To my knowledge, the ZITAY USB Type-C Reader for ARRI Codex Compact Drive is the first third-party reader on the market.
This SSD Reader is designed for professionals using ARRI Codex Compact Drives, enabling fast and reliable data transfer directly via USB Type-C.
The reader is Compatible with both the ARRI Codex Compact Drive and the Compact Drive Express.
Transfer Speeds
It offers a claimed transfer speed of up to 2000MB/s to ensure smooth reading and writing of large files without lag.
If you are shooting ARRI RAW, ARRICORE, or ProRes 4444/4444XQ, then you can fill up a Codex Compact Drive very quickly. On set, you want to be able to offload those drives as quickly and reliably as possible.
I only have 1TB Codex Compact Drives, but according to ARRI they have read speed of 20 Gbps. I used Hedge’s Offshoot Pro to transfer footage from a 1TB Codex Compact Drive in the ZITAY USB Type-C Reader to a fast OWC Envoy Ultra SSD. The transfer speeds hovered around 980-990MB/s. There was no speed difference running it from mains power or from a battery that has USB-C PD output.
Now, if I looked at the system information of my computer, it was telling me that the ZITAY USB Type-C Reader only had a speed of up to 10 Gbps. This is because the Mac Mini M4 Pro I am using will only recognize the ZITAY reader as a USB 3.1 input which is limited to 10 Gbps. The Mac Mini M4 Pro doesn’t support supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 2×2 so you can’t get 20 Gbps.
I didn’t have access to a 2TB Codex Compact Drive, so I couldn’t do a test with that.
It’s not Bus Powered
The ZITAY USB Type-C Reader for ARRI Codex Compact Drive is not bus-powered. It comes with a USB Type-C PD 30W power supply, which is claimed to guarantee stable and high-speed data transmission.
You need to attach the included USB-C data cable to the reader, as well as the included USB-C power cable to use it.
Not being bus-powered does make it a little more challenging to use if you need to transfer data out in the field. However, if you have access to a power bank or a battery that has a USB-C PD output, you can power it remotely without any issues.
Compatability
The ZITAY USB Type-C Reader for ARRI Codex Compact Drive is compatible with both macOS and Windows systems. As it requires no driver installation, it supports plug-and-play functionality.
Build Quality
The reader is solidly made, and it is housed in an aluminum alloy casing.
There are dual fans for cooling. It does make some noise when it is reading a drive, but it is a bit quieter than the ARRI Codex Compact Drive Reader (USB-C).
It has a claimed operating temperature range of -5℃ to 40℃.
Weight & Size
It weighs in at 316g / 11.15 oz. It is reasonably large for a reader, but it isn’t any bigger than the ARRI Codex Compact Drive Dock (Thunderbolt 3).
As a comparison, the ARRI Codex Compact Drive Dock (Thunderbolt 3) weighs 500g / 1.1 lb and has physical dimensions of 5.2 x 4.9 x 1.5″ / 132 x 124 x 37 mm.
Above, you can see how the size compares to the ARRI Codex Compact Drive Reader (USB-C).
Other Options
The ARRI Codex Compact Drive Reader (USB-C) is $649 USD, and it offers transfer speeds of up to 8 Gb/s.
The ARRI Codex Compact Drive Dock (Thunderbolt 3) retails for $2,178 USD. It allows for transfer speeds of up to 20 Gb/s, and it is bus-powered.
Price & Availability
The ZITAY USB Type-C Reader for ARRI Codex Compact Drive retails for $339.99 USD. This makes it a very affordable solution compared to ARRI’s options, especially the ARRI Codex Compact Drive Dock (Thunderbolt 3), which is north of $2,000 USD.
Conclusion
You won’t get any speed advantage using the ZITAY USB Type-C Reader over the ARRI Codex Compact Drive Reader (USB-C) when using Macs because they don’t have USB 3.2 Gen 2 2×2. This limits the read speeds to 10 Gbps.
The ZITAY USB Type-C Reader for ARRI Codex Compact Drive works as advertised. It is well-made, easy to use, but as I mentioned its read speed is negated when using Macs because you will be limited to 10 Gbps read speeds. ZITAY should really make note of this in their marketing and instruction manual, as some people might buy it to use with Macs on the premise of 20 Gbps read speeds only to find out later that isn’t possible.
As the ARRI Codex Compact Drive Readers are pretty expensive, the ZITAY solution makes a lot of sense if you need a second reader or a backup.
Some potential buyers might be worried that it isn’t officially certified by ARRI, but I tested it thoroughly and found that it worked perfectly without any issues.
