iodyne Pro Data Released – World’s Fastest Thunderbolt 3 External Storage

Storage Media

by Jeff LochJanuary 26^th, 2022

A new American company called iodyne has just released its first product: Pro Data. This high-speed external drive features 12 built-in NVMe SSDs with a maximum capacity of 24TB, eight Thunderbolt 3 ports, and it can reach speeds up to 5 GB/s, making it the fastest external drive on the planet. Let’s take a closer look at this incredible storage solution for content creators that needs nothing but the best.

NVMe M.2 external drives are not new, like the fast and compact OWC Envoy Pro SX that can reach speeds up to 2800 MB/s. However, these drives are usually pretty expensive, and they are currently limited to 2TB/4TB storage capacities.

If you’re looking for the best transfer speeds money can buy – something DITs are usually looking for, for example – iodyne launched the Pro Data, a Thunderbolt 3 external drive with no compromises.

iodyne Pro Data features

The iodyne Pro Data is a pretty compact (for what it has to offer) – 15.39×10×1.22″ / 39.1×25.4×3.1 cm – external drive with a weight of 7.3 lbs/3.3kg that is mostly made out of aluminum.

At the back of the Pro Data, you’ll find eight Thunderbolt 3 ports and a power input port. Indeed, the drive is not powered by your computer, and it comes with a 180W power supply.

Out of the eight Thunderbolt 3 ports, four are inputs, and four are outputs. It means that you can upstream to one or multiple computers simultaneously. Also, the numerous output ports allow you to daisy-chain other devices or accessories.

Transfer speeds

Most of the magic of the iodyne Pro Data is on the inside, where you’ll find twelve NVMe M.2 SSDs. Currently, the Pro Data is available in either 12TB or 24TB capacities. The external drive can theoretically be expanded to 576TB (12 x 48TB).

The built-in NVME M.2 SSDs are daisy-chained and can reach speeds up to 5 GB/s. The limit here is not the Pro Data but the maximum bandwidth your computer can take. Even if you plug multiple Thunderbolt 3 cables into your computer, you can’t go higher. You can set up your Pro Data in various modes, including RAID-0 and RAID-6.

iodyne Pro Data security

The Pro Data comes with its own Mac app that allows you to create what iodyne calls “containers.” In short, all twelve NVMe SSDs are combined in a single storage pool. Then, you make containers that act like “partitions.”

The main difference between a partition and iodyne’s container system is that you can select the RAID type for each container and decide to share – or not – some containers with teammates, for example.

All your precious files inside your Pro Data are encrypted with AES-XTS-256 encryption, ensuring that your assets cannot be stolen if lost. Keys are stored in a hardware Secure Enclave and protected by passwords kept in your Keychain.

Lastly, the iodyne App automatically monitors the health and lifespan of all internal SSDs. In addition, the App connects with iodyne Cloud to order replacement SSDs over the device lifetime. The user can replace the internal SSDs.

Price and availability

The iodyne Pro Data is available now in dark space, silver, or purple colorway. The 12TB Pro Data costs $3.950, while the 24TB version retails for $7.500. In the box, you’ll find the Pro Data, the power supply, a vertical stand, and up to two 0.7m TB3 cables.

For more information, please visit iodyne’s website here.

What do you think about this new NVMe external drive? Do you need such high-speed data transfer rates? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!