

The ThunderBay 4 mini is big on performance and flexibility, yet it’s about the length of a pencil and weighs only 3.1 pounds with SSDs installed. The rugged heat-dissipating aluminum enclosure is available in two models: Thunderbolt 3 with two ports (Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt backward compatible)for up to 1556MB/s of real-world tested performance or Thunderbolt 2 with two ports (Thunderbolt backward compatible) for up to 1346MB/s speeds.

Go Big, Do More, Go Faster

The ThunderBay 4 mini allows users to daisy-chain up to five additional ThunderBay 4 mini solutions to create massive storage capacities. Merge them with SoftRAID for even more flexibility, capacity, and capability. If maximum transfer speed is the goal, connect multiple ThunderBay 4 mini solutions to multiple Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 2 ports on a Mac or PC for exponential speed. Beyond storage, users can attach a 5K Thunderbolt display or two 4K displays to the ThunderBay 4 mini and enjoy the flexibility to expand their daisy-chain to meet any task–at-hand.

Highlights

Maximize SSD or HDD potential – four 2.5-inch drive bays
Thunderbolt 3 Version: Pro-grade, real-world–tested speeds – up to 1556MB/s with (2) Thunderbolt 3 ports (Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt backward compatible)
Thunderbolt 2 Version: Real-world tested speeds of up to 1346MB/s with (2) Thunderbolt 2 ports (Thunderbolt backward compatible)
Flexibility – re-task existing drives or choose from pre-configured solutions
Daisy-chain expansion – add up to 5 additional Thunderbolt devices
Deployment ready – pre-configured solutions undergo rigorous multi-step performance certification
Near silent operation – heat-dissipating aluminum with 32.5dB cooling fan
Quick drive swaps – drives mount on sliding trays
Plug and Play – no drivers needed and includes Thunderbolt 3/Thunderbolt 2 cable
Robust software for creating, monitoring and managing advanced RAID sets
Worry-free – up to 3-Year OWC Limited Warranty with 1-Year Level 1 data recovery

Engineered for users who demand ultra-reliable and recoverable high-capacity storage, ThunderBay 4 mini provides a proven, high-quality array of storage bays that can be perfectly configured to suit unique storage, work speed, and data reliability needs – all in a compact design.

Pricing & Availability

The ThunderBay 4 mini is available now at MacSales.com with either Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 2 interface priced at $299.99 with no drives or plug & play ready equipped with up to 16.0TB of capacity starting from $599.99 for 4.0TB Models.

Introducing the ThunderBay 4 mini

5 Comments

Lloyd Chambers says:

December 17, 2019 at 9:56 am

How many SATA controllers inside?
- OWC Mark C says:
  
  December 17, 2019 at 10:46 am
  
  There are two ASM1062. Bays A+B share one, and bays C+D share the other. Any bay will give essentially full SSD performance, but if only two SSDs are installed, you should put one on each controller: A + C, or B + D for absolute best performance.
  
  Hope this helps!
  - Lloyd Chambers says:
    
    December 17, 2019 at 10:55 am
    
    Thank you.
    
    A SATA bus offers 600 MB/sec of bandwidth, but with 8b/10b encoding the real-world data throughput is thus 600 * 8/10 = 480 MB/sec for user data.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8b/10b_encoding
    
    So how can two SATA controllers ever exceed 960MB/sec in total for actual user data?
    - OWC Mark C says:
      
      December 17, 2019 at 2:09 pm
      
      This is getting above my paygrade, so I reached out to our PD team and they will reach out to you directly!
MacRat says:

December 13, 2019 at 11:59 am

Sweet.

I’ve enjoyed having my Thunderbolt 2 model I bought in 2015 and was sad when it was discontinued.

I’m glad it is back and upgraded.

Introducing the ThunderBay 4 mini

Four 2.5-inch drive bays, up to 16TB capacity, SoftRAID setup, and management software, and real-world speeds up to 1556MB/s in a pro-grade, super-compact Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 2 storage solution!