OWC may not be a name that you are very familiar with, but we met up with them at CES 2024 and took a look at some awesome attached storage devices that we want to share with you. We’ve all seen external flash drives and some folks have probably even worked with direct attached storage devices, but these two options from OWC are on a whole other level.
Express 1M2
We have seen some fast USB SSDs, but the Express 1M2 from OWC might be the most impressive. This USB4 NVME-based SSD is compatible with USB4, Thunderbolt, and USB Type-C systems and devices, which makes it a versatile tool for content creators and those working with multiple platforms. With speeds up to 3,151 MB/s, you can choose to provide your own NVMe M.2 drive in sizes between 2230 and 2280, or go with a preconfigured option with the drive provided. The aluminum enclosure is there to not only make sure the drive is protected, but to passively cool the drive via the milled heat fin design. Small enough to fit in your pocket, the Express 1M2 is some of the fastest portable storage we have ever seen, and best of all, it is bus-powered, so no extra cables besides the included USB-C cable are required.
ThunderBlade X8
OWC designed the ThunderBlade X8 to be the fastest Thunderbolt shuttle and editing RAID SSD in the world for content creators, and it looks like they have done just that. With room for up to eight 2242 NVMe SSDs, and a total capacity of 32TB, the ThunderBlade X8 can reach speeds of up to 2,949 MB/s via the Thunderbolt 3 bus. The solid aluminum shell on the X8 not only protects the drives inside, but keeps them cool as well. The Type-C connectivity found on the ThunderBlade X8 also allows for daisy chaining additional devices such as another Thunderbolt device, or even a Type-C display.
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