Press

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today that the OWC Mercury Helios PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis has been updated with Thunderbolt 2 technology. The newly updated Helios handles throughputs of up to 20Gb/s, bringing Thunderbolt 2 technology to the original Mercury Helios' throughput of up to 10Gb/s. OWC's Mercury Helios PCIe Expansion Chassis is the ideal solution for using half-length professional-level PCIe 2.0 cards with Apple's entire line of Thunderbolt enabled Macs that do not have PCIe slots due to size or design limitations.

Now More Users Can Tap into the Power of PCIe and Thunderbolt
Desktop workstations used to be the only way computer users could access high-performance PCIe cards made for video capture/editing, media transcoding, audio processing, and data storage. Now, with Mercury Helios, users of portable and all-in-one computers can enjoy the functionality and productivity gains of these PCIe cards wherever their work takes them.

Boosts Workflow Productivity
Mercury Helios is fast and flexible with a throughput of up to 20Gb/s, and is the perfect solution to boost workflow productivity. It is bootable with AHCI-compliant cards and can daisy-chain up to five additional Thunderbolt devices. Types of PCIe cards Helios can use include: Fibre Channel, 10GB Ethernet, RAID controller, video capture, digital audio, solid state drives, SAS controllers such as the OWC Jupiter, as well as FireWire, USB 3.0, eSATA host adapter cards.

Pricing and Availability
Offered with a $299.00 MSRP, the Mercury Helios PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis is now available for order and will begin shipping within 7-10 days directly from OWC and select retailers.

For more information on the OWC Mercury Helios PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis, including reseller inquires, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Thunderbolt/PCIe_Chassis/Mercury_Helios/

Features and Specifications

• Use any half-length, single or double-width, full-height x1, x4, x8, or x16 Thunderbolt-capable and AHCI-compliant PCIe card
• Expansion slots: One PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode)
• Connection interfaces: Two Thunderbolt 2 ports
• Daisy-chain up to five additional Thunderbolt devices
• Bootable with AHCI-compliant cards
• External case dimensions: 5.7 in (W) x 9.17 in (D) x 2.9 in (H)
• Weight (without PCIe Card): 3.85 lbs
• Variable-speed fan for quiet cooling
• Automatically powers on/off with computer
• 3-year Limited Warranty
• Compatible with any computer that can support Thunderbolt technology

"With the upgrade to Thunderbolt 2, we've doubled the performance of the Mercury Helios and enabled Thunderbolt-equipped computers that do not have PCIe slots to tap into the power of PCIe cards and experience capabilities that were previously unattainable," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "It's a low-cost solution for achieving performance that rivals high end workstations in a device that isn't much bigger than an external hard drive."

The OWC Trust Advantage ® - Over 20 Years of Storage Design and Innovation
– OWC tested for compatibility, speed, flexibility, and reliability
– Comprehensive step-by-step installation and support videos
– 24/7 award-winning, US-based support

OWC's Industry Awards Include:
– Inc. 5,000 "Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies in America" list honoree 2007-2013
– Reseller Ratings Elite Member 2009-2014
– Better Business Bureau Top Rating of A+ 2010-2014
– About.com Readers' Choice Award winner for best Mac Peripheral Reseller
– Business Intelligence Group 2013 Green Tech Company of the Year
– American Business Awards "Stevie" Gold (2012) and Silver (2014)
– 2015 CES Innovations Honoree for OWC ThunderBay 4 External Storage Solution
– Storage Visions 2015 Visionary Product Award for OWC Envoy Pro mini Portable SSD