Recommendation needed: 5.25" full size external DVD enclosure

BeatCrazy · Dec 16, 2012, 11:17 AM

Hi all,

I have a 2011 2.3Ghz mini that I've really been enjoying. As I've moved away from my Windows box, I find the only think lacking is of course a read/write drive for the mini. I have several 5.25" burners (Samsung SH-S183) laying around, and even a Pioneer BD burner. I think it will be a good idea to connect these to the mini, but it is a bit tricky finding an appropriate enclosure.

My mini doesn't have USB 3.0, but support for that would be nice. I notice that some enclosures don't support burning with OS X.

I'm hoping you guys have some experience with particular enclosures that you can recommend.

Thank you!

Mojo1 · Dec 16, 2012, 12:02 PM

Check out Other World Computing at macsales.com.

BeatCrazy · Dec 16, 2012, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojo1

Check out Other World Computing at macsales.com.

Great idea, thank you. I have heard of OWC, but totally forgot about checking there.

This might fit my needs the best, although it's a little pricey: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MRSFW8U2OB/

Mojo1 · Dec 16, 2012, 09:53 PM

You're welcome.

Yup, OWC isn't the cheapest supplier out there... I happened to recall that they have DVD enclosures because I recently stumbled upon them when looking at external drive enclosures.

When I clicked the link it showed the item as being sold out; was it still available when you looked at it?

BeatCrazy · Dec 16, 2012, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojo1

You're welcome.

Yup, OWC isn't the cheapest supplier out there... I happened to recall that they have DVD enclosures because I recently stumbled upon them when looking at external drive enclosures.

When I clicked the link it showed the item as being sold out; was it still available when you looked at it?

When I found that link, there were 2 left @ $65, open box but new. I bought one of them. It is the same enclosure they use in their $150+ external Blu-ray solutions, so I figure it must work OK.

BeatCrazy · Dec 21, 2012, 06:13 PM

Just an update:

I did purchase, receive and install the OWC Mercury Pro 5.25" enclosure. It was an open box garage sale version. Look a tad bit used, but not too bad. Looks like OWC uses this exact enclosure for the external drive solutions that they sell, so I'm sure it was just a leftover from that. Anyways, it came with all the cords and was packaged like new.

One important thing, the specs state it only accommodates drives up to 6.7" deep. It actually can hold a drive about an inch deeper. This is important because some BD burners are about 7" deep.

Setup was rather simple, but it did take me a few tries to crack open the enclosure itself. I connected to my Mac mini via the supplied FW800 cable. It was recognized and worked perfectly right away. I have ripped a few discs with no issues. I haven't tried burning anything, yet.

So, I definitely can recommend this solution. However, the price is pretty high. At $99, it seems overpriced, even though the case quality is respectable. At $65 is just a moderate "deal". Now that I've got a drive connected to my mini, it seems more fully featured than ever. I'm actually glad it doesn't have an internal drive because this gives me more flexibility to use whatever quality drive (or even BD) that I want. The extra space that it takes up is not an issue, although the enclosure is rather deep.

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MRSFW8U2/

Negritude · Dec 23, 2012, 03:23 AM

Next time, check NewEgg first:

http://newegg.com (http://newegg.ca in Canada).

OWC is a legacy provider that is consistently overpriced, due to the historical marginalization of the Mac platform, when much of it was proprietary. The Mac is no longer in that category, so users no longer have to pay those outrageous prices.

BeatCrazy · Dec 23, 2012, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Negritude

Next time, check NewEgg first:

http://newegg.com (http://newegg.ca in Canada).

OWC is a legacy provider that is consistently overpriced, due to the historical marginalization of the Mac platform, when much of it was proprietary. The Mac is no longer in that category, so users no longer have to pay those outrageous prices.

Newegg was the first place I looked. They really only have one model for 5.25" drives. It is a Bytecc, and the reviews consistently mentioned inconsistent burner support, especially with OS X. I figured I'd spend the extra $30 to not have that headache.

Dec 16, 2012, 11:17 AM	#1
BeatCrazy macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2011	Recommendation needed: 5.25" full size external DVD enclosure Hi all, I have a 2011 2.3Ghz mini that I've really been enjoying. As I've moved away from my Windows box, I find the only think lacking is of course a read/write drive for the mini. I have several 5.25" burners (Samsung SH-S183) laying around, and even a Pioneer BD burner. I think it will be a good idea to connect these to the mini, but it is a bit tricky finding an appropriate enclosure. My mini doesn't have USB 3.0, but support for that would be nice. I notice that some enclosures don't support burning with OS X. I'm hoping you guys have some experience with particular enclosures that you can recommend. Thank you!
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Dec 16, 2012, 12:02 PM	#2
Mojo1 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jul 2011	Check out Other World Computing at macsales.com.
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Dec 16, 2012, 09:53 PM	#4
Mojo1 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jul 2011	You're welcome. Yup, OWC isn't the cheapest supplier out there... I happened to recall that they have DVD enclosures because I recently stumbled upon them when looking at external drive enclosures. When I clicked the link it showed the item as being sold out; was it still available when you looked at it?
	0

Dec 21, 2012, 06:13 PM	#6
BeatCrazy Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2011	Just an update: I did purchase, receive and install the OWC Mercury Pro 5.25" enclosure. It was an open box garage sale version. Look a tad bit used, but not too bad. Looks like OWC uses this exact enclosure for the external drive solutions that they sell, so I'm sure it was just a leftover from that. Anyways, it came with all the cords and was packaged like new. One important thing, the specs state it only accommodates drives up to 6.7" deep. It actually can hold a drive about an inch deeper. This is important because some BD burners are about 7" deep. Setup was rather simple, but it did take me a few tries to crack open the enclosure itself. I connected to my Mac mini via the supplied FW800 cable. It was recognized and worked perfectly right away. I have ripped a few discs with no issues. I haven't tried burning anything, yet. So, I definitely can recommend this solution. However, the price is pretty high. At $99, it seems overpriced, even though the case quality is respectable. At $65 is just a moderate "deal". Now that I've got a drive connected to my mini, it seems more fully featured than ever. I'm actually glad it doesn't have an internal drive because this gives me more flexibility to use whatever quality drive (or even BD) that I want. The extra space that it takes up is not an issue, although the enclosure is rather deep. http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MRSFW8U2/
	0

Dec 23, 2012, 03:23 AM	#7
Negritude macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2011	Next time, check NewEgg first: http://newegg.com (http://newegg.ca in Canada). OWC is a legacy provider that is consistently overpriced, due to the historical marginalization of the Mac platform, when much of it was proprietary. The Mac is no longer in that category, so users no longer have to pay those outrageous prices.
	0