0800 195 4072
Free Shipping
Key Features
Compatibility
Product Description
The OWC Express 4M2 Ultra is a four-slot Thunderbolt 5 NVMe RAID enclosure built for creative professionals who need the fastest compact storage available. Pre-configured with four OWC Aura Ultra IV NVMe SSDs and powered by Thunderbolt 5's full 80Gb/s bandwidth, it delivers real-world speeds of up to 6,622MB/s — more than twice the throughput of Thunderbolt 4 solutions. Whether you're ingesting 12K RAW footage on set, editing 8K multi-cam sequences in post, or batch processing thousands of high-resolution images, the Express 4M2 Ultra keeps up without breaking a sweat.
The aircraft-grade aluminium body provides passive cooling and rugged protection, while a smart adaptive fan only kicks in during sustained heavy workloads — keeping things quiet when you need to concentrate. RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 10 are all supported via the included SoftRAID Premium licence (3 years included), giving you full control over the balance between speed and redundancy. The second Thunderbolt 5 port lets you daisy-chain up to four additional Express 4M2 Ultra units into a single massive volume — up to 128TB — or connect up to five additional Thunderbolt devices and one USB peripheral downstream.
Already own the bare enclosure? The four M.2 drive bays accept any standard M.2 2280 or 2242 NVMe SSD, so you can upgrade capacity whenever you're ready without replacing the chassis.
Key Features
- Up to 6,622MB/s real-world read speeds over Thunderbolt 5 (80Gb/s) — over 2x faster than Thunderbolt 4 solutions
- Four M.2 NVMe SSD bays pre-populated with OWC Aura Ultra IV PCIe 4.0 SSDs
- Flexible RAID: RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 10 supported via SoftRAID Premium (3-year licence included)
- Thunderbolt 5 daisy-chaining: scale up to 128TB as a single volume across four enclosures
- Second Thunderbolt 5 port for up to five additional Thunderbolt devices plus one USB peripheral
- Display support: up to two 8K displays at 120Hz or three 4K displays at 144Hz
- Aircraft-grade aluminium body with silent passive cooling and smart adaptive fan
- Backwards compatible: Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3 (Mac), and USB4 — up to 3,200MB/s
- Hot-plug support and bootable on macOS across all four bays
- Includes 90W external power supply and 0.7m Thunderbolt 5 cable
- Strada included: 2 licences for 90 days of remote collaborative file access (no cloud required)
What's in the Box
- OWC Express 4M2 Ultra Thunderbolt 5 Storage Solution (pre-populated with 4x NVMe SSDs)
- 0.7m (28") Thunderbolt 5 80Gb/s cable
- 90W external power supply with UK power cable
- 3-year SoftRAID Premium licence (serial number on device)
- 2x Strada licences (90 days)
- Quick Start Guide (digital)
- 2-year OWC limited warranty
Is this compatible with my Mac?
The Express 4M2 Ultra works with any Mac with a Thunderbolt 3, 4, or 5 port. Thunderbolt 5 speeds (up to 6,622MB/s) require macOS 15 Sequoia or later on an M3/M4/M5 Mac or a Thunderbolt 5 PC. Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 connections on Apple silicon Macs require macOS 14.6 or later. Compatible Macs include MacBook Pro (2016 onwards), MacBook Air (M1 onwards), iMac (2017 onwards), Mac mini (M1 onwards), Mac Studio (all), and Mac Pro (2019 onwards).
Do I need to configure RAID before use?
No — the Express 4M2 Ultra ships pre-formatted as a 4-disk RAID 0 volume for Mac, so it's ready to use straight out of the box. If you want to change the RAID level (for example to RAID 5 for redundancy, or RAID 10 for a balance of speed and protection), launch SoftRAID, which is included, and reconfigure to suit your workflow. PC users should refer to OWC's Mac-to-Windows SoftRAID Volume Conversion guide before use.
Can I use my own M.2 SSDs?
Yes. The four bays accept M.2 2280 and M.2 2242 NVMe SSDs with an M Key connector. PCIe Gen 3 SSDs work, though PCIe Gen 4 or later is recommended for best performance. SSDs with a heatsink are not supported. Note: Western Digital SN5xx series M.2 SSDs are not compatible with this enclosure.
What is SoftRAID and is it really included?
SoftRAID is the world's leading Mac and PC RAID management application — developed by OWC. It lets you create, monitor, and manage RAID volumes, with predictive health monitoring that alerts you to drive issues well before failure. A full 3-year SoftRAID Premium licence is included with every Express 4M2 Ultra. The serial number is printed on a label inside the device.
How does daisy-chaining work?
The second Thunderbolt 5 port lets you chain up to four Express 4M2 Ultra enclosures together as a single unified volume — reaching up to 128TB — or connect up to five additional Thunderbolt devices (displays, docks, other drives) plus one USB peripheral downstream. No hub required.
Specifications
| Interface | Thunderbolt 5 (80Gb/s) / USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 / Thunderbolt 3 (Mac) |
|---|---|
| Drive Bays | 4x M.2 NVMe (PCIe 4.0) — M.2 2280 and 2242 M Key |
| Pre-installed SSDs | 4x OWC Aura Ultra IV PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 *OWC reserves the right to replace or upgrade to equivalent or better components. |
| Max Speed (TB5) | Up to 6,622MB/s (PCIe 4.0 SSDs) |
| Max Speed (TB4/USB4) | Up to 3,200MB/s |
| RAID Levels | RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, 10 / JBOD via SoftRAID |
| Default RAID | RAID 0 (pre-formatted for Mac) |
| Hot Plug | Yes |
| Boot Support | Yes — all four bays bootable on macOS |
| Display Support | Up to 2x 8K @ 120Hz or 3x 4K @ 144Hz (via DisplayPort 2.1) |
| Chipset | Intel Barlow Ridge JHL9480 |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) — 1 host + 1 daisy-chain/downstream |
| Power Supply | External 90W (100–240V universal), included |
| Cooling | Passive aluminium body + 40mm smart adaptive fan |
| Housing | Aircraft-grade aluminium, Black |
| Dimensions | 123 x 117 x 60 mm (H x L x W) |
| Weight | 928g (enclosure with drives) |
| Certifications | CE, FCC, UKCA, VCCI, RCM, IC |
| Warranty | 2 years OWC limited warranty |
Download OWC Express 4M2 Ultra Support Manual (PDF)
Compatibility
| macOS | macOS 14 Sonoma, macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 26 Tahoe |
|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 11 (version 22H2 or later) |
| Linux | Yes (latest Ubuntu recommended) |
| Thunderbolt 5 (Mac) | Requires macOS 15 or later — M3, M4, M5 MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, Mac mini (Late 2024+) |
| Thunderbolt 4/USB4 (Mac) | Requires macOS 14.6 or later — Apple silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4) |
| Thunderbolt 3 (Mac) | Requires macOS 15 or later — Intel Macs from 2016 onwards |
| PC | Thunderbolt 5 requires Windows 11 (22H2+). USB4/Thunderbolt 4 PCs also compatible. |
| Not Compatible | WD SN5xx series M.2 NVMe SSDs (third-party). Boot Camp not supported. |
Product Videos
Shipping, Returns & VAT
- Free UK Shipping: Delivered in approx. 2 working days
- Express Options: Faster methods available at checkout
- Free Shipping to Ireland: For orders over £100.00
- International Delivery: Times vary by destination; shipped via FedEx or DHL
- 30-Day Returns: Return within 30 days from order date
- UK, Ireland and EU Customers: Free return label provided
- Full Return Policy: Read Here
- Full Shipping Details: Read Here
VAT & Duties Information
UK & EU Customers: The price shown on our website is the final price you pay. No additional VAT, customs duties, or import fees will be charged upon delivery.
Orders are dispatched from Northern Ireland, allowing us to serve customers across the United Kingdom and the European Union without unexpected import charges.
Non-UK and non-EU destinations: Local taxes, customs duties, and import fees may apply and are the responsibility of the recipient.
Payment
Safe payment on our website.
Pay by card, Klarna, PayPal, Apple Pay, G-Pay, Shop Pay, Revolut, Bancontact, iDeal, or even bank transfer.
Customer Service
Email and chat available 24/7
Free number UK: 08001954072
International: +442838341148
Phone Line Opening Hours
- Monday - Friday: 09:00-17:00
