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MAC User. Currently have Lacie 6Big with 10 TB drives running Raid 5. About to run out of space so I was looking to upgrade my storage capacity. To that end I started purchasing new IronWolf Pro 18TB-ST18000NT001 drives to replace the existing ones. Seagate said these were the largest my 6Big would support.
Now I am wondering if I should just replace the enclosure as well due to time and risk involved in hot swapping the drives.
Watched your video on Terramaster but still undecided between the Terramaster D8-332 and the OWC Thunderbay Flex 8. Hardware RAID is my preference. Noticed the price on the OWC for Hardware RAID is +$900 which isn't a show stopper but I was curious if it was worth it. Between the two which would you recommend and why?
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If hardware RAID is your priority, the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 is the better option compared to the Terramaster D8-332, despite the higher price. The OWC unit provides true hardware RAID support, whereas the Terramaster relies on software-based RAID solutions like macOS Disk Utility or SoftRAID. This means that with the OWC, RAID operations are handled independently, reducing CPU load and improving reliability.
In terms of performance and flexibility, the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 stands out with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, PCIe expansion, and NVMe SSD support, making it ideal for high-speed workflows such as video editing and large-scale storage. It also delivers higher sustained speeds compared to the Terramaster, which caps out at around 800 MB/s. If you need long-term scalability and reliability, the OWC is worth the extra cost.
The Terramaster D8-332, on the other hand, is a more affordable alternative but lacks hardware RAID, PCIe expansion, and NVMe support. It's a good option if you only need basic high-capacity storage and don’t mind relying on macOS-based RAID solutions. However, given that you are already working with RAID 5 and upgrading to larger drives, a hardware RAID enclosure like the OWC would provide better data integrity, speed, and management options.
Considering your budget of $2000+ and need for 100TB+ of reliable storage, the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 is the better investment for long-term performance and stability. If you prefer a budget-friendly solution and are comfortable with software RAID, the Terramaster D8-332 can work, but it comes with compromises in RAID management and expandability.
