OWC Mercury Helios 5S Thunderbolt 5 80Gb/s PCIe Expansion Solution 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 slot, 4x Thunderbolt port

OWC Mercury Helios 5S - Expand Your Capabilities Effortlessly

We get that you love your marvelously slender Mac or PC, but also understand you often wish it offered more functionality. Now with the OWC Mercury Helios 5S, you can give your notebook, small form factor, or “all in one” desktop machine pro grade, full-size workstation capabilities. Whether you want to use an ultra-fast storage, 8K video capture, audio DSP, or high-speed networking PCIe card, Mercury Helios 5S makes it easy via a single Thunderbolt or USB4 connection and with no tools required. Plus, with three additional Thunderbolt 5 ports, it also gives you a handy next-gen connectivity hub. Embodying the heritage of innovation that has made OWC the global leader in Thunderbolt solutions, Mercury Helios 5S expands your capabilities effortlessly so you can think outside the traditional bulky desktop box when it comes to PCIe-based workflows.

Internal Class Speed - Up to 6000MB/s bandwidth available for simultaneous read/write

Widely Compatible - Use with Thunderbolt 5/4, USB4 Macs and PCs, and Thunderbolt 3 Macs

Expands Small Machines - Use video capture, high-speed fiber/Ethernet, NVMe RAID, audio I/O, and other cards to unlock the potential of MacBooks, Mac Studio, Mac mini, and other space-constrained computers lacking a PCIe slot

Whisper Quiet - Aircraft grade aluminum housing with high-efficiency cooling fan provides cool, nearly silent operation

Pro Level Card Ready - 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (x16 mechanical slot) for half-length, full-height, single or double-width cards1

Easy Card Installs - Captive thumb screws so no tools required

Expanded Connectivity - Three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) 80Gb/s ports each with 15W power delivery for more device, display, and drive possibilities

Complete and Secure - Includes Thunderbolt 5 80Gb/s cable and power cord retainer

Full-Speed PCIe Performance Ahead

Forget the belief that internal is always faster than external. The Mercury Helios 5S delivers up to 6000MB/s of bandwidth so you can run modern PCIe 4.0 cards at full speed while still accommodating data-hungry external Thunderbolt drives. Whether you're editing multi-cam 8K footage, running real-time audio processing, or transferring terabytes across a 25GbE network card, Mercury Helios 5S gives you the performance you'd expect from an internal PCIe slot with the flexibility of an external one.

Install Cards in Seconds

Ideal for creative professionals, post-production houses and VFX teams, IT personnel, and developers whose jobs demand easy-to-use, time-saving solutions, Mercury Helios 5S features a tool-free design. Compatible with half-length, full-height, single or double-width pro-level PCIe cards from leading brands like AJA, Apogee, ATTO, AudioScience, Avid Pro Tools, Blackmagic Design, Intel, RME Audio, Solid State Logic, Universal Audio, and OWC, you can use a wide range of pro-level options in seconds:

• Disconnect the Thunderbolt cable and power cord from Mercury Helios 5S
• Loosen the two captive thumb screws and
• Reconnect the Thunderbolt cable and power cord to Mercury Helios 5S

Note: If your PCIe card requires a driver, always follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation

Triple Your Possibilities

Beyond PCIe expansion, Mercury Helios 5S is the space and money-saving way to add both capability and convenience to your workspace. With three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports, each capable of 80Gb/s throughput and 15W of power delivery, you can easily connect high-performance drives, 8K displays, or other peripherals.

Ready for Today and Yesterday

Whether you’re pushing a Thunderbolt 5 machine to its max or still relying on a trusty Thunderbolt 3/4 Mac, Mercury Helios 5S offers plug-and-play expansion across Thunderbolt and USB4 generations. Your PCIe card is secured in an aircraft-grade aluminum chassis with a nearly silent high-efficiency fan so you and the Mercury Helios 5S stay cool under pressure.

OWC Thunderbolt Cable Included

OWC Mercury Helios 5S comes with a certified 0.7M OWC Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) Cable. But if your workflow demands a different length to make the connection, OWC Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) Cables are the perfect choice.

Specifications

• Expansion slots: 1x PCIe 4.0 x4
• Device ports: 1x host port — Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) up to 80 Gb/s, 3x Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports
• Power delivery: Thunderbolt 5 ports, each with 15 W power delivery
• Display support: Up to three 8K displays at 60 Hz or two 8K displays at 120 Hz
• Display support by port: Thunderbolt 5 up to two 8K displays at 120Hz or three 4K displays at 144Hz via native Thunderbolt 5 display or other displays supporting USB-C and DisplayPort 2.1 connections
• Chipset/controller: Thunderbolt: Barlow Ridge JHL9480
• Host interface requirements: Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3 (Mac only), USB4
• Mac OS compatibility: macOS 14.x Sonoma, macOS 15.x Sequoia
• PC OS compatibility: Windows 11
• Supported PCIe cards: Mechanical: x16 PCIe slot
• Bandwidth: xPCIe 4.0 x4
• Dimensions: Supports cards up to half-length, full-height, and double-width
• Cards with controllers must support Thunderbolt
• Graphics cards are not supported
• Cards requiring more than 75W are not supported
• Linux systems require the latest version of Ubuntu.
• Power supply: External, universal power supply with automatic switching, UL certified.
• Power: 90 W
• Fans: 1x cooling fan
• Internal speed control switch
• Security slot: Yes
• Power/activity LED: Yes
• Power with data connection = steady blue light
• Housing color: Black
• Housing material: Aluminum
• Dimensions: Height: 8.2 cm (3.2 inches), Length: 23.3 cm (9.2 inches), Width: 14.3 cm (5.6 inches)
• Weight: 1.7 kg (3.75 lbs)
• Certifications: CE, FCC, UKCA, ICES, RCM, VCCI, RoHS compliance, Reach certification