OWC Thunderblade Thunderbolt 3 SSD: Unboxing

Lockable carrying case

The OWC Thunderblade ships in a lockable carrying case that should protect it from just about anything.

OWC Thunderblade as shipped in lockable hard cases

As shipped

The OWC Thunderblade ships is a Thunderbolt 3 SSD which can be daisy-chained. Like all TB3 devices with dual ports, that means it is required to have its own power supply. The power brick is external which externalizes any heat from the power supply and keeps the SSD itself more compact.

The included (downloadable) SoftRAID software allows configuring the Thunderblade flexibly: individual 1TB volumes, 4TB RAID-0 stripe, 3TB RAID-4/RAID-5 fault tolerance. RAID-10, etc. For most users, a RAID-0 stripe makes the most sense—maximum speed and capacity.

OWC Thunderblade as shipped, shown in travel case

Business end

The business end of the OWC Thunderblade has dual Thunderbolt 3 ports along with a DC-in port for the power supply. The supplied power supply and 1/2 meter Thundebolt 3 cable are seen at right.

OWC Thunderblade as shipped, shown in travel case

Business end cabling

As shown, the Thunderbolt 3 cable plugs in at rear along with the power supply.

OWC Thunderblade as shipped, shown in travel case

Bottom

The bottom of the OWC Thunderblade has four small rubber feet.

Serial numbers erased in this image, but shipping units hve them there for ready reference.

OWC Thunderblade as shipped, shown in travel case

Size vs iPhone 7 Plus

The OWC Thunderblade is not something you’ll be stowing in a pocket.

OWC Thunderblade as shipped, shown in travel case

Oblique view

Ready to rock.

OWC Thunderblade as shipped, shown in travel case