Data Storage

Compare products. Choose well.

Buying guide

Closed Drive Enclosures

Our pick

OWC Express 1M2

Choose the empty OWC Express 1M2 for a single NVMe drive and a USB4 host, with a supplied cable and two-year warranty.1

Why this one

  • Reuse your own compatible SSD in the empty enclosure: it accepts single- or double-sided 2230, 2242 and 2280 NVMe modules and includes a 0.3 m USB-C cable.1

Read the review

Compare the alternatives
OWC Express 1M2

The alternatives

Other contenders

  • OWC Mercury Elite Pro Quad

    For four SATA drives on a USB computer, choose the empty Mercury Elite Pro Quad. It fits 2.5- and 3.5-inch SATA drives and includes both USB-C and USB-A cables.610

  • OWC ThunderBay 8

    Choose the empty ThunderBay 8 when you need eight SATA drive bays and have a Thunderbolt 3 host. It accepts both 2.5- and 3.5-inch SATA drives.78

For swapping drives without tools

For frequent SSD changes, choose an enclosure with tool-free installation and the cables your computer needs.9 The Plugable USBC-NVMe is tool-free and bus-powered, with USB-C and USB-A cables. It accepts NVMe drives, while its connection operates as USB 3.1 Gen 2.9

For computers with 40 Gb/s ports

Use a USB4 40Gb/s enclosure when your computer supports that connection; also check the SSD’s physical size.1 The Express 1M2 includes a matching 40Gb/s cable and supports the small 2230 format as well as 2242 and 2280 NVMe drives.1

8 models / at a glance

Key differences

Every specification ↗

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8 products

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Models in this comparison

Every specification for these products
SpecificationOWC Express 1M2OWC ExpressOWC Express 4M2OWC Express 4M2 UltraOWC Mercury Elite Pro QuadOWC ThunderBay 4OWC ThunderBay 8Plugable USBC-NVMe
InterfaceUSB4 (40Gb/s)1USB 3.2 (5Gb/s)2USB4 (40Gb/s)4Thunderbolt 5 (Host: Mac: macOS14.6.x or later; Thunderbolt5 requires macOS15.3.x or later; Thunderbolt3 and Intel based systems require macOS15.x or later; PC: Windows11(24H2) or later)5USB 3.2 Gen 26Thunderbolt (USB-C)7Thunderbolt 38USB 3.1 Gen 29
Compatible drivesNVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 single or double-sided SSD1Any 2.5” SATA drive up to 9.5 mm tall3NVMe M.2 SSDs7Any PCIe M.2 SSD with 2280 | 2242 M-Key form factor (Host: NVMe SSDs with a heatsink are not supported)52.5" and 3.5" SATA drives102.5-inch or 3.5-inch72.5-inch and 3.5-in SATA Drives8M.2 NVMe SSDs (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280)9
Enclosure typeClosed enclosure1Closed enclosure3Closed enclosure4Closed enclosure5Closed enclosure6Closed enclosure7Closed enclosure7Closed enclosure9
Power sourceNot publishedBus powered2Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedBus powered9
Drive baysNot publishedNot publishedNot published45464787Not published
Tool-freeNot publishedNo3Not publishedNo5Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedYes9
CoolingNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedPassive13
RAID modesNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedRAID 0/1/4/5/10/JBOD (Protocol: SoftRAID or another RAID utility; bare enclosure can be purchased without SoftRAID)12Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Extra portsNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedsecond Thunderbolt 5 port12Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Warranty2 years11 year11Not published2 years121 year10Not publishedNot published2 years9

Compare features

Reset requirements

8 products

OWC Express 4M2 Ultra, model photo 1

OWC Express 4M2 Ultra

Interface
Thunderbolt 5 (Host: Mac: macOS14.6.x or later; Thunderbolt5 requires macOS15.3.x or later; Thunderbolt3 and Intel based systems require macOS15.x or later; PC: Windows11(24H2) or later)5
Tool-free
No5

How they compare

Scroll the table to see every product and specification.

SpecificationOur pickOWC Express 1M2OWC ExpressOWC Express 4M2OWC Express 4M2 UltraOWC Mercury Elite Pro QuadOWC ThunderBay 4OWC ThunderBay 8Plugable USBC-NVMe
InterfaceUSB4 (40Gb/s)1USB 3.2 (5Gb/s)2USB4 (40Gb/s)4Thunderbolt 5 (Host: Mac: macOS14.6.x or later; Thunderbolt5 requires macOS15.3.x or later; Thunderbolt3 and Intel based systems require macOS15.x or later; PC: Windows11(24H2) or later)5USB 3.2 Gen 26Thunderbolt (USB-C)7Thunderbolt 38USB 3.1 Gen 29
Compatible drivesNVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 single or double-sided SSD1Any 2.5” SATA drive up to 9.5 mm tall3NVMe M.2 SSDs7Any PCIe M.2 SSD with 2280 | 2242 M-Key form factor (Host: NVMe SSDs with a heatsink are not supported)52.5" and 3.5" SATA drives102.5-inch or 3.5-inch72.5-inch and 3.5-in SATA Drives8M.2 NVMe SSDs (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280)9
Enclosure typeClosed enclosure1Closed enclosure3Closed enclosure4Closed enclosure5Closed enclosure6Closed enclosure7Closed enclosure7Closed enclosure9
Power sourceNot publishedBus powered2Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedBus powered9
Drive baysNot publishedNot publishedNot published45464787Not published
Tool-freeNot publishedNo3Not publishedNo5Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedYes9
CoolingNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedPassive13
RAID modesNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedRAID 0/1/4/5/10/JBOD (Protocol: SoftRAID or another RAID utility; bare enclosure can be purchased without SoftRAID)12Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Extra portsNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedsecond Thunderbolt 5 port12Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Warranty2 years11 year11Not published2 years121 year10Not publishedNot published2 years9

Sources

  1. www.owc.com
  2. eshop.macsales.com
  3. eshop.macsales.com
  4. www.compsource.com
  5. eshop.macsales.com
  6. www.tech-america.com
  7. www.owc.com
  8. eshop.macsales.com
  9. plugable.com
  10. www.owc.com
  11. www.owc.com
  12. www.owc.com
  13. www.tomshardware.com