How to Buy a CD and DVD Drive for a Laptop
CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs all require a drive to view the media stored on them, and while some laptops have internal drives that may need to be replaced, others have none at all and require an external unit. Buying an internal drive requires some consideration, with external drives also requiring some forethought.
What are CD drives?
CD drive, DVD drive, or Blu-Ray drive; these catchall terms for optical disk drives actually refer to the types of media that they support.
- CDs store far more data than previous storage formats like floppy disks did. Many drives are read-only, but some also have the ability to burn data onto the disk placed in them.
- DVDs store more data than CDs do, and a Blu-ray can hold five times the data of the former. In addition, higher audio and video quality is supported by Blu-ray discs.
- A Blu-ray disc requires a unit that supports the Blu-ray format to work, and while combination products are widely available, not all support additional disc formats. Blu-ray drives do support CD and DVD discs, though.
What do internal CD drives do?
These drives are complete units that are inserted into the drive bay.
- Units can be purchased for each disc type or for a combination if needed. A CD unit can read CDs and sometimes write to them, while a combo unit supports CD reading and writing, with additional read-only support for DVDs. Blu-ray units can come in various configurations. Readers can read all disc types, combos can read Blu-ray and read/write other types, and burners can support both reading and writing for all three.
- A built-in unit can be used for viewing media, installing software such as Windows, and more. Many program publishers provide digital copies of their products, making the need for support of physical media obsolete. Users may still have important photos, videos, and games stored on disks.
- Since an internal unit goes into a laptop, it must be compatible with the manufacturer. For example, the drive needed for a Lenovo laptop will differ from that of another brand.
What do external CD drives do?
These units communicate by USB, but they offer the same functionality as those installed within a laptop.
- Just like internal units, multiple types exist with differing support for disc types. A Blu-ray external unit has the same capabilities as an internal one, with support for all three disc types.
- External units communicate and receive power by USB ports. A USB 3.0 port supports faster data transfer than older types do, but a USB 3.0 cable can still be used with slower ports. Likewise, a USB 2.0 cable cannot get the high speed out of a USB 3.0 port. Older computers may not be able to provide power through just one port, and when this is a concern, look for units with USB 3.0 Y-cables.
- As long as the computer or laptop has a USB port, these products can be used with it. A Lenovo computer can make use of the same unit, with no need to stay within the brand for compatibility.