1-800-275-4576
OWC U.2 NVMe Interchange System
Drive Bay Insert for OWC Mercury Helios 3S
Mfr P/N: HELIOS3SISS OWC SKU: OWCHELIOS3SISS
Converts Mercury Helios 3S Into a Swappable U.2 NVMe SSD Storage Solution
- Maximum drive performance: Turns Mercury Helios 3S into a swappable U.2 NVMe SSD storage solution that maxes out Thunderbolt 3’s 40Gb/s speed limit…over 6X faster than the fastest SATA SSDs
- Durable solution: Locking drive bay for Interchange System Carrier Tray (sold separately) protect U.2 connector from repeated swap wear
- Store more: Install up to a 16TB U.2 NVMe SSD onto the drive tray (sold separately)
- Keeps drives cool: Utilizes Helios 3S thermally dynamic design and active cooling to reduce heat saturation and throttling
- Use anywhere: Enables U.2 NVMe drive use in the studio or out in the field
- Designed for global workflows: Small, lightweight drives provide dramatically lower production to lab shipping costs vs shipping larger, heavier drives
- Convenient bundle option: pre-installed system ready for your U.2 drive
- For media and entertainment industry professionals seeking the fastest performance from U.2 NVMe SSDs with easy drive swap convenience in a protective, transportable carrier.
- 2 Year OWC Limited Warranty
The future data storage standard for production and post production workflows has arrived!
Speed. Security. Savings. The holy trinity of data storage requirements in production to lab workflow is transformed by the OWC U.2 NVMe Interchange System and its application for the OWC Mercury Helios 3S. By combining a locking drive bay and removable tray (sold separately), the OWC U.2 NVMe Interchange System turns the Mercury Helios 3S PCIe Expansion chassis (sold separately or as a ready to run bundle) into a time and money-saving swappable U.2 NVMe SSD storage solution for high-performance film production requirements.
Over 6X Faster SSD Performance
The “e” in U.2 NVMe SSDs stands for express…as in PCI Express. It’s a more direct and optimized path to a computer’s processor for the fastest data connection possible. While SATA is the most common consumer-grade SSD connection with up to 6Gb/s transfer rates, U.2 NVMe SSDs are designed to take advantage of the direct connection PCIe technology offers to achieve rates up to 40Gb/s…over 6X faster performance! It’s no wonder U.2 NVMe SSD use began in the enterprise and server market where ROI is defined in nanoseconds and ensuring reliability is paramount.
Now you can rapidly checksum, data transfer, and transcode the day’s shoot into the OWC Mercury Helios 3S, quickly pull the Interchange System tray mounted U.2 NVMe SSD out and send it on to postproduction. Imagine…no more tedious and time-consuming drive enclosure disassembly to access a storage drive and install a new drive.
Save Time and Money While Securing Data
For over three decades, OWC has listened to its customers and created innovative solutions that solved their data storage challenges. The OWC U.2 NVMe Interchange System for Helios 3S continues that rich history with an integrated solution that saves M&E industry professionals time and money while safeguarding their data in three easy setup steps.
- Step 1: Disconnect Thunderbolt 3 cable, loosen enclosure thumbscrews, and install drive bay into Helios 3S’s PCIe slot.
- Step 2: Mount NVMe SSD up to 16TB capacity to the drive tray.
- Step 3: Slide and lock tray into drive bay to secure your data and reconnect Thunderbolt 3 cable.
Need to get that drive to post production on a tight deadline with an equally tight project budget? Just pull the Interchange System drive tray out of the drive bay and ship it to enjoy significant cost savings over shipping a heavy enclosure. Then just swap in another drive with an additional tray (sold separately) to keep your data and projects flowing smoothly and securely.
Includes
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- (1) U.2 Interchange System bay
- (1) Printed Quick Start Guide
- (1) Installation Guide (download only)
- 2 Year OWC Limited Warranty
Specs
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Internal Connectivity
- U.2
External Connectivity
- PCIe
Card Interface
- PCIe
PCIe Bus Interface
- PCI Express 3.1 x4
PCIe Form Factor
- PCIe x16
- Compatible with PCIe x16 slots
Mac OS Compatibility
- macOS 10.14 Mojave
- 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
- Windows 10 32-bit Edition
- Windows 10 64-bit Edition
- Windows Server 2019
- Windows Server 2022
- Windows 11
Other Requirements
- macOS 10.14.5 or later is required.
Dimensions
- Height: 12.0 cm (4.7 in)
- Length: 18.3 cm (7.2 in)
- Width: 4.5 cm (1.8 in)
Weight
- 668.0 g (1.47 lbs)
Ambient Temperature
- Operating: 41°F to 95°F (5°C to 35°C)
- Non-Operating: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C)
Humidity
- Operating: 5% to 95% non-condensing
- Non-Operating: 5% to 95% non-condensing
Compatibility & Installation Videos
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MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro (16-inch, Late 2024)
Late 2024
Model ID: Mac16.5
Apple M4 Max
MacBook Pro (14-inch, Late 2024)
Late 2024
Model ID: Mac16,8
Apple M4 Pro
MacBook Pro (16-inch, Late 2024)
Late 2024
Model ID: Mac16,7
Apple M4 Pro
MacBook Pro (14-inch, Late 2024)
Late 2024
Model ID: Mac16,6 & Mac16,1
Apple M4 Max & Apple M4
MacBook Pro (16-inch, Late 2023)
Late 2023
Model ID: Mac15,9
Apple M3 Max
MacBook Pro (14-inch, Late 2023)
Late 2023
Model ID: Mac15,8
Apple M3 Max
MacBook Pro (16-inch, Late 2023)
Late 2023
Model ID: Mac15,7
Apple M3 Pro
MacBook Pro (14-inch, Late 2023)
Late 2023
Model ID: Mac15,6 & Mac15,3
Apple M3 Pro & Apple M3
MacBook Pro (16-inch, Late 2023)
Late 2023
Model ID: Mac15,11
Apple M3 Max
MacBook Pro (14-inch, Late 2023)
Late 2023
Model ID: Mac15,10
Apple M3 Max
MacBook Pro (14-inch, Early 2023)
Early 2023
Model ID: Mac14,9
Apple M2 Pro
MacBook Pro (16-inch, Early 2023)
Early 2023
Model ID: Mac14,6
Apple M2 Max
MacBook Pro (14-inch, Early 2023)
Early 2023
Model ID: Mac14,5
Apple M2 Max
MacBook Pro (16-inch, Early 2023)
Early 2023
Model ID: Mac14,10
Apple M2 Pro
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2022)
Mid 2022
Model ID: Mac14,7
Apple M2
MacBook Pro (14-inch, Late 2021)
Late 2021
Model ID: MacBookPro18,4 & MacBookPro18,3
Apple M1 Max & Apple M1 Pro
MacBook Pro (16-inch, Late 2021)
Late 2021
Model ID: MacBookPro18,2 & MacBookPro18,1
Apple M1 Max & Apple M1 Pro
MacBook Pro (Touch, 13-inch, Late 2020)
Late 2020
Model ID: MacBookPro17,1
Apple M1
MacBook Pro (Touch, 13-inch, Mid 2020)
Mid 2020
Model ID: MacBookPro16,3 & MacBookPro16,2
1.4GHz & 1.7GHz & 2.0GHz Core i5 & 2.3GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Touch, 16-inch, Mid 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacBookPro16,1
2.6GHz Core i7 & 2.3GHz & 2.4GHz Core i9
MacBook Pro (Touch, 13-inch, Mid 2019)
Mid 2019
Model ID: MacBookPro15,4
1.4GHz Core i5 & 1.7GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Touch, 15-inch, Mid 2019)
Mid 2019
Model ID: MacBookPro15,3
2.4GHz & 2.3GHz Core i9
MacBook Pro (Touch, 13-inch, Mid 2019)
Mid 2019
Model ID: MacBookPro15,2
2.4GHz Core i5 & 2.8GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Touch, 15-inch, Mid 2019)
Mid 2019
Model ID: MacBookPro15,1
2.6GHz Core i7 & 2.4GHz & 2.3GHz Core i9
MacBook Pro (Touch, 15-inch, Late 2018)
Late 2018
Model ID: MacBookPro15,3
2.6GHz Core i7 & 2.9GHz Core i9
MacBook Pro (Touch, 13-inch, Mid 2018)
Mid 2018
Model ID: MacBookPro15,2
2.3GHz Core i5 & 2.7GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Touch, 15-inch, Mid 2018)
Mid 2018
Model ID: MacBookPro15,1
2.6GHz & 2.2GHz Core i7 & 2.9GHz Core i9
MacBook Pro (Touch, 15-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Model ID: MacBookPro14,3
2.9GHz & 2.8GHz & 3.1GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Touch, 13-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Model ID: MacBookPro14,2
3.3GHz & 3.1GHz Core i5 & 3.5GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Model ID: MacBookPro14,1
2.3GHz Core i5 & 2.5GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, Touch Bar, 15-inch, Late 2016)
Late 2016
Model ID: MacBookPro13,3
2.9GHz & 2.7GHz & 2.6GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, Touch Bar, 13-inch, Late 2016)
Late 2016
Model ID: MacBookPro13,2
2.9GHz & 3.1GHz Core i5 & 3.3GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2016)
Late 2016
Model ID: MacBookPro13,1
2.0GHz Core i5 & 2.4GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
Mid 2015
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: MacBookPro11,5 & MacBookPro11,4
2.5GHz & 2.8GHz & 2.2GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
Early 2015
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: MacBookPro12,1
2.7GHz & 2.9GHz Core i5 & 3.1GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
Mid 2014
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: MacBookPro11,3 & MacBookPro11,2
2.5GHz & 2.8GHz & 2.2GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)
Mid 2014
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: MacBookPro11,1
2.6GHz & 2.8GHz Core i5 & 3.0GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
Late 2013
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: MacBookPro11,3 & MacBookPro11,2
2.3GHz & 2.6GHz & 2.0GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)
Late 2013
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: MacBookPro11,1
2.4GHz & 2.6GHz Core i5 & 2.8GHz Core i7
MacBook Air
MacBook Air (15-inch, Early 2025)
Early 2025
Model ID: Mac16,13
Apple M4
MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2025)
Early 2025
Model ID: Mac16,12
Apple M4
MacBook Air (15-inch, Early 2024)
Early 2024
Model ID: Mac15,13
Apple M3
MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2024)
Early 2024
Model ID: Mac15,12
Apple M3
MacBook Air (15-inch, Mid 2023)
Mid 2023
Model ID: Mac14,15
Apple M2
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2022)
Mid 2022
Model ID: Mac14,2
Apple M2
MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2020)
Early 2020
Model ID: MacBookAir9,1
1.1GHz Core i3 & 1.1GHz Core i5 & 1.2GHz Core i7
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2019)
Mid 2019
Model ID: MacBookAir8,2
1.6GHz Core i5
MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2018)
Late 2018
Model ID: MacBookAir8,1
1.6GHz Core i5
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: MacBookAir7,2
1.8GHz Core i5 & 2.2GHz Core i7
MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)
Early 2015
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: MacBookAir7,2
1.6GHz Core i5 & 2.2GHz Core i7
MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)
Early 2015
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: MacBookAir7,1
1.6GHz Core i5 & 2.2GHz Core i7
iMac (Retina 4.5K, 24-inch, Late 2024)
Late 2024
Model ID: Mac16,3 & Mac16,2
Apple M4
iMac (Retina 4.5K, 24-inch, Late 2023)
Late 2023
Model ID: Mac15,5 & Mac15,4
Apple M3
iMac (Retina 4.5K, 24-inch, Mid 2021)
Mid 2021
Model ID: iMac21,2 & iMac21,1
Apple M1
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2020)
Mid 2020
Model ID: iMac20,2 & iMac20,1
3.8GHz Core i7 & 3.6GHz Core i9 & 3.3GHz & 3.1GHz Core i5
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Early 2019)
Early 2019
Model ID: iMac19,2
3.6GHz Core i3 & 3.0GHz Core i5 & 3.2GHz Core i7
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Early 2019)
Early 2019
Model ID: iMac19,1
3.7GHz & 3.1GHz & 3.0GHz Core i5 & 3.6GHz Core i9
iMac Pro (27-inch, Late 2017)
Late 2017
Model ID: iMacPro1,1
2.3GHz Xeon W & 2.5GHz Xeon W & 3.2GHz Xeon W & 3.0GHz Xeon W
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Model ID: iMac18,3
3.8GHz & 3.5GHz & 3.4GHz Core i5 & 4.2GHz Core i7
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Model ID: iMac18,2
3.4GHz & 3.0GHz Core i5 & 3.6GHz Core i7
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)
Late 2015
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: iMac17,1
3.2GHz & 3.3GHz Core i5 & 4.0GHz Core i7
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
Late 2015
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: iMac16,2
2.8GHz Core i5
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)
Late 2015
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: iMac16,2
3.1GHz Core i5 & 3.3GHz Core i7
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
Late 2015
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: iMac16,1
1.6GHz Core i5
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015)
Mid 2015
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: iMac15,1
3.3GHz Core i5
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
Late 2014
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: iMac15,1
3.5GHz Core i5 & 4.0GHz Core i7
Mac Pro
Mac Pro (Mid 2023)
Mid 2023
Model ID: Mac14,8
Apple M2 Ultra
Mac Pro Rack (Mid 2023)
Mid 2023
Model ID: Mac14,8
Apple M2 Ultra
Mac Pro Rack (Late 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacPro7,1
3.5GHz 8-Core Xeon
Mac Pro Rack (Late 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacPro7,1
3.3GHz 12-Core Xeon
Mac Pro Rack (Late 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacPro7,1
3.2GHz 16-Core Xeon
Mac Pro Rack (Late 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacPro7,1
2.7GHz 24-Core Xeon
Mac Pro Rack (Late 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacPro7,1
2.5GHz 28-Core Xeon
Mac Pro (Late 2013)
Late 2013
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: MacPro6,1
3.7GHz 4-Core Xeon & 3.5GHz & 3.7GHz 6-Core Xeon & 3.0GHz 8-Core Xeon & 3.0GHz 10-Core Xeon & 2.7GHz 12-Core Xeon
Mac Studio
Mac Studio (Early 2025)
Early 2025
Model ID: Mac16,9 & Mac15,14
Apple M4 Max & Apple M3 Ultra
Mac Studio (Mid 2023)
Mid 2023
Model ID: Mac14,14 & Mac14,13
Apple M2 Ultra & Apple M2 Max
Mac Studio (Early 2022)
Early 2022
Model ID: Mac13,2 & Mac13,1
Apple M1 Ultra & Apple M1 Max
Mac mini
Mac mini (Late 2024)
Late 2024
Model ID: Mac16,11 & Mac16,10
Apple M4 Pro & Apple M4
Mac mini (Early 2023)
Early 2023
Model ID: Mac14,3 & Mac14,12
Apple M2 & Apple M2 Pro
Mac mini (Late 2020)
Late 2020
Model ID: Macmini9,1
Apple M1
Mac mini (Late 2018)
Late 2018
Model ID: Macmini8,1
3.6GHz Core i3 & 3.0GHz Core i5 & 3.2GHz Core i7
Mac mini (Late 2014)
Late 2014
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Requires Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP) Adapter and Thunderbolt 2 cable.
Model ID: Macmini7,1
1.4GHz & 2.6GHz & 2.8GHz Core i5 & 3.0GHz Core i7
PC Compatible
PC Compatible
PC must have a compatible Thunderbolt port
