Choosing the Right Optical Drive
Although they are no longer found in a lot of new computer builds, optical drives are still very useful for accessing a lot of media and software. Companies like ASUS make a lot of different drives, so there are many different models to choose from with different feature sets.
Internal Or External?
- An internal disc drive is designed to fit into a laptop or desktop computer chassis. If you are building a computer from scratch or want to replace an existing drive, this is the type you need. These devices usually plug into the motherboard using a SATA connection. SATA provides a high data transfer rate, so your device can read and write data quickly.
- Many modern laptops don't come with an internal optical drive in order to save space. If you want to play DVDs or CDs on one of them, you will need an external drive. These usually plug into your laptop using a USB or micro-USB cable. The USB connection makes them widely compatible, but it also means leaving USB cables lying around on your desk. Read and write speed are also potentially limited by the bandwidth of your USB cable.
Which Types Of Media Do I Want To Play?
- A CD drive will play CDs. CD-only drives are quite rare as so much media and software comes in DVD format. Depending on the drive, it may also be able to write and rewrite CD-R and CD-RW discs.
- DVDs are a very popular media format, so a DVD drive will give you access to a lot of content. A DVD burner will also be capable of burning new content onto DVD-R and possibly DVD-RW discs. Cross-compatibility is very common, so you will probably also be able to play your CD collection on the same drive.
- A Blu-Ray drive is capable of playing Blu-ray discs, which can store more data and higher-resolution video than DVDs. Many computers don't come with a Blu-ray drive, so installing an internal Blu-ray drive is often a smart upgrade. Blu-ray drives are also often capable of reading and writing CDs and DVDs.
Which Other Features Should I Look At?
- Some drives are capable of burning and ripping optical discs while others aren't. Different drives will also rip and burn at different speeds. If you want to write a lot, you may want to choose a DVD writer or Blu-ray burner with a fast write speed.
- Some companies like ASUS make DVD writers capable of writing the M-DISC format. These long-lasting, non-rewritable DVDs and Blu-rays are designed for archival data storage.
- Size matters. An internal drive has to fit into your machine, and those designed for laptops in particular can vary quite a lot. External models are less constrained, but they still take up space on your desk. A lightweight, ultra-slim model can also be more convenient if you plan to carry it around a lot.