External Drives for Mac mini.

[OCOTILLO]

There are several ext. HDs in mini-like cases available, but I have not seen any DVD/CD burner drives in a similar enclosure. It would seem to me that a slot loading burner and a HD combined in a mini-like case would be a worthwhile item. Has anyone seen something like this?

 

[MacsRgr8]

Fact is you can get a DVD burner (ok, not the fastest, but still good enough) in a Mac mini.
Those ext. HDs are there not only for extra storage, but also for having a faster HD.
One of the most "crippling" speed factors of the mini is the very slow internal drive. It is only 4200 rpm, while 7200 rpm is considered normal for a desktop. If the mini is your only Mac, then getting an external FW HD is pretty much essential for the speed. Especially for swapping memory (which OS X does quite a lot if you don't have tons of memory)... higher rpms mean better performance.

 

[wongulous]

It's not mini-like, but I like the LaCie d2 DVD+/-RW dual layer drive w/LightScribe. Don't pay Apple's prices ($179 for a student), though, I found it for $113 on one website via Froogle.

 

[ammon]

You can find smaller external DVD burners, but they are REALLY expensive.

Just go pick up a cheap external firewire case ($35) and a Lite-On DVD burner ($49). It works great!