What's a great external DVD Burner?

thehustleman · Feb 21, 2013, 12:33 AM

I'm ordering my 27" iMac tomorrow and just need to know what the best external DVD drive would be for it.

I've heard that the superdrive is not so super and to avoid it, so what can I get to replace it for the same or preferably less money?

sam3020 · Feb 21, 2013, 04:06 AM

My external super drive works extremely well and quick

Macman45 · Feb 21, 2013, 04:10 AM

If you want full Dolby and Blu Ray support I recommend the Asus..I've been using it for a month or so now, fast, quiet and reliable...it also has 3 D support so is pretty future proof...I regard the SuperDrive as over priced and underspeced.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&k...l_39xtqqkbzj_b

RebornTheGame · Feb 21, 2013, 04:25 AM

I have been doing similar research and, based on comments here, I have selected a combined usb3 hub, dvd burner / blu-ray drive, external hdd, card reader - http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer...y/MSMXBD2.0TB7.

I am just about to squeeze the trigger and buy my first iMac, and this will be a great accessory.

gaddster · Feb 21, 2013, 05:08 AM

I purchased the superdrive with my new 27' i7 and after 3 days it works well. Again it depends on your needs etc i.e. blue ray or not

Chris Blount · Feb 21, 2013, 05:45 AM

The Apple superdrive is very slow compared to other drives.

This drive burns CD's, DVD's and Blu-Rays and comes in an attractive aluminum casing that matches the iMac. It's also faster than the Apple superdrive and is USB 3.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

davidra · Feb 21, 2013, 07:01 AM

I got this drive. It is NOT a BluRay player or burner, as I don't need one.

http://www.amazon.com/LG-GE24NU30-Su...=LG+DVD+burner

I am not interested in a portable drive that can burn at an 8X maximum, which all them are restricted to. This was the fastest drive I found as I sometimes have to burn a lot of discs. So far it has been a very serviceable drive and will burn a DVD+R at 24X. The only issue with it is that depending on the burning program you use, you sometimes have to eject the disc through the Mac instead of the with the button, but that's true of most drives. It's very solid. By the way, having a USB 3 drive probably adds nothing to speed; the burning and reading are limited by the speed of the drive, which is lower than USB 3 speeds, as I understand it.

FFabian · Feb 21, 2013, 08:56 AM

I bought the Samsung SE-218 Slim DVD Burner.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Portab...Samsung+se-218

Outrigger · Feb 21, 2013, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RebornTheGame

I have been doing similar research and, based on comments here, I have selected a combined usb3 hub, dvd burner / blu-ray drive, external hdd, card reader - http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer...y/MSMXBD2.0TB7.

I am just about to squeeze the trigger and buy my first iMac, and this will be a great accessory.

I think is an overkill for OP's purpose.

thehustleman · Feb 21, 2013, 10:34 AM

Why are portable drives limited to 8x?

hfg · Feb 21, 2013, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thehustleman

Why are portable drives limited to 8x?

Probably a limit to how big the motors and actuators can be with regard to the tiny space in the case and their ability to deal with higher speed vibration issues.

n-i-k-k-o · Feb 24, 2013, 09:48 AM

I'm looking to purchase one of these shortly as well. I have a quick question please.

Is there any point in buying a drive that offers USB3 support? They seem to price at a premium but since they read/write relatively slowly (compared to, say, a SSD drive) is USB3 really necessary?

Thx

Nikko

thehustleman · Feb 27, 2013, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RebornTheGame

I have been doing similar research and, based on comments here, I have selected a combined usb3 hub, dvd burner / blu-ray drive, external hdd, card reader - http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer...y/MSMXBD2.0TB7.

I am just about to squeeze the trigger and buy my first iMac, and this will be a great accessory.

that is great, but much more than I'm willing to spend, but I do like the concept.

I think I'm going to end up going with the LG, but not until I actually need a DVD burner because as of now, I just need a reader and I found out that my old xbox 360 HD DVD drive actually works with my new imac, so yeah....

boogieman · Feb 27, 2013, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macman45

If you want full Dolby and Blu Ray support I recommend the Asus..I've been using it for a month or so now, fast, quiet and reliable...it also has 3 D support so is pretty future proof...I regard the SuperDrive as over priced and underspeced.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&k...l_39xtqqkbzj_b

I bought this drive and having nothing but coasters being burnt. Toast is absolutely useless. iTunes burns audio disc. What would someone recommend for burning my movies. I have a hd camera that I pull the hd streams off and did burn em with toast. With my new iMac i7 this isn't happening.

davidra · Feb 27, 2013, 06:55 PM

I used Burn (which is free) and it worked for my video clips with no problem.

Feb 21, 2013, 12:33 AM	#1
thehustleman macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2013	What's a great external DVD Burner? I'm ordering my 27" iMac tomorrow and just need to know what the best external DVD drive would be for it. I've heard that the superdrive is not so super and to avoid it, so what can I get to replace it for the same or preferably less money?
	0

Feb 21, 2013, 04:06 AM	#2
sam3020 macrumors regular Join Date: Dec 2007	My external super drive works extremely well and quick __________________ iMac 2012 21.5" Apple iPhone 5 32gb iPad Mini 32gb wifi 7 Cellular
	0

Feb 21, 2013, 04:10 AM	#3
Macman45 macrumors G4 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Somewhere Back In The Long Ago	If you want full Dolby and Blu Ray support I recommend the Asus..I've been using it for a month or so now, fast, quiet and reliable...it also has 3 D support so is pretty future proof...I regard the SuperDrive as over priced and underspeced. http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&k...l_39xtqqkbzj_b __________________ Time And Tide Wait For No Man
	0

Feb 21, 2013, 04:25 AM	#4
RebornTheGame macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Qld, Australia	I have been doing similar research and, based on comments here, I have selected a combined usb3 hub, dvd burner / blu-ray drive, external hdd, card reader - http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer...y/MSMXBD2.0TB7. I am just about to squeeze the trigger and buy my first iMac, and this will be a great accessory. __________________ 64 GB iPad (3rd gen) \| Macbook Pro (Mid 2012) 2.7GHz, 16GB RAM, 768GB Flash Storage \| 32GB iPhone 5 \| I have ordered my first iMac
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Feb 21, 2013, 05:08 AM	#5
gaddster macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: liverpool, england	I purchased the superdrive with my new 27' i7 and after 3 days it works well. Again it depends on your needs etc i.e. blue ray or not
	0

Feb 21, 2013, 05:45 AM	#6
Chris Blount macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: San Antonio, TX	The Apple superdrive is very slow compared to other drives. This drive burns CD's, DVD's and Blu-Rays and comes in an attractive aluminum casing that matches the iMac. It's also faster than the Apple superdrive and is USB 3. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
	0

Feb 21, 2013, 07:01 AM	#7
davidra macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2011	I got this drive. It is NOT a BluRay player or burner, as I don't need one. http://www.amazon.com/LG-GE24NU30-Su...=LG+DVD+burner I am not interested in a portable drive that can burn at an 8X maximum, which all them are restricted to. This was the fastest drive I found as I sometimes have to burn a lot of discs. So far it has been a very serviceable drive and will burn a DVD+R at 24X. The only issue with it is that depending on the burning program you use, you sometimes have to eject the disc through the Mac instead of the with the button, but that's true of most drives. It's very solid. By the way, having a USB 3 drive probably adds nothing to speed; the burning and reading are limited by the speed of the drive, which is lower than USB 3 speeds, as I understand it.
	0

Feb 21, 2013, 08:56 AM	#8
FFabian macrumors member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Bochum, Germany	I bought the Samsung SE-218 Slim DVD Burner. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Portab...Samsung+se-218
	0

Feb 21, 2013, 10:34 AM	#10
thehustleman Thread Starter macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2013	Why are portable drives limited to 8x?
	0

Feb 24, 2013, 09:48 AM	#12
n-i-k-k-o macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Calne, Wiltshire, UK	I'm looking to purchase one of these shortly as well. I have a quick question please. Is there any point in buying a drive that offers USB3 support? They seem to price at a premium but since they read/write relatively slowly (compared to, say, a SSD drive) is USB3 really necessary? Thx Nikko
	0

Feb 27, 2013, 06:55 PM	#15
davidra macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2011	I used Burn (which is free) and it worked for my video clips with no problem.
	0