The Areca ARC-8050T5U-8E 128TB is an eight-bay professional desktop hardware RAID supplied with 8 x 16TB 7200rpm enterprise hard drives, providing 128TB of raw storage capacity.
Dual Thunderbolt 5 / USB-C connectivity is paired with a 1.6GHz dual-core ARM A15 hardware RAID controller, 8GB DDR4-2666 ECC-protected cache and eight 12Gb/s SAS / 6Gb/s SATA drive channels for demanding professional storage workflows.
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– The UK’s Areca RAID Experts!The Areca ARC-8050T5U-8E 128TB is the eight-bay SAS/SATA member of Areca's ARC-8050T5U Thunderbolt 5 hardware RAID family. This configuration combines eight 16TB enterprise hard drives with Areca's dedicated hardware RAID platform.
Its 1.6GHz dual-core ARM A15 RAID-on-Chip controller and 8GB DDR4-2666 ECC-protected cache distinguish the 8E from smaller ARC-8050T5U models, while Thunderbolt 5 and USB-C 10Gb host compatibility make it suitable for modern Mac and Windows workstations.
Eight 16TB 7200rpm enterprise hard drives provide 128TB of raw capacity and are covered by a five-year drive warranty. Final usable capacity depends on RAID level and formatting. As a planning guide, RAID 5 provides approximately 112TB before formatting, RAID 6 approximately 96TB, and RAID 10 approximately 64TB.
The 8E provides eight drive channels supporting 12Gb/s SAS or 6Gb/s SATA devices. It is the SAS/SATA-only eight-bay model and should not be confused with the ARC-8050T5U-8N, which additionally supports U.2/U.3 NVMe drives.
A Broadcom SAS39xx dual-core ARM A15 RAID-on-Chip running at up to 1.6GHz handles RAID processing independently of the host CPU. The controller is paired with 8GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM cache with ECC protection and uses a PCIe Gen4 controller architecture.
Two Thunderbolt 5 ports provide up to 80Gb/s bidirectional Thunderbolt bandwidth. When connected to a compatible USB-only computer, the same USB-C connection operates using USB 3.2 Gen 2 at up to 10Gb/s. Thunderbolt 5 Bandwidth Boost can provide up to 120Gb/s for supported display-intensive workflows.
Supported modes include RAID 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 30, 50 and 60 together with Single Disk and JBOD, allowing the eight-drive set to be configured for performance, capacity, drive-failure protection or a suitable balance between them.
A full-size DisplayPort 2.1 output is provided alongside the Thunderbolt 5 ports. Compatible Thunderbolt peripherals can be daisy-chained from the RAID, with Areca supporting chains of up to 10 devices.
The array can be configured and monitored through the front-panel LCD, through the host connection or independently using the dedicated Gigabit Ethernet management port. Areca's McRAID browser interface and ArcSAP provide additional local and remote administration options. The Ethernet port is for RAID management rather than host storage connectivity.
Controller-based AES 128-bit and 256-bit hardware encryption is supported together with compatible self-encrypting drives. Additional RAID functions include drive-health monitoring, array verification, disk scrubbing, hot-spare support and online RAID migration.
The eight-bay desktop chassis uses two intelligently controlled 2700rpm cooling fans and a 300W internal power supply. Areca specifies approximately 37.4dB sound pressure for this chassis.
Rent a Raid can preconfigure and test the system before dispatch, including an appropriate RAID level for the intended Mac or Windows workflow, so the hardware RAID set can arrive ready for deployment.
Thunderbolt 5 host support is specified for macOS 15.3 or later and Windows 11 23H2 or later. Thunderbolt 4 is supported on macOS 14.x or later and Windows 11 or later; compatible Thunderbolt 3 Macs require macOS 15.0 or later. USB host operation is OS independent.
| Manufacturer | Areca Technology |
| Product | ARC-8050T5U-8E - 128TB |
| Configuration | 8 x 16TB enterprise hard drives fitted |
| Raw Capacity | 128TB |
| Approximate RAID 5 Capacity | 112TB before formatting / filesystem overhead |
| Approximate RAID 6 Capacity | 96TB before formatting / filesystem overhead |
| Approximate RAID 10 Capacity | 64TB before formatting / filesystem overhead |
| Drive Type | Enterprise HDD |
| Drive Speed | 7200rpm |
| Drive Warranty | 5-year warranty |
| Form Factor | Desktop 8-Bay |
| Drive Bays | 8 |
| Supported Drive Types | Compatible SAS or SATA HDDs and SSDs |
| Storage Interface | SAS / SATA only |
| Drive Channels | 8 x 12Gb/s SAS or 6Gb/s SATA |
| NVMe Support | No — ARC-8050T5U-8E is the SAS/SATA-only eight-bay model |
| Host / Peripheral Ports | 2 x Thunderbolt 5 USB-C |
| Thunderbolt 5 Bandwidth | Up to 80Gb/s bidirectional |
| Bandwidth Boost | Up to 120Gb/s for supported display workloads |
| USB-C Compatibility | USB 3.2 Gen 2 / USB-C 10Gb |
| Display Output | 1 x full-size DisplayPort 2.1 |
| RAID Controller | Broadcom SAS39xx dual-core ARM A15 ROC, up to 1.6GHz |
| Controller Architecture | PCIe Gen4 RAID-on-Chip |
| Cache Memory | 8GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM with ECC protection |
| RAID Levels | RAID 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 30, 50, 60 |
| Additional Storage Modes | Single Disk, JBOD |
| Hardware Encryption | Controller-based AES 128-bit / 256-bit |
| SED Support | Supported with compatible self-encrypting drives |
| Management Interfaces | Front-panel LCD, in-band management, dedicated Gigabit Ethernet out-of-band management |
| Management Software | McRAID browser manager, ArcSAP |
| Expansion Support | None |
| Cooling | 2 x 2700rpm intelligent cooling fans |
| Sound Pressure Level | Approximately 37.4dB |
| Power Supply | 300W internal power supply |
| Dimensions | 146 x 302 x 290mm (5.7 x 11.8 x 11.4in) |
| Enclosure Weight | Approximately 6.8kg / 14.9lb before fitted-drive weight |
| Thunderbolt 5 OS Support | macOS 15.3 or later; Windows 11 23H2 or later |
| Thunderbolt 4 OS Support | macOS 14.x or later; Windows 11 or later |
| Thunderbolt 3 Support | Compatible Macs; macOS 15.0 or later |
| USB Host Support | OS independent |
| Included Data Cable | 1m active 120Gb/s Thunderbolt 5 USB-C cable |
In general, next working day delivery services (UK Mainland) are available on Areca equipment orders placed before 2pm (subject to stock availability).
We kindly advise you let us preconfigure each Areca RAID (as RAID5, RAID6 etc), so they arrive properly setup, ready to “plug’n’play”.
This is a free service, and takes 1-2 days prior to shipping.
Non-timed deliveries should be delivered between the hours of 9am and 6pm.
Orders placed after 2pm on Fridays and on weekends will be processed as normal the following Monday.
Orders placed on Bank Holidays will be processed the next working day.
**If urgent, please call one of our helpful account managers so they may double check everything for you, enabling you to place your order with confidence.**
*Please note: these product details are for guide purposes only, and may contain errors.*
*We always recommend double-checking the product specs and features on the manufacturer website, or contact us if unsure before ordering.*
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