Areca ARC-8050T5U-6N Thunderbolt™ 5 80 Gb/s Enclosure | USB 3.2 RAID 6x NVMe (U.2/U.3)/SAS/SATA

Areca ARC-8050T5U-6N – 6-bay Thunderbolt™ 5 RAID array with support for NVMe, SAS, and SATA

Professional Thunderbolt™ 5 RAID array for the most demanding production environments

The Areca ARC-8050T5U-6N is a professional, enterprise-class 6-bay RAID array equipped with a hardware RAID controller and a Thunderbolt™ 5 interface, delivering bandwidth of up to 80 Gb/s—and, thanks to Bandwidth Boost technology, up to 120 Gb/s for the most demanding graphics and video applications. The device was designed for filmmakers, post-production studios, photographers, music producers, and companies working with massive data sets. Thanks to Tri-Mode technology, each bay supports NVMe U.2/U.3, SAS 12 Gb/s, and SATA 6 Gb/s drives, offering exceptional configuration flexibility.

Key Features

• Thunderbolt™ 5 with up to 80 Gb/s bandwidth and 120 Gb/s Bandwidth Boost
• 6 drive bays supporting NVMe U.2/U.3, SAS 12Gb/s, and SATA 6Gb/s
• professional hardware RAID controller (ROC)
• ECC-protected SDRAM cache
• two Thunderbolt™ 5 ports
• compatibility with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3 (Mac), and USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2)
• Support for two 6K monitors via DisplayPort 2.1
• Ability to daisy-chain up to 10 Thunderbolt devices
• Hardware-based data encryption
• Support for SED (Self-Encrypting Drives)
• Intelligent power management
• Very quiet operation (approx. 37 dB).

Thunderbolt 5 – Full Performance for Professionals

The new generation of Thunderbolt™ 5 delivers twice the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 3 and 4, enabling simultaneous work with 4K, 6K, and 8K content, the transfer of massive files, and support for professional monitors without compromising storage array performance.

Thanks to Bandwidth Boost technology, the interface can reach up to 120 Gb/s in the display direction, making the ARC-8050T5U-6N an excellent solution for modern editing workstations.

Tri-Mode – one array for three technologies

The ARC-8050T5U-6N model uses a Tri-Mode controller, allowing each of the six bays to support:

• NVMe U.2/U.3 drives,
• 12 Gb/s SAS drives,
• 6 Gb/s SATA drives.
• This allows you to create both ultra-fast NVMe arrays for video editing and high-capacity SAS or SATA configurations designed for archiving and long-term data storage.

Enterprise-Class Hardware RAID

At the heart of the device is a high-performance Raid-on-Chip (ROC) controller with ECC SDRAM cache, which performs all RAID operations independently of the host computer.

Supported RAID levels:

• RAID 0
• RAID 1
• RAID 3
• RAID 5
• RAID 6
• RAID 10
• RAID 30
• RAID 50
• RAID 60
• JBOD
• Single Disk

Thanks to hardware RAID, users enjoy maximum performance, high reliability, and data protection even during intensive work with multiple video streams.

Built for Apple Mac and Windows

The Areca ARC-8050T5U-6N is designed for professional computer users:

• Mac Studio
• Mac Pro
• MacBook Pro
• Mac mini
• Apple Silicon computers (M1, M2, M3, M4, and newer)
• Windows workstations with Thunderbolt 5 or Thunderbolt 4

The array can also work with computers equipped exclusively with a USB-C port thanks to its USB 3.2 Gen2 compatibility.

Professional Connectivity

The device is equipped with:

• 2 × Thunderbolt™ 5 (USB-C)
• 1 × DisplayPort 2.1
• the ability to daisy-chain up to 10 Thunderbolt devices
• fast laptop charging via Thunderbolt
• advanced configuration via Thunderbolt, LAN, or the LCD display.

Technical Specifications

• Model Areca ARC-8050T5U-6N
• Number of bays 6
• Host interface 2 × Thunderbolt™ 5
• Bandwidth up to 80 Gb/s (120 Gb/s Bandwidth Boost)
• Compatibility: Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3 (Mac), USB 3.2 Gen 2
• Drive interfaces: NVMe U.2/U.3, SAS 12 Gb/s, SATA 6 Gb/s
• Controller type: Hardware RAID (ROC)
• ECC-protected SDRAM cache
• Supported RAID modes: 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 30, 50, 60, JBOD, Single Disk
• Video output: DisplayPort 2.1
• Daisy chain up to 10 devices
• Cooling: 2 smart fans
• Noise level: approx. 37 dB
• Power supply: 300 W
• Dimensions: 146 × 302 × 290 mm
• Weight: approx. 6.8 kg
• Operating systems: macOS, Windows, USB—system-independent
• Included: active Thunderbolt™ 5 cable (1 m, 120 Gb/s)

Ideal Applications

The Areca ARC-8050T5U-6N is perfect for:

• editing 4K, 6K, and 8K footage,
• film post-production,
• TV studios,
• photography and graphic design,
• DIT environments,
• working with Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, and Avid Media Composer,
• professional backups,
• data archiving,
• and business applications requiring maximum performance and security.

Why buy from Abart Pro?

Abart Pro is the official distributor of Areca’s professional solutions in Poland. We offer state-of-the-art Thunderbolt RAID arrays, hardware controllers, and SAS, NVMe, and Fibre Channel solutions for macOS and Windows users. We provide expert technical advice, assistance in selecting the right RAID configuration, and support for implementing professional storage systems for film studios, photographers, production companies, and data centers.