With the move towards smaller machines the bulky machinery for reading and writing CD’s and DVD’s is too large to fit inside modern laptops. What you really need is a portable CD drive that will let you read and burn files by connecting it to the side of your laptop or home computer.

Listed below we have selected 3 drives based on value, performance, and portability that we think are the best deals on the net.

1) Samsung S084D USB 2.0 CD and DVD Rewriter |  Our Rating:

One of the thinnest and lightest drives on the market and winner of an iF design award. If you are going to be on the move a lot and portability is important to you then it is hard to find a better choice. Being a combo drive, it can read and write DVD’s as well as CD’s, which can hold a lot more stuff. It’s powered off of the USB port so you don’t need an external adapter, and it is one of the few portable drives that can handle the smaller mini DVD format. Did we mention that it is also available in a variety of colors? A stunning effort that is hard to beat, and surprisingly it is still affordable to those on a budget.

Quick Specs:  8x DVD write speed, 24x CD write speed, Bundled software: Nero

Samsung USB 2.0 External Optical Drive SE-S084D/TSBS Super WriteMaster, Slim External DVD Writer (Gloss Black)

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$34.99

 
2) Toshiba PA3834U-1DV2 Combo Writer |  Our Rating:

Not far behind the Samsung, this is a tiny bit more expensive, ever so slightly bulkier, and it weighs 1.1 lbs to the Samsungs 0.7 lbs. Apart from that it pretty much does the same thing. We like the curved look of the drive and Toshiba have a reputation for producing extremely robust products. The mechanism is tray loading, which some people prefer over a slot loading model like the Samsung. The BurnNow software that is bundled with it is not the most intuitive, but the built in writing capabilities of modern operating systems mean that this is not a big deal. Finally this drive has all the technical McGubbins that you could ask for with an ABS system that keeps the drive quiet and buffer under run technology which results in less problems when burning. A good second choice.

Quick Specs: 8x DVD write speed, 24x CD write speed, Bundled software: BurnNow!

Toshiba Portable SuperMulti Drive PA3834U-1DV2

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$59.00

 
3) CD/DVD USB 2.0 Drive |  Our Rating:

While the above combo drives are all well and good, some people just want a cheap drive to install software with. And they don’t need nor want all this “burning” shenanigans. This budget drive reads CD’s at 24x speed and DVD’s at 8x – and that’s all you need to know. It looks sharp, it’s fractionally lighter than the Toshiba drive, and it could be just what you are after if you want a no-frills device that just works.

Quick Specs: 8x DVD read speed, 24x CD read speed.

USB 2.0 Slim External DVD ROM CD-RW Combo Drive Writer

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$21.37

 1) First, an external optical drive makes installing applications on your netbook considerably easier. While netbooks were originally marketed as platforms to access web-based applications, the truth is that your netbook computer is easily as powerful as the desktops of a few years ago. Netbook computers can run many business and personal applications such as Microsoft Office which you may have purchased on CD. While it is possible to use another computer to transfer the install files to your netbook, this is a complicated and time-consuming process. An external drive will allow you to install your programs just as easily as on any other computer.

2) Second, an external optical drive with a disc-writer (such as a CD-R or DVD-R) provides a simple means of backup for your netbook. The very portable nature of a netbook computer exposes it to more risks than the average laptop. All computers should have their files backed up regularly, of course, but it is even more important to do so on a computer which endures the higher risk of damage that comes with being carried everywhere. A CD-R or DVD-R may have a lifespan of fifty years or more, which is considerably longer than the life of the average hard drive; this is an extremely stable way of archiving your important data.

3) Third, a portable USB CD drive that can also read DVDs attached to a netbook can allow the netbook to function as a portable DVD player for entertainment purposes. The newest drives are light enough to be quite portable, and running off a good netbook battery can easily run long enough to watch movies or television shows while on the go.

Although there are obviously some people in the world who can make do without, an external optical drive provides many valuable benefits to owners of netbook computers.

It’s true, you could use a USB flash drive (you know, those little sticks that plug into your computer). However, most software, such as operating systems or games will require you to use advanced computer skills which are more trouble to learn than it’s worth. With a USB CD drive, you simply insert the CD and follow the instructions when prompted. And, you’d be surprised to learn that some external CD drives are now price competitive with USB sticks.

USB 2.0 External CD-ROM by Sunvalleytek

You can find these on Amazon.com currently for $11.48. For comparison, this is about the same price as you would pay for a 4 GB flash drive. It’s plug and play which means it’s powered by the same cable which transfers information to the computer. As the least expensive and most user-friendly solution, the Sunvalleytek USB 2.0 external CD-ROM is the number one choice. Keep in mind, though, you can only read CDs with it. It doesn’t give you any options for writing (a.k.a burning) a CD.

Extra Portable Slim CD Writer by PWR+

Currently at $21.90, this nifty little drive burns to a CD as well as reads it. This give you the added benefit of being able to back up, copy, and store information onto a CD. And with the cheap price of blank CDs, it is a very economical solution. Much like the Sunvalleytek model above, it is light weight and easy to carry.

Slim Portable USB 2.0 External CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive by Sunvalleytek

If you would like to install larger software or video games, it would be worth getting an external drive which also reads DVDs as well as CDs. It will cost you more, though. The lowest priced option for a drive which reads DVDs is also made by Sunvalleytek. It can both read and burn (write) to CD like the drive above. However, it includes the ability to read DVDs (although, it does not burn to DVD). The cost is $39.95.

Conclusions

It should be stated that there is also the option of getting an external hard drive. A good size of 250 GB would start at around $50 dollars. However, it would only be able to install downloaded software from the internet (i.e. you can’t use CDs or DVDs). Another option is an external drive which both reads and burns CD and DVD. Those also start at the $50 price range so they haven’t been included in this article. If you just need to occasionally install some software, then these three USB CD drives will be your best options.

First, let’s define a CD Drive. A CD Drive or Compact Disk Drive reads the CD Disk that are placed in its slot. A CD Drive can be used to burn information to a CD if it is a write drive. Computer Users can use a CD Drive to install software, store data, or even play music. What follows is a list of a few of the top CD Drives.

HP CD/DVD R/RW Drive External USB – This is a nice basic external CD Drive manufactured by HP. This CD reader and write should answer all one’s basic computer needs. This CD Drive is also a DVD reader and writer and makes an excellent combo. Available at many computer, electronic, stores. Price:$102.00

HQRP External USB 2.0 Slim DVD / CD-RW Drive – This is a budget friendly CD Drive. Simply plug the device into any USB port. The CD has a very slim design and is perfect for those with limited desktop space. Price:$54.91

USB External CD-ROM CDROM Drive for ASUS EEE – This is the perfect CD Drive for those with a small portable ASUS laptop. Has a USB interface. Price:$19.91.

Installing an external CD Drive is easier than most might think. These drives are simply plug and play. To get started turn on the computer. Plug the device into any available USB port. Then place the CD installation disk in the drive. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the CD Drive. And in a few minutes you should be ready to use your new drive.

The new mode of choice is the USB DVD drive which uses almost the same type of components to function. This second generation device is read by a low power laser to read binary data that has been encoded unto a plastic disk in the form of tiny pits.

It has become extremely popular due to the ability to store almost any kind of data including movies, images, graphics and even text. Although each type of drive has a single-sided format, the DVD can also occur in a double sided layer, increasing the storage capacity by almost 30 times that of a standard USB CD drive. Since they each take up the same amount of physical space, this becomes an easy choice for the consumer.

Another factor to consider is the way in which multi-media systems are being manufactured. While the CD can be read by most DVD players, the opposite is not the case. Thus new technology is backward compatible, making it easy to use and extremely accessible.

With the advent of plug and play by most computer manufacturers, the usb or universal serial bus has almost completely replace the older serial or parallel cables that heretofore had been the industry standard. The usb industry itself has undergone some changes, with the type 2 replacing the outmoded type 1. The data transfer rate jumped at an astonishing rate, going from 12 Mbits per second to 480 Mbits per second.

By being able to move information at this rate, and with access times even greater than before, it is easy to see why there is no issue with the larger storage capacity of the DVD disk. Speed is the key element driving all of these changes and in the business world, time is money.

Thus it is easy to see that with all of the advantages offered by the DVD model, it has become the defacto standard of the computer industry and the favorite of buyers everywhere. In today’s discriminating marketplace, a product without the right features has little chance to survive.

Many consumers use these ports for keypad mouses, USB audio interfaces, keyboards, microphones and much more.They are usually affordable and almost never cost over $30. Here are three of the smallest USB drives made for a CD driver:

HP External USB DVD Drive

With this specific drive, users can hold up to 8.5GB (hard drive memory) of photos, transports, files, video, presentations and much more. The drive is able to play DVDs and CDs. Consumers can get excellent playback and it is compatible with most players and DVD drives.

Other features includes the ability to record to single-or double layer DVD. This can also be done with a DVD-RAM. Other bonus features includes the ability to record video onto a DVD using the PC. This is a great feature for those who like to burn music from saved files on the Internet. This can be done for movies as well.

Recording videos from Youtube or other video-hosting sites can also be done. Critical files can also be backed up on DVD-RAM discs. This external drive is compatible with the HP Mini (210,311), HP Pavilion, Compaq Mini (311) and the HP Envy (13,15).

External Slim USB 2.0 CD-RW

This is a great option for a small external drive. Some of the features includes an external slim CDRW drive and a plug and play port (which is great for travel). Other features include swapping capability. This piece of hardware is supported by Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista. It only weighs 1.2 pounds and can be easily stored. Along with being able to play CDs and DVDs, it also has the ability to burn/record files (music, videos, movies) straight from the PC onto a CD.

Iomega 31119 Predator 4X4X6 External CD-RW Drive

This product is a great option for those who are looking for a reliable external CD driver. This particular driver is not the most smallest or slender as the other models, however it does have multiple features. It has a drive speed of 4x4x6. The USB interface also includes an adapter. The ultra-thin design and sleek style appeals to many consumers. It has a top-loading drive for PC and Macintosh PCs.

All of these products have good features for an USB cd drive with multiple capabilites. The biggest key is to find the right drive that is compatible with certain models of PCs and laptops.