OWC Express 1M2 80G Thunderbolt 5/USB4 NVMe SSD Enclosure or Portable SSD – Up to 6000MB/s

Experience the next evolution in portable storage with the OWC Express 1M2 80G. Built on the latest Thunderbolt 5 / USB4 80Gb/s interface, this aircraft-grade aluminum, finned, fanless enclosure/caddy delivers over 6000MB/s real-world performance with pro-level thermal control. Run 8K video edits, VFX renders, AI/ML workloads, high-volume photo ingest, and game builds at internal-SSD speeds — anywhere, bus-powered, with a single cable. Choose a flexible DIY kit (add your own 2242/2280 NVMe) or a Ready SSD configuration, and work across Mac, PC, iPad Pro, Surface, and Chromebooks with simple cross-platform options like MacDrive (optional).

Highlights

• Supremely fast: over 6000MB/s peak real-world speed via Thunderbolt 5 80Gb/s
• DIY or Ready SSD: supports M.2 NVMe 2242/2280 (no heatsinks). 
• Ready-made SSD configuration: See product options (ready-made SSD will come with OWC Aura Pro IV)
• Innovatively cool: deep-finned, fanless aluminum design for sustained speed
• Widely compatible: Mac, PC, iPad Pro, Surface, Chromebooks
• Bus-powered: one cable convenience with included USB4 cable
• Pro-grade use: 8K video/VFX, AI/ML, photography, gaming, and more

What’s in the Box

• OWC Express 1M2 80G Enclosure (DIY or Ready SSD configuration)
• 0.3M (12") USB-C (80Gb/s) Cable
• Phillips PH1 Screwdriver
• Quick Start Guide
• 2-Year OWC Limited Warranty for enclosure only
• 3-Year OWC Limited Warranty for ready made external SSD

Specifications

• Drive Bays: 1 bay supporting M.2 NVMe SSDs; supports double-sided and single-sided M.2 2242 / M.2 2280 “M-Key” drives (NVMe SSDs with a heatsink will not fit / not supported)
• Plug and Play: Yes
• Storage Interface: M.2 NVMe (ready-made SSD will come with Aura Pro IV
  PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 Solid-State Drive installed. *OWC reserves the right to replace or upgrade to equivalent or better components.)
• Device Ports: (1) Host Port – Thunderbolt 5/ USB4 (USB-C) up to 80Gb/s (10,000MB/s)
• UASP Support: UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol) supported
• Data Transfer Rate (Max): USB4 up to 80Gb/s (10,000MB/s)
• Benchmark Speed (Max): Read up to 6362MB/s; Write up to 5638MB/s
• Chipset / Controller: Barlow Ridge (JHL9480)
• Contact Start Stops: Varies by installed drive
• Host Interface Requirements: Works with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3 (Mac only), or USB4 port
• Driver Required: No
• Supports OWC ClingOn (cable stabilizer)
• External Power Adapter: No
• Power Supply: Bus-powered
• Security Slot: No
• Power/Activity LED: Yes
• Housing Color: Silver
• Housing Material: Aluminum
• Dimensions (H × L × W): 2.4 × 13.3 × 7.2 cm (0.9 × 5.2 × 2.8 in)
• Weight: 280.8 g (0.62 lbs)
• Certifications: CE, FCC, RCM, VCCI, UKCA, ICES
• REACH Certification: Yes
• 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: 8%–90% non-condensing; Non-Operating: 5%–95% non-condensing
• Notes:
  • 1) NVMe SSDs with heatsinks will not fit / not supported.
  • 2) May not mount if connected as the third bus-powered device on select Macs (e.g., Apple M4 Mac mini 16,11 and M4 Max Mac Studio).
  • 3) LED Status: Solid white = connected with SSD installed; Flashing white = read/write activity.
  • 4) LED Dimmer Switch (above the USB4 80Gb/s port) dims/turns off the LED; not to be confused with the OWC ClingOn mount hole. Press once to dim, press again to turn off.
  • 5) Windows systems: changing Disk Removal Policy from “Quick removal” to “Better performance” can improve speed (see OWC Disk Performance guidance).
  • 6) Mounts as an internal drive when connected to an Apple silicon system through an OWC 14-Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock; performance within normal range.
    
• Supported Drives
• NVMe M.2 SSDs with 2280 / 2242 / form factor
  Double-Sided | Single-Sided NVMe M.2 SSDs
  PCIe Gen 3.0, Gen 4.0, and Gen 5.0 NVMe SSDs
• Compatibility Notice: ⚠️ Western Digital SN5xx series NVMe M.2 2280 SSDs are not compatible with the OWC Express 1M2 80G Thunderbolt 5/USB4 NVMe SSD Enclosure and should not be used.
• Users should expect the following speeds when connected to a Thunderbolt 5 or USB4 v2 host:
  PCIe Gen 3.0: up to 3400 MB/s
  PCIe Gen 4.0: up to 6800 MB/s
  PCIe Gen 5.0: up to 6800 MB/s (limited by Thunderbolt/USB interface)
• PCIe Gen 5 NVMe M.2 SSDs require careful selection and verification of manufacturer specifications due to the bus-power limits of host computers, docks, and hubs. We recommend choosing a PCIe Gen 5 SSD that consumes 11 watts or less on average during sustained read or write operations, such as the Samsung 9100 Pro Series Gen 5 NVMe.

Compatibility

• Host Interface Requirements: Thunderbolt 5 / Thunderbolt 4 / Thunderbolt 3 - (Mac only) / USB4 (M-series Mac compatible)
• macOS: 14.x Sonoma; 15.x Sequoia
• Windows: Windows 11
• Linux: Yes (latest Ubuntu recommended)
• ChromeOS: Latest version recommended
• iPadOS: Latest version recommended
• Driver Required: No

• Mac Compatibility:
• • MacBook Pro — Mid 2018 to latest
• • MacBook Air — Early 2020 to latest
• • iMac — Retina Early 2019 to latest
• • iMac Pro — 27-inch, Late 2017
• • Mac Pro — Late 2019 to latest
• • Mac Studio — Early 2022 to latest
• • Mac mini — Late 2018 to latest
• • iPad — iPad Pro Late 2022 to latest

• PC Compatibility: PC must have a compatible Thunderbolt port

• Compatibility Notes:
• • Thunderbolt 5 for Mac requires macOS 15.x or later
• • Thunderbolt 5 for PC requires Windows 11 (22H2) or later
• • Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 on Apple silicon Macs require macOS 14.x or later
• • Thunderbolt 4 for PC requires Windows 11
• • Thunderbolt 3 support is Mac only and requires macOS 15.x or later
• • iPad/Chromebook/Surface require the latest OS
• • NVMe SSDs with a heatsink will not fit and are not supported

Supported Drives

• NVMe M.2 SSDs with 2280 / 2242 / form factor
  Double-Sided | Single-Sided NVMe M.2 SSDs
  PCIe Gen 3.0, Gen 4.0, and Gen 5.0 NVMe SSDs
• Users should expect the following speeds when connected to a Thunderbolt 5 or USB4 v2 host:
  PCIe Gen 3.0: up to 3400 MB/s
  PCIe Gen 4.0: up to 6800 MB/s
  PCIe Gen 5.0: up to 6800 MB/s (limited by Thunderbolt/USB interface)
• PCIe Gen 5 NVMe M.2 SSDs require careful selection and verification of manufacturer specifications due to the bus-power limits of host computers, docks, and hubs. We recommend choosing a PCIe Gen 5 SSD that consumes 11 watts or less on average during sustained read or write operations, such as the Samsung 9100 Pro Series Gen 5 NVMe.
• Compatibility Notice: ⚠️Western Digital SN5xx series NVMe M.2 2280 SSDs are not compatible with the OWC Express 1M2 80G Thunderbolt 5/USB4 NVMe SSD Enclosure and should not be used.

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