OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 Preconfigured Thunderbolt Storage and PCIe Expansion System

OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 Thunderbolt Storage and PCIe Expansion System

The OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 is a professional Thunderbolt workflow platform designed for creators, editors, production studios, and advanced workstation environments that need powerful storage, flexible expansion, and professional connectivity in one system.

More than a standard storage enclosure, ThunderBay Flex 8 combines 8 drive bays, Thunderbolt connectivity, PCIe expansion, docking functionality, and workflow-focused storage configurations. It is ideal for video editing, photography libraries, audio production, backup, archive, and large-scale media workflows.

Available in three professionally configured storage options, ThunderBay Flex 8 lets you choose the setup that best matches your workflow: maximum capacity, maximum flexibility, or maximum workflow performance.

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Key Features

• 8-bay Thunderbolt storage, docking and PCIe expansion system
• Available in HDD-only and hybrid NVMe + HDD configurations
• Maximum capacity options up to 192TB
• Integrated PCIe expansion support for professional workflow cards
• Designed for video editing, backup, archive and creator workflows
• Ideal for Mac and PC professional workstation environments

Choose Your Workflow

Select the ThunderBay Flex 8 configuration that best matches how you work. Each option is built around a different balance of capacity, speed, and production flexibility.

Maximum Capacity	Maximum Flexibility	Maximum Workflow
8 x HDD Best for archive, backup, media libraries and maximum storage capacity.	4 x NVMe + 4 x HDD Best for users needing fast active storage plus high-capacity archive space.	1 x NVMe + 7 x HDD Best for editing, scratch/cache workflows and production environments.
Available capacities: 64TB, 96TB, 128TB, 160TB, 192TB	Available capacities: 20TB, 24TB, 36TB, 40TB, 52TB, 56TB, 64TB, 68TB, 72TB, 80TB	Available capacities: 58TB, 60TB, 86TB, 88TB, 114TB, 116TB

Configuration Details *

Maximum Capacity – 8 x HDD

• 64TB = 8 × 8TB HDD
• 96TB = 8 × 12TB HDD
• 128TB = 8 × 16TB HDD
• 160TB = 8 × 20TB HDD
• 192TB = 8 × 24TB HDD

Maximum Flexibility – 4 x NVMe + 4 x HDD

• 20TB Total = 16TB HDD (4 × 4TB) + 4TB NVMe (4 × 1TB)
• 24TB Total = 16TB HDD (4 × 4TB) + 8TB NVMe (4 × 2TB)
• 36TB Total = 32TB HDD (4 × 8TB) + 4TB NVMe (4 × 1TB)
• 40TB Total = 32TB HDD (4 × 8TB) + 8TB NVMe (4 × 2TB)
• 52TB Total = 48TB HDD (4 × 12TB) + 4TB NVMe (4 × 1TB)
• 56TB Total = 48TB HDD (4 × 12TB) + 8TB NVMe (4 × 2TB)
• 64TB Total = 48TB HDD (4 × 12TB) + 16TB NVMe (4 × 4TB)
• 68TB Total = 64TB HDD (4 × 16TB) + 4TB NVMe (4 × 1TB)
• 72TB Total = 64TB HDD (4 × 16TB) + 8TB NVMe (4 × 2TB)
• 80TB Total = 64TB HDD (4 × 16TB) + 16TB NVMe (4 × 4TB)

Maximum Workflow – 1 x NVMe + 7 x HDD

• 58TB Total = 56TB HDD (7 × 8TB) + 2TB NVMe
• 60TB Total = 56TB HDD (7 × 8TB) + 4TB NVMe
• 86TB Total = 84TB HDD (7 × 12TB) + 2TB NVMe
• 88TB Total = 84TB HDD (7 × 12TB) + 4TB NVMe
• 114TB Total = 112TB HDD (7 × 16TB) + 2TB NVMe
• 116TB Total = 112TB HDD (7 × 16TB) + 4TB NVMe

Included

• OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 system
• Installed storage based on the selected configuration
• 2 x Security Keys for Front Panel Lock
• Hex Key
• Power cable
• Thunderbolt cable
• 3 Years of SoftRAID Premium Access (License located on device)
• 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty
• Documentation PDF

Product Q&A

Q: What is the difference between the three configurations?

A: Maximum Capacity uses 8 HDDs for the largest storage pool. Maximum Flexibility combines 4 NVMe SSDs and 4 HDDs. Maximum Workflow uses 1 NVMe SSD with 7 HDDs for active editing and bulk storage.

Q: Which option is best for video editing?

A: Maximum Workflow is ideal for editing, scratch/cache and production workflows, while Maximum Flexibility is best for mixed active projects and archive storage.

Q: Which option gives the most storage capacity?

A: Maximum Capacity offers the highest total storage, with configurations up to 192TB using 8 HDDs.

Q: Can this be used as more than storage?

A: Yes. ThunderBay Flex 8 also provides docking functionality and PCIe expansion support for professional workflow cards.

Q: Is this suitable for professional creator workflows?

A: Yes. It is designed for video editing, photography, audio production, backup, archive and high-capacity media workflows.

Specifications

• Product Type:
  Professional Thunderbolt storage, docking and PCIe expansion system
• Drive Bays:
  8 flexible drive bays supporting HDD and SSD configurations
• Storage Configurations:
  HDD-only configurations
  Hybrid NVMe + HDD configurations
  Workflow-optimised creator configurations
• Maximum Capacity:
  Up to 192TB HDD storage
• NVMe Support:
  Supports OWC NVMe U.2 Hybrid Array configurations
• PCIe Expansion:
  Integrated PCIe expansion support for professional workflow cards
• Connectivity:
  Thunderbolt connectivity with docking and workflow expansion support
• Workflow Applications:
  Video editing
  Photography workflows
  Audio production
  Archive storage
  Backup environments
  Creator workflows
• System Compatibility:
  Mac and PC compatible

Compatibility

• Mac Compatibility:
  Thunderbolt-equipped Mac systems
  Mac M1/M2/M3/M4/M5
  
• 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
  macOS 26.x Tahoe
• PC Compatibility:
  Not compatible with Windows PCs
  
• Recommended Workflows:
  Video editing
  Photography
  Music production
  Archive storage
  Backup storage
  Professional creator environments

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