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So I have been reading up through this forum and I think I got the gist of LibreDrive....

But now I need a drive upgrade... what's the best external drive drive out there? USB3 or USBC works for me... just want to get the most compatible for future features and speed, who doesn't like speed...

Thanks!

Make one. Personally I'd get an LG NS60 official drive or ASUS BW-16D1HT, throw it in a Vantec external USB case, flash it with an MK firmware, and call it a day.

^ This. I have a BE16NU50, which is a dedicated external drive. The unfortunate thing is that I can't cross-flash it with any other FW. If I try, it fails. So, I can't switch over to Asus's (arguably) superior BW-16D1HT 3.10 FW. Meanwhile, you can take an internal drive and put it in a $40 Vantec enclosure. Voila! You have a perfectly functional external drive, and one that should be cross-flashable if it's a recent LG.

(Do your research before cross-flashing, kids. If it's an LG that can't read BDXL discs, you'll probably break it if you try to cross-flash it! Even if it can read them, I won't guarantee that all models will work. LG's "UHD friendly" drives should be safe, though.)

I bought ASUS BW-16D1HT - always found external caddy's too bulky so bought a Inateck USB 3.0 to SATA converter and just popped it in the back. It was allot cheaper than a caddy (£17), just make sure you get one that is compatible with optical drives.

(oh, I flashed it on the SATA bus not USB - thought it would be better to minimise risk)

Not as a "toaster", because there are too many variations in power connectors on IDE/PATA drives.

Several manufactures make "dongles" that have both SATA and IDE/PATA; I have a couple that also do 2.5" PATA. Power has to be supplied separately, though.

Alternatively, you can get a SATA toaster, and a SATA->PATA cable to plug into it when you need to deal with older drives.