- Helios 5S brings full PCIe expansion to small Apple desktop systems
- Expansion chassis efficiently supports full-height PCIe 4.0 x4 cards
- Users can connect three 8K displays for high-end creative workflows
The move to Thunderbolt 5 has caused OWC to rethink how external expansion should work for users who rely on small Apple desktops.
In response, OWC introduced the Helios 5S, a new expansion chassis designed to bring true PCI-E functionality to Thunderbolt 5 Macs.
The previous model relied on Thunderbolt 3 and only offered a single PCIe 3.0 slot, which limited users’ ability to push high-speed cards.
Improved PCIe performance and display support
The Helios 5S doubles the interface speed and adds new connectivity that aims to meet the needs of creative teams that rely on fast storage and demanding peripherals.
The new chassis connects via an 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 link and offers three additional Thunderbolt 5 ports for daisy-chaining.
OWC claims that it can deliver up to 6,000 MB/s of bandwidth, which is enough to run PCIe 4.0 x4 cards at full speed.
However, it does not support GPUs or cards requiring power consumption above 75 watts, which limits the types of upgrades possible.
The internal PCIe 4.0 x4 slot supports full-height cards and aims to deliver throughput levels closer to modern workstations.
Users can now run professional capture devices or external NVMe hardware RAID cards without the bottlenecks that appeared on Thunderbolt 3 configurations.
Thunderbolt 5’s expanded display support means the case also allows for up to three 8K displays, depending on the host system’s graphics hardware.
The Helios 5S replaces OWC’s Mercury Helios 3S, upgrading from Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 5 over USB-C, doubling bandwidth from 40 Gbps to 80 Gbps.
The older model had a single PCIe 3.0 slot, sufficient for moderate expansion but limited for high-performance tasks.
The Helios 5S supports full-speed PCIe 4.0 x4 cards and adds three additional USB-C Thunderbolt 5 ports, increasing connectivity and external expansion options for Apple’s compact desktop users.
It supports three Thunderbolt 5 ports, each with 15W of power, enabling up to 120Gbps bandwidth for heavy display tasks.
With this connectivity, the device can handle up to three 8K monitors or two at 120Hz.
For more connectivity options, it supports NVMe RAID controllers, 8K capture cards, high-speed network adapters, and audio DSP hardware externally.
It also maintains compatibility with older Thunderbolt 4 and 3 Macs, as well as USB4 PCs, providing plug-and-play operation once macOS 15.3 or later is installed.
Users working with Apple’s smaller desktops may find the Helios 5S useful if they need card-based features that macOS natively supports.
The Helios 5S is available for $329.99 and includes a Thunderbolt 5 cable and power supply.
OWC also introduced StudioStack, which brings stackable hybrid storage to the Mac Studio and Mac mini systems.
The unit supports fast NVMe SSDs, large hard drives, and additional Thunderbolt 5 connectivity in a compact aluminum body.
“OWC continues to set the pace in Thunderbolt innovation,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO of Other World Computing (OWC).
“With StudioStack and Mercury Helios 5S, we’re giving creatives, professionals, and even hobbyists the tools to not only push performance further, but to extend what’s possible. »
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