OWC Express 4M2 Four-Slot USB4 External Storage DIY Enclosure

About: OWC Express 4M2 Four-Slot USB4 External Storage DIY Enclosure

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.

• Blazing Speed: 3200MB/s for on-set backups and studio 8K editing
• Universal Compatibility: Works with USB4, Thunderbolt, 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 Flexibility: Build your RAID with your choice of NVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 SSDs

Maximum Speed from Your Machine

The Express 4M2 is the fastest multiple NVMe SSD enclosure we offer and was purposefully built so you can utilize the maximum performance capability of your Mac or PC with full compatibility:

The Power of Choice is Yours

Engineered to support any NVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 SSD, this compact powerhouse gives you the ultimate flexibility to choose the drive you want today — including OWC Aura SSDs with up to a massive 8TB capacity each. When tomorrow’s 16TB and larger drives hit the scene, you can easily boost your Express 4M2’s capacity.

One Cool RAID for Diverse Workflows

High speed backups, multiple media card offloads, and intense RAW photo and 8K video editing sessions mean one thing… Heat. You can put aside any thermal throttling and noise concerns because the Express 4M2 utilizes a heat dissipating solid aluminum body along with smart, adaptive fans that activate only when needed or under heavy load. Diversity of use also means being able to easily work cross-platform with Macs and PCs. We help you keep your cool in mixed environments with our MacDrive software (avaialble separately).

Express 1M2 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 assemble 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.

Your Data’s Reliability is Our #1 Priority

Anyone can put a bunch of components in a housing and call it an enclosure or a drive. OWC is not just anyone. We’re a group of filmmakers, musicians, designers, content creators, and parents just like you wanting to capture and preserve that irreplaceable moment. Our data storage products go through countless hours of ongoing development testing and certification processes. We then subject them to extreme real-world abuses. The priority for some storage devices is to be a mass-produced, lowest price commodity. We do it differently because the reliability of your data and the longevity of an OWC product is priority #1.

OWC Aura SSDs: The perfect match for Express 4M2

Combine Express 4M2 with its perfect performance match – four blazing fast OWC Aura NVMe M.2 SSDs - and enjoy incredible transfer speeds, capacity, and most importantly, OWC reliability you can count on.

OWC USB-C (40Gb/s) Cable Included

OWC Express 4M2 comes with a 0.7M (28") OWC USB-C (40Gb/s) Cable. But if your workflow demands a different length to make the connection, OWC USB4 Active Optical Cables are the perfect choice.

Specifications

• Drive Bays
  • 4 bays supporting: M.2 SSDs
  • Supports single-sided and double-sided M.2 2280, M.2 2242, M.2 2230 "M Key" drives
  • NVMe SSDs with a heatsink 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 drive bays are bootable on macOS. SSDs with 512 byte sectors require 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 (5000MB/s) - USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-C) up to 10Gb/s (1250MB/s) backwards compatible
• UASP Support: UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol) is supported
• 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
• External Power Adapter: Yes
• Power Supply: External UL-listed universal auto-switching power supply
• 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(s): Yes
• Housing Color: Silver
• Housing Material: Aluminum
• Certifications
  • CE
  • FCC
  • UKCA
  • ICES
  • RCM
  • 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)
• Dimensions (HxLxW): 5.5 x 7 x 2.4 in (13.9 x 17.8 x 6 cm)
• Weight: 3.97 lbs (1.8 kg)

What's in the Box

• 1x OWC Express 4M2 USB4 (40Gb/s) External Storage Enclosure
• 1x 0.7M (28") USB-C 40Gb/s Cable
• 1x External Power Supply
• 1x US Power Cable (2-Prong IEC C7)
• Support Manual for OWC USB4 Express 4M2 (digital)
• 2 Year OWC Limited Warranty