Does it matter which brand optical drive I install into a mid-2010 iMac?

[bedouin]

The optical drive in my mid-2010 iMac is broken and I would like to replace it. I already have an SSD and hard drive installed, so I have no interest in replacing it with either of those. I know about and own an external burner, but would prefer to replace the internal drive.

Finding the OEM drive is not easy where I live (Egypt) and prohibitively expensive. I know some people replace the OEM drives with Panasonic blu-ray drives but I do not really need that (and I am not sure I can find one at the local computer malls here; if I can, it will require a lot of hunting).

I would like to replace it with any slot-loading DVD burner that will fit. Would this be a problem provided that I use the bracket presently attached to the broken drive? I do not care if burning is supported in Apple's apps so long as it works with Toast and other third-party offerings.

 

[Fishrrman]

There's no need to open an iMac to replace a failed optical drive.

Just buy an external USB drive and plug it in.
It will work as well as an internal drive, and save you A LOT of trouble and money as well...

 

[bedouin]

You might have missed the part where I mentioned already owning an external drive. I realize there are alternatives to using the internal drive. That's not what I want to do. The operation itself is not too complicated. I just want to know if there are compatibility issues beyond not being able to burn in Apple apps before spending money on a new drive.