OWC has a model called 4M2. It supports 4 NVME M.2 drives. there are also PCIe based cards that will host multiple M.2 that you can RAID (though I doubt in RAID 5 or 6).
I have several 4TB 2.5" drives in various mini-ITX computers, so I acknowledge they are useful little things. However if I wanted more than 4TB, a single 8TB 3.5" would seem smaller and more portable than this 4-bay box with 2 x 4tb 2.5" or even 3x 2tb 2.5". It seems rather niche and rather expensive.
Also the prices.... My 4TB 2.5" drives cost around £80-100 each new. OK they're not RAID versions but the markup shouldnt be that much. Ditto a 2TB m.2 should be around £220-250.
Actually if someone was able to create a m.2 box that gave 4 m.2 slots in the space of a fag packet, that would be pretty popular.
The point of the box is that you have a RAID box you can move from system to system. Yes, you can add up a bunch of drives inside your computer that is cheaper and maybe faster but not quite easy to transport.
Now, what's up with OWC recycling product names? They already have a Thunderbay 4 Mini product, the TB4MJB0GB which was released some 4 years ago. Have they taken cue from Apple and should this "new" product be called "Thunderbay 4 Mini Late 2019"
Pretty obvious, if you use your eyes and brain, that the Thunderbolt 4 mini used thunderbolt 2, a connector not used on any windows PC to my knowledge. This new Thunderbay 4 mini uses type C thunderbolt 3, which is now common on high end desktops and DIY PCs.
Temper, temper. The old product was named Thunderbay 4 Mini, exactly like the new one. Not ThunderBOLT 4 Mini.
I've had the unfortunate chance to use TB2 on a Windows PC. TB2 cards were used to route the DP output to Apple Thunderbolt displays. The client wanted the Apple displays prominently on the desk and the PC's were tucked underneath it. I can't fathom why that was...
I have a Synology NAS with 32TB for those prices, nearly 2 years ago. I know I'm comparing apples o oranges, but it seems quite expensive (at least 2~3x too expensive). I don't know much about DAS ... am I completely off?
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OFelix - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
Do you have to rely on OWC software or can Windows do it for you?ksec - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
Are there any DAS that can be wirelessly attached?crimsonson - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
Via what protocol?29a - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
Bluetooth.sandtitz - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
IrDA.crimsonson - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
That is like 16 Mb/s. That is 2 MB/s. Why not just connect a USB 3 drive to your router if that is the speed you need?The point of this is performance and portability.
sandtitz - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
ZigbeeTheSkullCaveIsADarkPlace - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
Timex Data Linkclose - Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - link
I'd read IrDA as sarcasm. ;)Is there a device like this for multiple NVMe drives over TB?
crimsonson - Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - link
LOL. Touche!OWC has a model called 4M2. It supports 4 NVME M.2 drives. there are also PCIe based cards that will host multiple M.2 that you can RAID (though I doubt in RAID 5 or 6).
close - Thursday, December 19, 2019 - link
@crimsonson: Great, thanks!Santoval - Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - link
TB would be the bottleneck in such a setup, which I don't think would make sense.Dug - Sunday, December 22, 2019 - link
You don't necessarily run them raid 0Eliadbu - Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - link
WiGigMrEcho - Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - link
RS-232ronm6667 - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
So, what you want is a NAS instead?arashi - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
Over WiFi?Over network?
Not directly?
r/lostcommentors
Dug - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
That would be called a NASTomatotech - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
I have several 4TB 2.5" drives in various mini-ITX computers, so I acknowledge they are useful little things. However if I wanted more than 4TB, a single 8TB 3.5" would seem smaller and more portable than this 4-bay box with 2 x 4tb 2.5" or even 3x 2tb 2.5". It seems rather niche and rather expensive.Also the prices.... My 4TB 2.5" drives cost around £80-100 each new. OK they're not RAID versions but the markup shouldnt be that much. Ditto a 2TB m.2 should be around £220-250.
Actually if someone was able to create a m.2 box that gave 4 m.2 slots in the space of a fag packet, that would be pretty popular.
crimsonson - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
The point of the box is that you have a RAID box you can move from system to system. Yes, you can add up a bunch of drives inside your computer that is cheaper and maybe faster but not quite easy to transport.Dug - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
This is about speed. And they do make an m.2 TB3 array too if you just use a search engine.crimsonson - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
Are you sure Windows version of SoftRAID exist? Can you post a link?sandtitz - Monday, December 16, 2019 - link
No, there is no Windows version.Now, what's up with OWC recycling product names? They already have a Thunderbay 4 Mini product, the TB4MJB0GB which was released some 4 years ago. Have they taken cue from Apple and should this "new" product be called "Thunderbay 4 Mini Late 2019"
TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - link
Pretty obvious, if you use your eyes and brain, that the Thunderbolt 4 mini used thunderbolt 2, a connector not used on any windows PC to my knowledge. This new Thunderbay 4 mini uses type C thunderbolt 3, which is now common on high end desktops and DIY PCs.sandtitz - Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - link
Temper, temper.The old product was named Thunderbay 4 Mini, exactly like the new one. Not ThunderBOLT 4 Mini.
I've had the unfortunate chance to use TB2 on a Windows PC. TB2 cards were used to route the DP output to Apple Thunderbolt displays. The client wanted the Apple displays prominently on the desk and the PC's were tucked underneath it. I can't fathom why that was...
yankeeDDL - Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - link
I have a Synology NAS with 32TB for those prices, nearly 2 years ago. I know I'm comparing apples o oranges, but it seems quite expensive (at least 2~3x too expensive). I don't know much about DAS ... am I completely off?Dug - Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - link
Yes, by about 1GB/s transfer speed. Your NAS has an OS and doesn't connect by TB3.Operandi - Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - link
Noctua fan....? Fancy.TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - link
$300 for a 4 bay thundrbolt enclosure isnt actually all that bad. Too bad the barebones unit on OWCs website is running $394 instead. Oops.Still, comparable options for NAS or DAS solutions typically run $300-400, and only use usb 3.0 or ethernet connections.