April 23, 2013, Woodstock, IL Other World Computing (OWC®)
http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, today introduced the
OWC Mercury Helios™+E2 Thunderbolt SSD Solution. The bootable ‘all-in-one' storage performance and expansion solution offers owners of Thunderbolt technology enabled Macs and PCs sustained read/write data throughput up to 617MB/s from up to 960GB of OWC Mercury SSD capacity; two Thunderbolt interfaces for connecting multiple Thunderbolt devices; and two eSATA 6Gb/s expansion ports for connecting up to an additional 32TB or more of external storage/backup capacity.
Adds Thunderbolt Performance with Plug and Play Ease
With the simple connection of a Thunderbolt cable, the Helios+E2 immediately expands the storage performance and expansion capabilities of Thunderbolt enabled iMac®, Mac mini, MacBook® Air, and MacBook Pro machines as well as PCs. Inside Helios+E2 resides an OWC Mercury Accelsior™_E2, the only Mac bootable and supported PCIe SSD. Featuring two custom SandForce Driven™ Acccelsior SSD ‘blades', Helios+E2 offers total capacity choices up to 960GB, up to 100K IOPS, and performance beyond even 6G speed with sustained data transfer rates up to 617MB/s read and 524MB/s write. With that level of bootable performance, creative professionals can stop waiting for I/O-intensive apps like Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, or Avid Pro Tools to render, capture or process; as well as experience near instantaneous booting and application launches.
Two Thunderbolt Ports Offer Daisy Chain Bus Power
Helios+E2 offers two Thunderbolt ports, one of which is used to connect the solution to a Thunderbolt enabled computer. The other Thunderbolt port can be used to daisy chain up to five additional Thunderbolt devices such as video capture devices, data storage devices, or an Apple Thunderbolt Display; plus a single mini DisplayPort capable display. And because it offers 10 watts of power, Helios+E2 can support bus-powering a daisy chained peripheral.
The other Thunderbolt port can be used to daisy chain up to five additional Thunderbolt devices such as video capture devices, data storage devices, or an Apple Thunderbolt Display plus a single mini DisplayPort capable display.
Two eSATA Storage Expansion Interfaces for Additional External Capacity
Helios+E2 features two 6Gb/s eSATA expansion ports for transferring data for backup or archival purposes at speeds up to 600MB/s to any external storage device with an eSATA port. While built to deliver 6Gb/s speed, Helios+E2 is also fully compatible with 1.5Gb/s and 3Gb/s external drives and can be connected to a variety of
OWC and NewerTech single and dual drive RAID solutions and other brand eSATA interface equipped solutions. With this capability and a Plug and Play solution like the
OWC Mercury Qx2, an additional 32TB of capacity (or more) can be easily added to the desktop. And by using Apple Disk Utility or SoftRAID with Macs, or various software RAID applications for PCs, customers can even create a RAID array among two connected drives.
Adapts to Changing Workflow Needs
If a change in workflow is needed, Accelsior_E2 SSD card can be removed from the Helios chassis and used in an Apple Mac Pro or other PC with an open PCIe slot. Helios can then accommodate a different PCIe card for video capture/editing, media transcoding, or audio processing.
Built with User Conveniences
Besides being powerfully fast and flexible, Helios+E2 is conveniently simple to use. The unit automatically powers on/off with the Thunderbolt connected computer and is hot-pluggable. A ventilated aluminum housing with a variable speed fan keeps the Helios+E2 running cool.
Expert Tested and Proven Faster Performance
In a real world Photoshop file processing comparison of a MacBook Pro retina internal SSD versus the Helios+E2 by expert testing site,
Macperformanceguide.com, the Helios+E2 solution "handily outperformed" the factory internal drive, which took 41 percent longer to complete the process.
Pricing and Availability
The Mercury Helios+E2 is available for immediate ordering from OWC and select retailers in the following capacity configurations:
- 120GB Mercury Helios Thunderbolt Storage Solution - $659.99
- 240GB Mercury Helios Thunderbolt Storage Solution - $829.99
- 480GB Mercury Helios Thunderbolt Storage Solution - $1079.99
- 960GB Mercury Helios Thunderbolt Storage Solution - $1679.99
The final capacity figures represent each drive's useable capacity after a 7 percent over-provisioning allocation is utilized for wear-leveling and drive management. OWC Mercury brand SSDs use over-provisioning to ensure high reliability over the life of the drive, as well provide exceptional drive longevity and consistent, high data performance with I/O stability. Without this and other technologies built into OWC SSDs, other brand SSDs lose consistent performance over time as unused space on the drive declines
For more information on the Helios+E2, including reseller inquiries, visit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Thunderbolt/PCIe_Chassis/Mercury_Helios_Accelsior_E2/
"The Helios+E2 is the ultimate Thunderbolt external SSD solution for Thunderbolt enabled Macs," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing.
"It's incredibly fast, easy to connect, offers additional capacity expansion potential, and adapts to changing workflow needs. It's robust enough to handle the rigors of pro audio and video studios producing HD-quality work, yet can unlock the performance potential of Thunderbolt for the masses."
Most Comprehensive SSD Line For Macs And PCs
The Helios+E2 joins OWC's Mercury line of performance leading, world speed record-breaking SSDs for nearly every Mac and PC produced over the past decade in capacities from 44GB to 2.0TB starting from $64.99. For more information, visit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/
About Other World Computing (OWC)
Other World Computing 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.
Widely recognized for the high quality of its products and exemplary customer service, OWC's industry awards and recognition include:
Crain's Chicago Business 2009 and 2011-2012 "Fast Fifty" List of the Fastest Growing Companies in the Chicago Area;
Inc. 5,000 "Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies in America" list honoree 2007-2012, and
Inc. "Hire Power Awards" honoree 2012;
Reseller Ratings Elite Member 2009-2012;
Better Business Bureau Top Rating of A+ 2010-2012;
About.com 2012 Readers' Choice Award for best Mac Peripheral Reseller; Computerworld Magazine Top Green-IT Companies; and
McHenry County Economic Development Corporation 2008 and 2011 Business Champion Award.
Company Contact:
Bill Herring
512-412-4009
bherring@macsales.com
Agency Contact:
Andy Marken
408-986-0100
andy@markencom.com
OWC is a registered trademark of New Concepts Development Corporation, registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Canada.
Mercury Accelsior and Mercury Helios are trademarks of New Concepts Development Corporation.
Apple, Mac, MacBook, Macintosh, iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad are the trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Thunderbolt is the trademark of Intel Corporation in the US and other countries.
SandForce Driven is a trademark of LSI Corporation.
Other marks may be the trademark or registered trademark property of their owners.
