Help Sourcing Parts for 5-Bay Internal UHD/Blu-ray Ripping MakeMKV Setup

[mcleveland92]

Hello MakeMKV Community

I'm currently using an external LibreDrive-enabled slim drive for ripping Blu-rays and some UHDs, but I’m ready to scale up to something more powerful. Here's what I’m running now:

7. My Current Setup (for context)

Drive Information

• Model: HL-DT-ST BD-RE BP60NB10
• Firmware: 1.02 (patched for LibreDrive)
• LibreDrive Status: Enabled
• Platform: MT1959
• AACS version: 47
• DVD all regions: Yes
• Unrestricted read speed: Yes

It works great for casual use, but I’d like to build a dedicated internal system — mainly to rip TV box sets and UHD movies more efficiently with multiple drives running at once. Here's what I'm aiming for:

1. Drive Configuration

• Number of Drives: 5 internal SATA drives
• Purpose: Simultaneous ripping of Blu-ray and UHD discs to enhance efficiency

2. Drive Recommendations

• Preferred Models: Reliable and MakeMKV-compatible, ideally UHD-friendly or flashable (e.g., WH16NS60, WH16NS40, BH16NS55, etc.)
• Firmware: Open to flashing, just need guidance on known-good models

3. Enclosure/Case Suggestions

• Must support 5x 5.25" internal bays (I know these are rare these days!)
• Adequate cooling for extended rips
• Prefer mid/full tower (no rackmount)

4. Supporting Hardware

• SATA controller card options (if motherboard can't handle 5 optical drives)
• Power supply recommendations to support drives + GPU if needed

5. Software/OS Notes

• Likely Windows 10 or Linux
• Mainly using MakeMKV; might add AnyDVD HD, ImgBurn, etc.

6. Budget

• Roughly $700 or less for hardware (excluding software)

Any and all recommendations — from drive models and controller cards to case suggestions — would be super appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your help. Looking forward to building this rip monster!

[flojo]

700usd is not doable, you'll need to spend more.

I've used 5 "Digital Pioneer BDR-212V" for UHD but I only did this twice (10 discs total). I don't rip regularly so I'm not sure if they're good drives, but the drives can be had sometimes for ~85usd on Amazon. After tax this came out to be nearly 500usd for me.

I used a N100 (~120usd) and a M.2 NVME SATA controller with cables (~30usd). I used a very old 300watt atx power supply when running the drives directly on SATA, and Kanguru USB enclosures for external. I tested both situations, which were I ripped 5 discs directly on SATA and 5 via USB (10 discs total). I'm not sure which enclosure you can buy, if I wanted one then it would be a no-brainer to 3D print one.

N100: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808574545703.html
M.2 SATA NVME (asmedia ASM1166 controller): https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805467391305.html
Kanguru: https://www.ebay.com/itm/196121196453

I ran Ubuntu from a persistent USB flash drive, however I did not use the GUI, just makemkvcon.

[mcleveland92]

700usd is not doable, you'll need to spend more.

I've used 5 "Digital Pioneer BDR-212V" for UHD but I only did this twice (10 discs total). I don't rip regularly so I'm not sure if they're good drives, but the drives can be had sometimes for ~85usd on Amazon. After tax this came out to be nearly 500usd for me.

I used a N100 (~120usd) and a M.2 NVME SATA controller with cables (~30usd). I used a very old 300watt atx power supply when running the drives directly on SATA, and Kanguru USB enclosures for external. I tested both situations, which were I ripped 5 discs directly on SATA and 5 via USB (10 discs total). I'm not sure which enclosure you can buy, if I wanted one then it would be a no-brainer to 3D print one.

N100: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808574545703.html
M.2 SATA NVME (asmedia ASM1166 controller): https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805467391305.html
Kanguru: https://www.ebay.com/itm/196121196453

I ran Ubuntu from a persistent USB flash drive, however I did not use the GUI, just makemkvcon.

This is an awesome response! Thank you!