July 26, 2012, Woodstock, IL — Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today the OWC Mercury Helios™ PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis as the solution for using half-length professional-level PCIe 2.0 adapter cards with Mac mini, iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and other Thunderbolt-equipped computers that do not have PCIe slots due to size and/or design limitations.
More Users Can Now Tap Into 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 throughput up to 10Gb/s, and is the perfect solution to massively boost workflow productivity. It's bootable with AHCI compliant cards and can daisy-chain up to six devices. Types of PCIe cards Helios can use include: Fibre Channel • 10Gb Ethernet • RAID controller • Video capture • Digital audio • Solid State Drive • SAS controllers such as the OWC Jupiter • and FireWire, USB 3.0,
eSATA host adapter cards.
Pricing and Availability
The $399.95 MSRP Mercury Helios is now available for order and will begin shipping within 7-10 days directly from OWC and select retailers. Additionally, specially priced Mercury Helios/Mercury Accelsior SSD bundles are available for supercharged data transfer performance up to 620MBs* and with capacities up to nearly 1.0TB:
- 120GB Mercury Helios PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis/Mercury Accelsior PCIe SSD - $679.99
- 240GB Mercury Helios PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis/Mercury Accelsior PCIe SSD - $799.99
- 480GB Mercury Helios PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis/Mercury Accelsior PCIe SSD - $1079.99
- 960GB Mercury Helios PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis/Mercury Accelsior PCIe SSD - $1819.99
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 width, full height x1, x4 or x8 Thunderbolt compliant and AHCI compliant PCIe card
- Expansion slots: One PCIe 2.0 x8 (x4 mode)
- Connection interfaces: Two Thunderbolt ports
- Daisy-chain up to six devices
- Bootable with AHCI compliant cards
- External case dimensions: 5.7 in (W) x 8.8 in (D) x 2.9 in (H)
- Weighs 2.4 lbs (without card)
- Ventilated quiet cooling with a variable speed fan
- Automatically powers on/off with computer
- Warranty: 3-year
- Compatible with any computer that can support Thunderbolt technology
"With the advanced processors modern MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros, iMacs, and even the Mac mini offer, these machines are very capable of running advanced applications and processes that rival the Mac Pro," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "Now with the Mercury Helios, users of these non-PCIe slot equipped machines can tap into the power of PCIe cards and experience capabilities previously unattainable."
About Other World Computing (OWC)
Other World Computing (OWC) has been providing quality hardware products and support to the computer industry since 1988 and features one of the largest online catalogs of computer, iPod®, iPhone®, and iPad® enhancement products through its e-commerce portal www.macsales.com. As a member of the Apple Developer Program, OWC also provides extensive US-based technical support for Macintosh® users around the world as well as Internet access via
www.fastermac.net and
www.owc.net
OWC's industry awards and recognition include:
Crain's Chicago Business 2009 and 2011 "Fast 50" List of 50 Fastest Growing Companies in the Chicago Area;
Inc. 5,000 "Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies in America" list honoree 2007-2011;
Reseller Ratings Elite Member 2009-2011;
Better Business Bureau Top Rating of A+ 2010-2011; About.com 2012 Readers' Choice Award for best Mac Peripheral Reseller;
Computerworld Magazine Top Green-IT Companies for 2008; and
McHenry County Economic Development Corporation 2008 & 2011 Business Champion Award.
In March 2010, OWC's corporate campus was designated as LEED® Platinum by the Green Building Certification Institute (
http://eshop.macsales.com/green/index.html). Platinum is the highest achievable LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Program level, which began in 1998. Out of more than 14,000 LEED projects engaged worldwide since the program's inception, OWC is one of less than three hundred to achieve the Platinum standard. In September 2010, OWC's headquarters earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® rating for building operations that perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.
Contact:
Company Contact:
Jennifer Myers: (815) 502-5640 or jmyers@owcdigital.com
*Editor's note: Accelsior supports data rates up to 820MB/s; when Accelsior is used via Thunderbolt PCIe chassis, performance is up to 620MB/s.
In March 2010, OWC's corporate campus was designated as LEED® Platinum by the Green Building Certification Institute (http://eshop.macsales.com/green/index.html). Platinum is the highest achievable LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Program level, which began in 1998. Out of more than 14,000 LEED projects engaged worldwide since the program's inception, OWC is one of less than three hundred to achieve the Platinum standard. In September 2010, OWC's headquarters earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® rating for building operations that perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.
