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64TB OWC ThunderBay Flex 8
Eight-Bay Thunderbolt (40Gb/s) Storage, Docking & PCIe Expansion Enclosure
Mfr P/N: TB3F8H0D064 OWC SKU: OWCTB3F8H0D064
The Industry's First Thunderbolt 3 All-In-Wonder
- Eight drive bays: use a mix of SATA/SAS and U.2/M.2 NVMe drives for virtually limitless capacity and real world speeds up to 2750MB/s
- Future ready: top four bays can use U.2 SSDs…the emerging M&E industry storage standard
- Do more: second Thunderbolt 3 port for daisy chaining devices or additional display(s)
- See more: DisplayPort 1.4 for connecting up to an 8K display
- Fast media ingest: front-side SD 4.0 and CFexpress card readers with up to 985MB/s speed
- Play your card: (1) PCIe slot for audio/video capture, networking, SSD storage, hardware RAID card, or I/O card
- 5 Year OWC Limited Warranty
- Eight drive bays: use a mix of SATA/SAS1 and U.2/M.22 NVMe drives for for virtually limitless capacity and real world speeds up to 2750MB/s
- Future ready: top four bays can use U.2 SSDs…the emerging M&E industry storage standard
- Do more: second Thunderbolt 3 port3 for daisy chaining devices or additional display(s)
- Connect more: (1) USB-C and (2) USB-A 10Gb/s ports for peripherals and mobile devices
- See more: DisplayPort 1.4 for connecting up to an 8K display4
- Fast media ingest: front-side SD 4.0 and CFexpress card readers with up to 985MB/s speed
- Play your card: (1) PCIe slot for audio/video capture, networking, SSD storage, or I/O card
Flex Your Way Through Every Workflow
NVMe. PCIe. What’s It Mean to Me?
The Future Standard of Storage Available Today
Muscle-FLEXing Data Performance
- A single U.2 NVMe SSD in Bay A
- Multiple U.2 SSDs installed in top four bays (A-D) in RAID 0
- Six or more SATA SSDs in any bays in RAID 0
Docking FLEXibility
FLEXpandable for Unique Needs
A FLEXtraordinary Platform
- FLEX Bottom Four: The bottom four bays populated with SATA drives and top four bays left empty for use with U.2 NVMe drives, M.2 NVMe drives with adapter, or SATA/SAS drives.
A Protective, Economical Post-Production Solution
End-To-End Workflow Possibilities
OWC Thunderbolt Cable Included
- SAS drives are supported with SAS drive controller card.
- Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt compatibility requires a certified Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) adapter and a Thunderbolt 2 cable (not included). This configuration provides data transfer at up to 20Gb/s but does not support notebook charging.
- Full DisplayPort 1.4 capabilities depends on host computer support of DisplayPort 1.4 specification through its Thunderbolt 3 connection, host computer GPU capabilities, and connecting cable capabilities.
Includes
- (1) OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 External Storage Enclosure
- (1) 0.7M Thunderbolt Cable
- (1) External Power Cable
- (2) Security Keys for Front Panel Lock
- (1) Hex Key
- (1) Quick Start Guide for OWC ThunderBay Flex 8
- (1) Assembly Manual & User Guide for OWC ThunderBay Flex 8
- 5 Year OWC Limited Warranty
Specs
Drive Bays
- 4 bays supporting: 2.5-inch SATA HDDs, 2.5-inch SATA SSDs, 3.5-inch SATA HDDs, 3.5-inch SATA SSDs, 2.5-inch U.2 SSDs, M.2 SSDs (with M.2 to U.2 adapter), 2.5-inch SAS HDDs (with SAS drive controller card), 2.5-inch SAS SSDs (with SAS drive controller card), 3.5-inch SAS HDDs (with SAS drive controller card), 3.5-inch SAS SSDs (with SAS drive controller card)
- 4 bays supporting: 2.5-inch SATA HDDs, 2.5-inch SATA SSDs, 3.5-inch SATA HDDs, 3.5-inch SATA SSDs, 2.5-inch SAS HDDs (with SAS drive controller card), 2.5-inch SAS SSDs (with SAS drive controller card), 3.5-inch SAS HDDs (with SAS drive controller card), 3.5-inch SAS SSDs (with SAS drive controller card)
Total Capacity
- 64TB
Total Solution Cache Size
- 2048 MB
Drive Mechanism
- (8) 8.0TB Toshiba N300 Series 7,200RPM Enterprise Class NAS Hard Disk Drive with 256 MB cache
- *OWC reserves the right to replace or upgrade to equivalent or better components.
Hot Swap Support
- Yes
Hot Plug Support
- Yes
Boot Support
- No
RAID Capable
- Yes
RAID Levels Supported
- RAID 0
- RAID 1
- RAID 5
- JBOD
- RAID 3
- RAID 6
- RAID 30
- RAID 50
- RAID 60
- RAID 10
RAID Features
- Hardware RAID
Expansion Slots
- (1) Full-height, half-length, single width PCIe 3.0 x16 slot (physical) at x4 speed
Device Ports
- (1) Host Port - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) up to 40Gb/s (5000MB/s)
- (1) Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Port
- (1) USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Port up to 10Gb/s (1250MB/s) - USB 2.0/3.0 backwards compatible
- (2) USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A Ports up to 10Gb/s (1250MB/s) - USB 2.0/3.0 backwards compatible
- (1) DisplayPort Port
Memory Card Slots
- (1) CFexpress 2.0 Type B
- (1) SD
Power Delivery
- (2) Thunderbolt 3 Ports (15W, 85W)
Display Support
- Up to N/A,
- or one 8K display @ 120Hz,
- or one 5K display @ 60Hz,
- or one 4K display @ 120Hz,
- or one 4K display @ 60Hz,
- or two 4K displays @ 60Hz,
- or one 4K display @ 60Hz and one 4K display @ 30Hz
Display Support by Port
- DisplayPort 1.4: Up to 8K @ 60Hz or 4K @ 120Hz
- Thunderbolt 3: Up to 5K @ 60Hz via a native Thunderbolt 3 display or 4K @ 60Hz via a Thunderbolt display or a USB-C display adapter
Data Rate
- Thunderbolt 3: 40Gb/s (or 5000MB/s)
Data Transfer Rate (Maximum)
- Thunderbolt 3 : Up to 40Gb/s (or 5000MB/s)
Chipset / Controller
- Thunderbolt: Intel JHL7440
- PCIe RAID Controller: Areca: ARC-1226-8i
- USB Controller: Genesys Logic GL-3590
Contact Start Stops
- Varies depending on drive mechanism installed
Host Interface Requirements
- Thunderbolt (USB-C) port (backward compatible with Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt1)
Mac OS Compatibility
- macOS 10.15 Catalina
- macOS 11.x Big Sur
- macOS 12.x Monterey
- macOS 13.x Ventura
- macOS 14.x Sonoma
- macOS 15.x Sequoia
PC OS Compatibility
- Not compatible with Windows PCs
Driver Required
- Yes
- For PCIe cards that require a driver, please check the manufacturer web site. Drivers for PCIe cards must be Thunderbolt-aware to function.
Supported PCIe Cards
- Supports PCIe 3.0 x16 physical, x2 electrical, full-height, half-length, single-width (driverless or with Thunderbolt-aware driver). GPUs not supported.
Other Requirements
- macOS 10.15.1 or later required.
External Power Adapter
- No
Power Supply
- Internal UL-listed universal auto-switching power supply
AC Input
- 100-240V, 50-60Hz, 3.5A-7.0A
DC Output
- +12V, 37A
Wattage
- 450W
Cooling
- (1) 120mm 1,600RPM cooling fan
Security Slot
- Yes
Power Button
- Yes
Power/Activity LED
- Yes
Housing Color
- Black
Housing Material
- Aluminum
Dimensions
- Height: 34.9 cm (13.7 in)
- Length: 39.0 cm (15.4 in)
- Width: 14.9 cm (5.9 in)
Weight
- 14.9 kg (32.96 lbs)
Certifications
- BSMI
- CE
- FCC
- RCM
- VCCI
Ambient Temperature
- Operating: 50°F to 95°F (10°C to 35°C)
- Non-Operating: -40°F to 149°F (-40°C to 65°C)
Altitude
- Operating: -304.8 m to 3,048.0 m (-1,000 ft to 10,000 ft)
- Non-Operating: -304.8 m to 12,192.0 m (-1,000 ft to 40,000 ft)
Humidity
- Operating: 8% to 90% non-condensing
- Non-Operating: 5% to 95% non-condensing
Shock
- Operating: Varies depending on drive mechanism installed
- Non-Operating: Varies depending on drive mechanism installed
Noise
- Varies depending on drive mechanism installed
- Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt compatibility requires a certified Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) adapter and a Thunderbolt 2 cable (not included). This configuration provides data transfer at up to 20Gb/s but does not support notebook charging.
- GPUs are not supported.
Benchmarks
Truth in Numbers: Another OWC Difference
There are many attributes that define “The OWC Difference.” By listing real-world performance tests of OWC solutions, we’re confident you’ll be completely satisfied with your technology investment.
macOS RAID 0 Test Results
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test - Intel
Thunderbolt 3

Blackmagic Disk Speed Test - Apple silicon
Thunderbolt 3

AJA System Test - 8K - Intel
Thunderbolt 3

AJA System Test - 8K - Apple silicon
Thunderbolt 3

AJA System Test - 4K - Intel
Thunderbolt 3

AJA System Test - 4K - Apple silicon
Thunderbolt 3

macOS RAID 5 Test Results
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test - Intel
Thunderbolt 3

Blackmagic Disk Speed Test - Apple silicon
Thunderbolt 3

AJA System Test - 8K - Intel
Thunderbolt 3

AJA System Test - 8K - Apple silicon
Thunderbolt 3

AJA System Test - 4K - Intel
Thunderbolt 3

AJA System Test - 4K - Apple silicon
Thunderbolt 3

Compatibility & Installation Videos
- Limited support on compatible Windows systems. This device is not Thunderbolt certified for Windows. A Thunderbolt device may not function properly or at all if used with an operating system for which the device has not been certified.
- GPUs are not supported.
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PC Compatible

PC must have a compatible Thunderbolt port
Products

Videos
Customer Reviews
I love this thing. I knew I would love this thing, but I didn't realize how much. Its expandability is fantastic. The RAID set up is fantastic as well, but the true winner for me has been the additional PCIe slot. The combination of up to eight drives with the PCIe slot in the back of the enclosure makes this a fixture to my current setup.
I would recommend this product to a friend!
- Reviewer:Reviewer3726134899
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome experience! We're thrilled to hear that you're loving your new setup and finding the expandability and RAID options to be fantastic! The added PCIe slot really does take things to the next level, doesn’t it? Your positive feedback truly means the world to us, and we’re excited to be a part of your setup! Keep enjoying all the possibilities!
The enclosure went together well and is working with 5x 12Gbps SAS and 2x 4TB NVMe. So far so good. Biggest issue was finding a SAS solution for my M1 Mac. Ended up with a HighPoint R710L which is working well. I also tried a few other including ATTO however every time I tried doing a Black Magic speed test with the ATTO the system would hang and reboot. The HighPoint was less expensive.
I would recommend this product to a friend!
- Reviewer:Reviewer2341138111
Thank you for the amazing feedback! We're thrilled to hear that the enclosure is working well for you, especially with your M1 Mac setup. We appreciate your support and are always here to help with any future tech needs. Enjoy your high-speed storage solution!
It’s great to have such mega storage, but every time it goes to sleep, or when I first plug it in, it takes way to long to boot up and be recognized by my max.
I would recommend this product to a friend!
- Reviewer:Official-Moretti
Thank you for the feedback on the ThunderBay Flex 8. It is great to hear that you are enjoying the space that this enclosure holds. Please contact our technical support representatives to assist you with this enclosure going to sleep. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions, comments, or concerns. https://eshop.macsales.com/Service/