OWC Express 4M2 Ultra: Thunderbolt 5 enclosure for four SSDs

OWC is launching an Ultra version of the Express 4M2 SSD enclosure. The Express 4M2 Ultra also fits four M.2 SSDs with a length of up to 80 mm, providing 32 TBytes of data storage. The Ultra version uses a newer Thunderbolt 5 controller, eliminating the previous translation from USB to PCI Express 4.0.

Inside the enclosure is Intel's Thunderbolt 5 controller, JHL9480, alias Barlow Ridge, which distributes four PCIe 4.0 lanes to four M.2 slots. The previous Express 4M2 model used an Asmedia bridge chip (ASM2464PDX), which translated data signals from USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 to PCIe 4.0 x4.

The translation was necessary because the integrated PCIe 3.0 lanes in USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 only achieve half the speed. Only Thunderbolt 5 and the related, but so far rare, USB4 version 2.0 bring the switch to PCIe 4.0.

Only really fast in RAID

Since each M.2 slot in the Express 4M2 Ultra is hardwired, the SSDs only have one PCIe 4.0 lane available each. Therefore, the SSDs can only read and write at a maximum of 1.6 GByte/s each. According to OWC, speeds of 6.6 GByte/s are only possible with a RAID array that addresses all SSDs simultaneously.

The manufacturer omits a RAID controller. RAID configurations can be set up using its software, SoftRAID, which costs extra. Without RAID, the SSDs behave like “Just a Bunch of Disks” (JBOD).

The enclosure is made of aluminum and weighs about 900 grams. A 40 mm fan activates at an internal temperature of 35 degrees Celsius. With 1600 to 4000 revolutions per minute, depending on the temperature, the fan could be quite noticeable.

Device chaining via Daisy-Chain

Further peripherals can be connected via a Thunderbolt 5 output. A total of six Express 4M2 Ultras should function chained together, which however only increases capacity and not speed. Alternatively, interested parties can connect other USB devices or a docking station.

OWC charges $400 for an Express 4M2 Ultra without software RAID support, which is around 410 euros including VAT (not included in US prices). Software RAID support costs an additional $150. Delivery is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026, i.e., by September at the latest. The previous Express 4M2 is available much cheaper in stores.

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