Optical Drive and External HD for MBA

[thenecropolist]

Hi Everyone,

I just bought a new MBA, and I'm looking for a good optical drive for it. It is surprising hard to find reviews and good rankings on google and the various forums that I've searched.

I'd like something that's pretty fast (USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt, I don't know if these are possibilities) with the ability to read and write DVD/CDs (maybe even Blue-Ray if it's not too expensive). I'll be keeping this at home, so it can have a separate power connector if necessary.

In terms of a HD, Is there a good Thunderbolt series besides the LaCie rugged SSD ones? I've read really mixed reviews on these and they don't actually have that much space (I think 128 GB or something like that).

Thanks for your help,

M

 

[mattferg]

Hi Everyone,

I just bought a new MBA, and I'm looking for a good optical drive for it. It is surprising hard to find reviews and good rankings on google and the various forums that I've searched.

I'd like something that's pretty fast (USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt, I don't know if these are possibilities) with the ability to read and write DVD/CDs (maybe even Blue-Ray if it's not too expensive). I'll be keeping this at home, so it can have a separate power connector if necessary.

In terms of a HD, Is there a good Thunderbolt series besides the LaCie rugged SSD ones? I've read really mixed reviews on these and they don't actually have that much space (I think 128 GB or something like that).

Thanks for your help,

M

You don't need thunderbolt or USB 3.0 for DVD/CD reader, they don't max out USB2

 

[Fattytail]

Optical drive? What's that?

Just get a cheap one on Amazon. Many to choose from.

 

[Mrbobb]

In terms of a HD, Is there a good Thunderbolt series besides the LaCie rugged SSD ones? I've read really mixed reviews on these and they don't actually have that much space (I think 128 GB or something like that).

Forgive my presumptionsnes that an external drive's primary purpose is massive storage, you not crunching gigabytes of data 24x7 are you? I would not spend the $$$ for an external SSD, but if u got the dough, go for it.

 

[DisplacedMic]

Forgive my presumptionsnes that an external drive's primary purpose is massive storage, you not crunching gigabytes of data 24x7 are you? I would not spend the $$$ for an external SSD, but if u got the dough, go for it.

i agree - i just bought a 2gig WD My Passport device for $140 shipped on Amazon. I love it, and it's small enough i can take it with me if i want.
I wouldn't pay for TB or external SSD but to each his own.

As for external optical just get one the cheapest highest ratest ones on Amazon or something similar.

You can get a DVD+/- RW for $30-$40.

 

[Dr Charter]

I'd go with a 1TB Seagate Backup Plus USB3 portable HD. You can get a thunderbolt adapter for that later if you really want one. I bought one but I honestly can't tell the difference from USB3 for what I do (iTunes/iPhoto).