Thunderbolt 2 JBOD for trash can Mac
Moderator: James Steele
Thunderbolt 2 JBOD for trash can Mac
I'm looking for a Thunderbolt 2 JBOD enclosure for my Mac Pro 6,1 (late 2013 trash can). This will include my Time Machine spinner. I'm considering this:
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TB2IVKIT000/
Comments, suggestions?
thanks
Your friendly neighborhood Phil
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TB2IVKIT000/
Comments, suggestions?
thanks
Your friendly neighborhood Phil
DP 11.34. 2020 M1 Mac Mini [9,1] (16 Gig RAM), Mac Pro 3GHz 8 core [6,1] (16 Gig RAM), OS 15.3/11.6.2, Lynx Aurora (n) 8tb, MOTU 8pre-es, MOTU M6, MOTU 828, Apogee Rosetta 800, UAD-2 Satellite, a truckload of outboard gear and plug-ins, and a partridge in a pear tree.
- mikehalloran
- Posts: 16223
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:08 pm
- Primary DAW OS: MacOS
- Location: Sillie Con Valley
Re: Thunderbolt 2 JBOD for trash can Mac
That will work — didn't know it was still offered.
I have the TB2 version of this. Only 2 drives but no fans and works great. It's discontinued but sometimes shows up on eBay. I can confirm JBOD for the TB version. TB 1 or 2 is meaningless since SATA III SSD tops out at USB 3 speeds and spinners are slower.
https://www.owcdigital.com/products/dri ... nderbolt-2
The one shown in stock is USB 3.1 over USB-C — it will work for you with a USB-C to USB 3 cable. "Up to 981MB/s speeds" means a RAID 0 array, not JBOD if this version supports that.
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TCDRVDCK/
I have the TB2 version of this. Only 2 drives but no fans and works great. It's discontinued but sometimes shows up on eBay. I can confirm JBOD for the TB version. TB 1 or 2 is meaningless since SATA III SSD tops out at USB 3 speeds and spinners are slower.
https://www.owcdigital.com/products/dri ... nderbolt-2
The one shown in stock is USB 3.1 over USB-C — it will work for you with a USB-C to USB 3 cable. "Up to 981MB/s speeds" means a RAID 0 array, not JBOD if this version supports that.
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TCDRVDCK/
DP 11.34; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sequoia 15.4, USB4 8TB externals, Neumann MT48, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3, Zoom F3 & UAC 232 32bit float recorder & interface; 2012 MBPs (x2) Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 NE Pro, Toast 20 Pro
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sequoia 15.4, USB4 8TB externals, Neumann MT48, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3, Zoom F3 & UAC 232 32bit float recorder & interface; 2012 MBPs (x2) Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 NE Pro, Toast 20 Pro
Re: Thunderbolt 2 JBOD for trash can Mac
Thanks Mike.
I'm considering spending a little more and getting the Thunderbolt 3 model for future compatibility. Apple makes a bidirectional TB 3 to 2 adapter:
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL ... 5%252B47f6
It's 50 bucks - ouch. I have a tech request into OWC to see if this will work.
Your friendly neighborhood Phil

I'm considering spending a little more and getting the Thunderbolt 3 model for future compatibility. Apple makes a bidirectional TB 3 to 2 adapter:
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL ... 5%252B47f6
It's 50 bucks - ouch. I have a tech request into OWC to see if this will work.
Your friendly neighborhood Phil
DP 11.34. 2020 M1 Mac Mini [9,1] (16 Gig RAM), Mac Pro 3GHz 8 core [6,1] (16 Gig RAM), OS 15.3/11.6.2, Lynx Aurora (n) 8tb, MOTU 8pre-es, MOTU M6, MOTU 828, Apogee Rosetta 800, UAD-2 Satellite, a truckload of outboard gear and plug-ins, and a partridge in a pear tree.
- mikehalloran
- Posts: 16223
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:08 pm
- Primary DAW OS: MacOS
- Location: Sillie Con Valley
Re: Thunderbolt 2 JBOD for trash can Mac
It will work. Mine is connected to my iMac Pro through the Apple TB2–TB3 adapter.
The adapter does not pass bus power—not an issue here.
The adapter does not pass bus power—not an issue here.
DP 11.34; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sequoia 15.4, USB4 8TB externals, Neumann MT48, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3, Zoom F3 & UAC 232 32bit float recorder & interface; 2012 MBPs (x2) Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 NE Pro, Toast 20 Pro
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sequoia 15.4, USB4 8TB externals, Neumann MT48, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3, Zoom F3 & UAC 232 32bit float recorder & interface; 2012 MBPs (x2) Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 NE Pro, Toast 20 Pro
Re: Thunderbolt 2 JBOD for trash can Mac
Good to know. Thank you, Mike, for all your great advice on this board.
Philippe
Philippe
DP 11.34. 2020 M1 Mac Mini [9,1] (16 Gig RAM), Mac Pro 3GHz 8 core [6,1] (16 Gig RAM), OS 15.3/11.6.2, Lynx Aurora (n) 8tb, MOTU 8pre-es, MOTU M6, MOTU 828, Apogee Rosetta 800, UAD-2 Satellite, a truckload of outboard gear and plug-ins, and a partridge in a pear tree.
- mikehalloran
- Posts: 16223
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:08 pm
- Primary DAW OS: MacOS
- Location: Sillie Con Valley
Re: Thunderbolt 2 JBOD for trash can Mac
Back to your OP, the only issue I see is that the included TB cable might not be long enough. If so, you will need a longer TB 1/2 cable. Make certain to avoid inexpensive, so-called “TB Video” cables—those are actually MDP and do not pass Thunderbolt.
DP 11.34; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sequoia 15.4, USB4 8TB externals, Neumann MT48, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3, Zoom F3 & UAC 232 32bit float recorder & interface; 2012 MBPs (x2) Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 NE Pro, Toast 20 Pro
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sequoia 15.4, USB4 8TB externals, Neumann MT48, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3, Zoom F3 & UAC 232 32bit float recorder & interface; 2012 MBPs (x2) Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 NE Pro, Toast 20 Pro
Re: Thunderbolt 2 JBOD for trash can Mac
Yep
DP 11.34. 2020 M1 Mac Mini [9,1] (16 Gig RAM), Mac Pro 3GHz 8 core [6,1] (16 Gig RAM), OS 15.3/11.6.2, Lynx Aurora (n) 8tb, MOTU 8pre-es, MOTU M6, MOTU 828, Apogee Rosetta 800, UAD-2 Satellite, a truckload of outboard gear and plug-ins, and a partridge in a pear tree.