OWC has announced its new ThunderBlade X8, which looks to be a great option for creative professionals who are looking for a fast shuttle and edit RAID SSD.
The new ThunderBlade X8 offers up to 2949MB/s* real-world speeds and up to 16% higher capacity and efficiency when used in RAID 5.
*Up to 2949MB/s peak performance with 8.0TB (8 x 1.0TB OWC Aura SSDs) Thunderblade connected to a 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021 (MacBookPro18,1) with 16GB RAM and Apple M1 Pro 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU running AJA System Test (8K-Full resolution, 64GB file size, 16-bit RGBA codec, single file test).
The ThunderBlade X8 is the follow up to the original ThunderBlade that I reviewed on the site way back in January 2020. The ThunderBlade garnered a strong reputation and its performance and reliability made it a favorite amongst working professionals in the industry.
New to ThunderBlade X8:
- Up to 4TB (16.7%) higher capacity in RAID 4/5
- Over 16% higher performance in RAID 4/5 redundant configurations with Apple Silicon (all M1 and later including Pro / Max / Ultra) machines
- Improved power connector
- LED angle revised to reduce/eliminate on-set light distraction possibility.
The new ThunderBlade X8 enables users to seamlessly handle data-intensive tasks.
The ThunderBlade X8 features an integrated fin-designed cooling system, and because of its design and size it can be used at home on set, in the edit suite, or you can take it on the road as it comes in a ballistic hard-shell case.
Before a ThunderBlade is delivered, it undergoes rigorous multi-hour “burn-in” performance certification.
Pricing & Availability
The new ThunderBlade X8 is available in 8TB, 16TB, or 32TB capacities. Pre-order today at macsales.com starting at $1,749.99 USD.
