Press

OWC®; a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company and one of the world’s most respected manufacturers of hard drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions and performance upgrade kits, today announced the availability of the new OWC Mercury Helios 3S PCIe card expansion chassis for Thunderbolt 3-equipped Macs and PCs. It adds an external PCIe slot for quick and easy addition of pro-level PCIe cards, and its dual Thunderbolt 3 ports offers the ability to daisy-chain up to five additional Thunderbolt peripherals.

Versatility Without Limits

Instead of buying an array of function-specific Thunderbolt devices, the Mercury Helios 3S functions like a dock, allowing the use of a multitude of dedicated PCIe cards. Capture incredibly high-quality audio with a PCIe audio card and then retask Helios 3S with a PCIe SSD card to edit and archive tracks. Users can swap cards in minutes, adding an unprecedented level of flexibility to professional-class workflows.

OWC Mercury Helios 3S Delivers

• Lightning-fast 40Gb/s transfer speeds: (2) Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Dedicated DisplayPort 1.4 for adding up to a 8K display
• 85W of notebook charging power while you work
• (1) PCIe (x16) slot for half-length, full-height, single or double-width cards
• Daisy-chain up to 5 additional Thunderbolt devices for pro-class performance
• Built to last with durable and rugged aluminum chassis
• 28.5dB fan for whisper-quiet, distraction-free use
• Easy card installation with no tools required
• Locking 12V power connector for rock-solid and secure workflows
• Plug and Play with no drivers needed and includes Thunderbolt 3 cable
• Thunderbolt 3 certified for Mac and Windows
• Video capture
• Digital audio
• Solid State Drives (SSD)
• 40GbE/10GbE network adapters
• SAS controllers
• Firewire, USB, or eSATA host adapters
• U.2 NVMe SSD (with the OWC U.2 NVMe Interchange System)

“At OWC, we’ve devoted over 30 years to helping our loyal Mac and PC customers upgrade, expand and accelerate their machines to keep pace with our world’s ever-increasing demand for computing power,” said OWC founder and CEO Larry O’Connor. “The new Mercury Helios 3S is quite possibly the single most versatile tool we have ever developed, giving power users, DIYers and professionals alike the power to use best-in-class processing solutions for virtually any function, including storage, video and audio processing, networking, and more.”

Pro-Level Performance Cards for Every Need

Mercury Helios 3S supports a wide variety of half-length, full-height, single or double-width pro-level PCIe cards from leading brands like AJA, Apogee, ATTO, Avid Pro Tools, Blackmagic Design, CalDigit, HighPoint, Intel, Solid State Logic, Universal Audio, and OWC for dedicated, pro-class performance like:

Capture, Stream, and Share in Seconds

With dual 40Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 ports, the Mercury Helios 3S offers the bandwidth needed to support data-intensive 4K capture cards to speed up diverse video workflows such as vlogging. Boost your DAW with external DSP acceleration and run larger mixes with multiple plug-ins. Live stream the action in your gaming sessions or share files over a 10Gb Ethernet or Fibre Channel network without any speed throttling.

The Ultimate in U.2 NVMe SSD Fast Swapability (sold separately)

OWC is also proud to introduce the OWC U.2 NVMe Interchange System, an optional companion to the Mercury Helios 3S that converts it into a fast-swappable U.2 NVMe SSD storage system. For media and entertainment industry professionals seeking the ultimate in performance from U.2 NVMe SSDs, plus easy drive swap convenience in a protective, transportable carrier, this is your ticket.

For over three decades, OWC has listened to its customers and designed innovative solutions that solved their data-related challenges. This new companion to the Helios 3S continues that rich history with an integrated solution that saves professionals time and money while safeguarding their data.

The OWC U.2 NVMe Interchange System for Mercury Helios 3S features a locking drive bay and drive tray that offers fast and easy access and transport of today’s highest performing drives up to 16TB with real-world tested speeds up to 2631MB/s — over 4X faster than SATA drives. Offload the day’s shoot into the Helios 3S, pull the Interchange System carrier tray out and ship it to postproduction in minutes. Besides maintaining your project deadline, you’ll enjoy significant savings versus shipping a heavy enclosure.

Availability

The OWC Mercury Helios 3S PCIe Expansion Chassis is available now at MacSales.com for $229.99. The OWC U.2 NVMe Interchange System for Mercury Helios 3S is sold separately starting from $69.99.