Areca ARC-4886T3 Thunderbolt 3 – External 12 Gb/s SAS/SATA/NVMe Tri-Mode RAID Hardware Controller for macOS and Windows

Professional Thunderbolt™ 3 Controller with SAS, SATA, and NVMe Support

The Areca ARC-4886T3 is an advanced external Tri-Mode RAID hardware controller that allows you to connect professional SAS, SATA, and NVMe arrays to Apple Mac and PC computers via the ultra-fast Thunderbolt™ 3 interface with a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s. The device is equipped with the Areca ARC-1886-8X controller, which provides hardware-based RAID support and full compatibility with modern 12 Gb/s SAS, 6 Gb/s SATA, and PCIe Gen4 NVMe drives.

Thanks to Tri-Mode technology, the ARC-4886T3 is an excellent choice for professional film studios, post-production facilities, photography studios, data centers, and enterprises that demand the highest performance, data security, and the ability to further expand their storage infrastructure.

Key Features

• Thunderbolt™ 3 40 Gb/s
• Areca ARC-1886-8X hardware RAID controller
• Tri-Mode technology—supports SAS, SATA, and NVMe
• 2 Mini SAS HD SFF-8644 ports
• Compatibility with 12 Gb/s SAS, 6 Gb/s SATA, and PCIe Gen4 NVMe drives
• Two Thunderbolt 3 ports with daisy-chain support
• Support for SAS LTO tape drives
• Support for Transport Layer Retries (TLR) to enhance reliability
• Compatibility with macOS and Windows
• Thunderbolt 3 certification for Mac and PC
• Thunderbolt cable included.

Next-Generation Tri-Mode RAID

The biggest advantage of the ARC-4886T3 is its Tri-Mode RAID controller, which allows it to simultaneously support three types of storage media:

• 12 Gb/s SAS drives,
• 6 Gb/s SATA drives,
• PCIe Gen4 NVMe drives.

This enables users to build modern storage arrays tailored to specific applications—from high-capacity HDD-based archives to ultra-fast NVMe arrays designed for 8K video editing, special effects, or working with massive data libraries.

Maximum Performance for Professional Applications

The combination of a hardware RAID controller and a Thunderbolt 3 interface delivers exceptional performance during:

• 4K and 8K video editing,
• working with RAW files,
• rendering special effects,
• data archiving,
• and managing shared storage resources.

Hardware RAID offloads the computer’s CPU, ensuring stable operation even under very heavy loads.

Ideal for Apple Mac users

The Areca ARC-4886T3 is designed for professional users of Apple computers equipped with Thunderbolt 3, such as:

• Mac Studio,
• Mac Pro,
• MacBook Pro,
• Mac mini,

as well as high-performance Windows workstations.

The device allows you to use professional RAID arrays without having to install PCIe cards inside the computer, which is particularly important for Apple computers.

Thunderbolt 3 and Daisy Chain

The adapter is equipped with two Thunderbolt™ 3 ports with a bandwidth of up to 40 Gb/s.

The second port allows you to connect additional Thunderbolt devices in a daisy chain configuration, enabling you to simultaneously use additional arrays, monitors, or other peripherals without occupying additional ports on your computer.

Support for Professional LTO Drives

The ARC-4886T3 also supports professional SAS LTO tape drives, making it a central component of a data archiving infrastructure. Support for Transport Layer Retries (TLR) enhances data transmission reliability and backup security.

Technical Specifications

• Model Areca ARC-4886T3
• Device Type External Tri-Mode RAID hardware controller
• RAID Controller Areca ARC-1886-8X
• Host Interface 2 × Thunderbolt™ 3 (40 Gb/s)
• Drive Interface 2 × Mini SAS HD SFF-8644
• Supported Storage Media: SAS 12 Gb/s, SATA 6 Gb/s, PCIe Gen4 NVMe
• Daisy Chain Support: Yes
• DisplayPort Support: Yes
• Operating System: macOS 10.12 or later, Windows 8 or later
• Cooling: Quiet fan
• Operating Temperature: 0–35°C
• Power Supply 100–240 V AC / 65 W
• Dimensions 150 × 64.4 × 191.7 mm
• Weight 1.2 kg
• Certification Thunderbolt 3 Certified for Mac and PC
• Included Thunderbolt 3 Cable

Applications

The Areca ARC-4886T3 is ideal for:

• professional post-production studios,
• editing 4K, 6K, and 8K footage,
• SAS-, SATA-, and NVMe-based RAID systems,
• DIT environments,
• data centers,
• data archiving using LTO drives,
• file servers,
• and professional macOS and Windows environments.

Why buy from Abart Pro?

Abart Pro is a provider of professional Areca solutions for macOS and Windows users. We offer hardware RAID controllers, Thunderbolt adapters, SAS and Fibre Channel solutions, and state-of-the-art storage systems used by film studios, photographers, production companies, and data centers. We provide expert technical consulting and assistance in designing high-performance, reliable storage environments based on Thunderbolt technology and hardware RAID.