Thursday, April 3rd 2025
Other World Computing (OWC) Launches OWC SoftRAID 8.5 for macOS and Windows
Other World Computing (OWC), a trusted leader in high-performance storage, memory, connectivity, software, and accessories that empower creative and business professionals to maximize performance, enhance reliability, and streamline workflows, today announced the release of OWC SoftRAID 8.5, the latest update to its powerful RAID management software for macOS and Windows. Packed with dozens of enhancements, OWC SoftRAID 8.5 delivers dramatic increases in reliability, functionality, and performance - ensuring next-level data protection, functionality, and system stability for everyone from video editors to IT administrators, novices to power users.
The new OWC SoftRAID 8.5 driver, included with Apple's macOS 15.4 update, introduces significant improvements for RAID 4/5 volumes, particularly when dealing with failing HDDs and SSDs. The driver now proactively marks a disk as failed upon detecting the first read or write error, ensuring uninterrupted performance by leveraging RAID redundancy to reconstruct data dynamically.
Other key enhancements include:
OWC SoftRAID 8.5 for Windows introduces a range of new features and critical fixes, further aligning it with the power and flexibility of OWC SoftRAID for Mac.
Key enhancements include:
OWC SoftRAID 8.5 is now generally available (GA) as a free update for existing users with an active OWC SoftRAID subscription.
The new OWC SoftRAID 8.5 driver, included with Apple's macOS 15.4 update, introduces significant improvements for RAID 4/5 volumes, particularly when dealing with failing HDDs and SSDs. The driver now proactively marks a disk as failed upon detecting the first read or write error, ensuring uninterrupted performance by leveraging RAID redundancy to reconstruct data dynamically.
- Improved Disk Failure Handling - Prevents read/write errors when a drive in a RAID 4/5 volume fails.
- Better Handling of Disconnected Disks - Ensures stability even when multiple disks or enclosures are disconnected while volumes remain mounted.
- Enhanced OWC SoftRAID Tool for Administrators - The command-line tool has been refined with expanded functionality, allowing more OWC SoftRAID tasks to be executed from a Terminal window or via scripting.
OWC SoftRAID 8.5 for Windows introduces a range of new features and critical fixes, further aligning it with the power and flexibility of OWC SoftRAID for Mac.
Key enhancements include:
- New Cross-Platform Support - Now supports mounting, reading, and writing non-RAID volumes created on OWC SoftRAID for Mac.
- Enhanced RAID 1+0 Management - Users can now change primary disks and remove member disks from RAID 4/5/1+0 (10) volumes.
- Diagnostics Tool Upgrade - Improved troubleshooting capabilities with the latest diagnostic enhancements.
- Optimized TRIM Handling - Increased efficiency for RAID 4/5 SSD volumes.
- Event Log Improvements - More detailed logging for system events.
- Added Compatibility - Supports Window Volume Shadow Copy Service, which allows users and apps to create backup copies of files or entire volumes.
- Enhanced System Stability and RAID Management - Introduced key updates to improve volume validation, ensure seamless automatic rebuilds, and strengthen RAID 1+0 handling, delivering a highly reliable and resilient experience.
OWC SoftRAID 8.5 is now generally available (GA) as a free update for existing users with an active OWC SoftRAID subscription.
11 Comments on Other World Computing (OWC) Launches OWC SoftRAID 8.5 for macOS and Windows
You'd think companies would have learned to make straight up lies in thier marketing by now..
And having or adding subscrtiption into something that should be a one of cost er... F*** right off and do one mate.
They have nice stuff, but the prices are eye-watering.
Some companies give you free point updates for every major release (for example X.y, y+1 y+2) but for major versions (X.y -> X+1) you need a subscription or to buy again (also applies to smaller subpoint in case the .y is the major release), some others also throw in support cases with the subscription
It's a pretty normal business model.
OWC are becoming the BMW of the PC world RAID subscription/Heated seats no difference and they can both fuck right off
However, once the fruity bois starting leaning towards making Intel compatibility a reality and got OS X to a more polished state, they got the big head and starting raising prices to absurd levels....
nope, not doing that !
Paying a subscription for RAID is indeed odd, it's not like the SATA standard or RAID configurations have changed much in the last 30 years.
Paying a subscription for feature-creep vendor-bloat like backup or volume shadow copy that has nothing to do with RAID makes some sense, although at that point why are you running your RAID array on Windows or MacOS when you should be using an actual storage OS? It seems like a very 1990's or early 2000's way of doing things and it died back then for so many valid and repeatable reasons that I'm not even going to dignify listing them all.
On Mac i don't think you can do anything.
At least they're value adding some stuff like having a very easy to see and visible gui with proactive smart monitoring and disk status
You can buy a LSI/Adaptec SATA RAID card for ~$100 with a dedicated RAID management utility that does what Windows doesn't, including boot from it, which an OS-level RAID solution can't do.