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Trying to decide on a usbc/3 external drive. I'm down to these two:

Verbatim 43888 (Pioneer BDR-UD04 based)
Archgon MD-8107-U3 (LG BU40N based)

This will be the only drive that I own. I don't care much about write performance. I care more about read reliability (most successful rips) over speed.

Any clear winner?

Thanks!

happybrahma wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 17, 2025 3:19 am

Trying to decide on a usbc/3 external drive. I'm down to these two:

Verbatim 43888 (Pioneer BDR-UD04 based)
Archgon MD-8107-U3 (LG BU40N based)

This will be the only drive that I own. I don't care much about write performance. I care more about read reliability (most successful rips) over speed.

Any clear winner?

Thanks!

Verbatim 43888

Do the Verbatims hold up as well as the internal Pioneers?

Also, I noticed the model number on Amazon is 43890 instead of 43888. Do you know if those also work?

pocketdrummer wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 17, 2025 9:30 pm

Do the Verbatims hold up as well as the internal Pioneers?

Also, I noticed the model number on Amazon is 43890 instead of 43888. Do you know if those also work?

I think the 43890 is a UD03 blu-ray drive (non UHD) but if you purvhase it, contact Billycar11 as he may be able to provide flashing for it. The 43888 is on Amazon Germany.

I don't think external drives hold up as well as internal Pioneer models. You would have to weigh up what is more important to you, portability or shelf life. The internal models can always be used externally via a USB enclosure or a SATA to USB powered adapter.

Hey all,

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I also saw the 43890, but didn't want to deal with potential flashing if I want UHD. Too bad, since I could just pick up a 43890 at my local Office Depot. Verbatim 43888 it is!

I thought about a pioneer branded drive, and perhaps even using an enclosure, but honestly, I just did not want so sift through all the details to ensure I get a drive that would be flashable, and that would also get the needed power over usbc only.

Thanks again,

-Steve