OWC Express 4M2

OWC Express 4M2

$599.00

Tax includedShipping calculated at checkout

OWC SKU: OWCUS4EXP4M2

Available Now!

Four-Slot USB4 (40Gb/s) External Storage Enclosure with SoftRAID for NVMe M.2 2230 / 2242 / 2280 SSDs

 

The incredibly configurable, compatible, and compact DIY RAID

  • Highly Capable: Up to 3200MB/s real-world performance
  • Highly Compatible: Use with USB4, Thunderbolt, and USB-C Macs and PCs
  • Highly Reliable: Aircraft grade aluminum offers rugged protection of installed SSDs plus effective heat dissipation to keep everything cool for consistent top speed
  • Near Silent Operation: Engineered with smart, adaptive fans that activate only when needed or under heavy load, making it ideal for uninterrupted creative focus
  • DIY easy: Use your choice of NVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 SSDs
  • Includes SoftRAID: robust software for creating, monitoring, and managing advanced RAID sets
  • Complete: Includes USB-C 40Gb/s cable
  • 2 Year Warranty


The Best DIY RAID You Wanted

We heard you loud and clear (pun intended) when you said you loved everything about the Express 4M2 but wanted it quieter. After adding smart adaptive fans that only turn on when needed for near silent operation, we decided to give it USB4 connectivity for the optimum blend of compatibility, performance, and affordability. Now you can build a desktop/shuttle high-performance RAID with your choice of NVMe M.2 SSDs and get up to 3200MB/s performance with USB4, Thunderbolt, and USB-C Macs and PCs.

 

Express 4M2 is ideal for:
  • DITs and Filmmakers wanting to build an affordable yet high‑performance NVMe SSD RAID with up to 32TB of capacity, RAID 5 capabilities, and the ability to deliver maximum offload speeds and thermal stability when backing up media cards from multiple cameras on set.
  • Professional Video Editors, VFX Artists, Colorists, and High‑Volume Photographers seeking an easy DIY high‑performance NVMe SSD RAID to handle demanding post‑production and editing workflows including 8K RAW video, VFX compositing work, multicam sequences in 4K RAW or ProRes video, and batch editing ultra‑high‑resolution pictures.
  • Anyone looking for a lower‑cost RAID option to the award‑winning four NVMe M.2‑based OWC ThunderBlade and are willing to accept the Express 4M2’s larger form factor, fan cooling, no additional connectivity ports, and no ballistic shipping case for shuttle use.

 

Express 4M2 Connected To… Runs As Up to Real-World Speed
Mac computers with Apple silicon M1/M2/M3/M4 USB4 (40Gb/s) 3200MB/s
USB4 (40Gb/s) port on any PC USB4 (40Gb/s) 3200MB/s
Thunderbolt 5 port on any Mac or PC USB4 (40Gb/s)

3200

MB/s
Thunderbolt 4 port on any Mac or PC USB4 (40Gb/s) 3200MB/s
Thunderbolt 3 port on Intel Mac Thunderbolt (40Gb/s) 3000MB/s
Thunderbolt 3 port on PC USB 3.2 (10Gb/s) 990MB/s
USB 3.2 port on PC USB 3.2 (10Gb/s) 990MB/s

 

Highly Capable
Up to 3200MB/s real-world performance 		 Highly Compatible
Use with USB4, Thunderbolt, and USB-C Macs and PCs
Highly Reliable
Aircraft grade aluminum offers rugged protection of installed SSDs plus effective heat dissipation to keep everything cool for consistent top speed		 Near Silent Operation
Engineered with smart, adaptive fans that activate only when needed or under heavy load, making it ideal for uninterrupted creative focus
DIY Easy
Use your choice of NVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 SSDs		 RAID Ready
Certain models include OWC SoftRAID; the fastest and most flexible RAID 0/1/4/5/1+0 (10) tool. Also supports Apple Disk Utility RAID, Windows Disk Management RAID, and Windows Storage Spaces
Complete
Includes USB-C 40Gb/s cable		 Stable
Included stand ensures maximum desktop placement stability


 

Includes

Specs

  • Drive Bays

    • 4 bays supporting M.2 SSDs

    • Supports single/double-sided M.2 2280, M.2 2242, M.2 2230 "M Key" drives

    • NVMe SSDs with heatsinks are not supported

    • Each bay offers PCIe 4.0 x1 performance

    • Single drive performance up to 1600MB/s

  • Hot Plug Support

    • Yes

  • Boot Support

    • All four drives are bootable on macOS

    • SSDs with 512 byte sectors required

    • macOS 10.13 or later

    • Boot Camp is not supported

  • RAID Capable

    • Yes

  • RAID Levels Supported

    • RAID 0

    • RAID 1

    • RAID 4

    • RAID 5

    • RAID 10

    • JBOD

  • RAID Features

    • Software RAID

  • Device Ports

    • (1) Host Port - USB4 (USB-C)

    • Up to 40Gb/s (or 5000MB/s)

    • USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-C) up to 10Gb/s (1250MB/s) backwards compatible

  • UASP Support

    • Yes (USB Attached SCSI Protocol)

  • Data Transfer Rate (Maximum)

    • USB4: Up to 40Gb/s (or 5000MB/s)

    • USB 3.2 Gen 2: Up to 10Gb/s (or 1250MB/s)

  • Chipset / Controller

    • USB4: Asmedia ASM-2464PDX

  • MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)

    • Varies depending on drive mechanism installed

  • Host Interface Requirements

    • Works with any USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-C) and later

    • Thunderbolt 3 and later equipped Mac, PC, or Linux system

  • Mac OS Compatibility

    • macOS 14.x Sonoma

    • macOS 15.x Sequoia

  • PC OS Compatibility

    • Windows 10 32-/64-bit Edition

    • Windows 11

    • Windows Server 2016

    • Windows Server 2019

    • Windows Server 2022

  • Driver Required

    • No

  • Other Requirements

    • For SSDs with 512 byte sectors, macOS 10.13 or later is required

    • SoftRAID works with macOS 10.14+ and Windows 10+

    • SoftRAID is licensed per computer and requires a serial number

    • RAID 4/10 (10) are Mac only at this time

    • Additional seats for SoftRAID can be purchased

  • External Power Adapter

    • Yes

  • Power Supply

    • External UL-listed universal auto-switching power supply

    • +12V, 4A output

    • Need an additional power supply? Secondary/replacement power supplies are available

  • AC Input

    • 100–240V, 50-60Hz, 1.5A

  • DC Output

    • +12V, 4A

  • Wattage

    • 48W

  • Fans

    • (2) 40mm 4,000RPM cooling fans

    • < 35°C (fan off)

    • 35°C (FAN-PWM 40%)

    • 45°C (FAN-PWM 60%)

    • 50°C (FAN-PWM 80%)

    • 55°C (FAN-PWM 100%)

  • Security Slot

    • No

  • Power/Activity LED

    • Yes

  • Housing Color

    • Silver

  • Housing Material

    • Aluminum

  • Dimensions

    • Height: 13.9 cm (5.5 in)

    • Length: 17.8 cm (7.0 in)

    • Width: 6.0 cm (2.4 in)

  • Weight

    • 1.8 kg (3.97 lbs)

  • Certifications

    • CE

    • FCC

    • UKCA

    • ICES

    • VCCI

  • Ambient Temperature

    • Operating: 32°F to 104°F (0°C to 40°C)

    • Non-operating: -4°F to 158°F (-20°C to 70°C)

  • Altitude

    • Operating: -304.8 m to 3,048.0 m (-1,000 ft to 10,000 ft)

    • Non-operating: -304.8 m to 12,192.0 m (-1,000 ft to 40,000 ft)

 

Local like you Phone us! Guaranteed to work Real support Warranty

We are a registered New Zealand company (Upgradeable Limited), all orders include 15% GST. You are protected by local consumer law when you buy here. All product ships from our Australian warehouse until we can set up local distribution.

We are a real business and yes, a real person will answer the phone take responsibility for your enquiry.

Our upgrades are tested and exceed your computer manufacturer's specifications. That is why we can guarantee compatibility, we know it will work. If you are unhappy in any way, return the product within 14 days for a full refund.

We have technicians in our office to help you at any time. Most customers never need to use this service, but it is there if you need it. We love helping customers, solving problems and answering questions.

Our RAM warranty is simple. Lifetime. If it does not work, we will replace it. No exceptions. We have had the same warranty for over 18 years.
Our SSD warranty is 5 years, same as the manufacturer.

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)