8 Bays, 256TB, HAMR-Powered Thunderbolt 5 DAS. Full Review at StorageReview.com.

Why It Matters

The combination of HAMR-driven 32TB drives and Thunderbolt 5 gives creative and enterprise users desktop-scale access to multi‑hundred‑terabyte performance storage without a networked SAN, enabling much larger local workflows for video, backup, and content production. It represents a practical step change in addressable capacity and throughput for direct‑attach storage solutions.

Summary

LEI’s 8ig Pro 5 is an eight-bay Thunderbolt 5 direct‑attach storage enclosure that fits eight Seagate IronWolf Pro 32TB HAMR drives for 256TB raw capacity (about 225TB usable in RAID 5). The unit is ruggedly built with a carry handle, Kensington lock, external power, and multiple Thunderbolt 5 ports that support daisy‑chaining. Seagate provides Mac and Windows management apps to configure RAID and access, and the reviewer measured peak throughput around 2,000 MB/s across the full 225TB array. This is the first time IronWolf Pro 32TB HAMR drives have been shown in this DAS form factor, delivering unprecedented single‑enclosure capacity.