Recommend me an external CD/DVD drive?

[hal]

N-OS X-tasy! wrote:
[quote=Ombligo]
Try to avoid the ultraslims, they seem to break quickly. of course, finding one that isn't ultraslim is near impossible anymore.

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the ultraslims either.

As documented in a recent thread, my external (full-size) burner recently took a dirt nap. Fortunately, I had the foresight years ago to buy a second full-size burner and keep it as a replacement for when my first one died.

That day finally came - and that bit of foresight I had years ago saved me from the search in which you now find yourself engaged.
I agree with avoiding the slim drives even if some here have had good experiences with them. They clearly are not as hardy as the big ones.

OWC sells a really good one: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MR3USD24/

[Thrift Store Scott]

graylocks wrote:
[quote=Thrift Store Scott]
How old is your computer? Mine is one just like the one Lost In Space has and it flatly refuses to recognize a CD/DVD via a USB port. Apparently only newer models can do that.

using it with a 2019 iMac.
Gotcha. I'm pretty sure only Macs that didn't come with a built-in optical drive can recognize an external one via USB port. I found that out the hard way after spending $100 on a genuine Apple USB external optical drive for my mid-2011 iMac. The OWC one I got works fine via Thunderbolt, though.

[MrNoBody]

just my 2¢...
Get one with an LG or Samsung mech; Just a few dollars more than a
cheap, no name mech. OWC's uses Samsung.

[John B.]

I have a OWC Mercury Pro purchased summer 2020. It has the LG M-Disc mechanism. No complaints.

[Grateful11]

I've been using a USB powered Pioneer DVD/Blu-Ray burner for about 6 or 8 years with no issues. Not sure of the model number.

[lost in space]

Thanks for all the feedback. I have a message out to our sponsor asking if I can expect their unit to function on my model of iMac. If it looks iffy, I might have to break out the suction cups and install a replacement.

[Thrift Store Scott]

lost in space wrote:
Thanks for all the feedback. I have a message out to our sponsor asking if I can expect their unit to function on my model of iMac. If it looks iffy, I might have to break out the suction cups and install a replacement.

The one I got from OWC about 4 years ago has USB 3.0, FW400, and FW800 connectors.

[N-OS X-tasy!]

lost in space wrote:
Thanks for all the feedback. I have a message out to our sponsor asking if I can expect their unit to function on my model of iMac. If it looks iffy, I might have to break out the suction cups and install a replacement.

I’ve used an external burner on a previous iMac that had the internal drive die. You should be fine.

[Robert M]

Thrift,

That's because OWC takes a quality mechanism and installs it into one of their 5-1/4" enclosures. Easy enough to build your own optical drive by purchasing a mechanism and enclosure and putting them together yourself. Not really cost effective, though. There are enough complete external options that are well priced and do the job nicely.

Robert