ASUS ASUS LITE Portable USB 2.0 Slim 8X DVD/ Burner +/- Rewriter External Drive, Compatible with both Mac & Windows, Black (SDRW-08D2S-U/BLK/G/AS)

I bought this external drive unexpectedly amidst part picking of an ITX form factor (mini) PC. As I have learned, many ITX form factor PC's of the smallest build do not offer the internal disk drives we all know and love. This is probably because most games are downloaded via Steam or other services these days. DVDs are also becoming obsolete and more and more people either choose digital entertainment platforms like Netflix that are free of downloads or simply pirate movie files from the internet, downloading them straight to a HDD and eliminating any need for either a Blu Ray Disc.As far as this disc drive goes, firstly, it is black, so therefore I am already inclined to like it. Secondly, it is indeed very slim. This means that even if you have to tack one on to a system intended to be as small as possible, it will be as unobtrusive as possible. Heck, you could even duct tape the thing to your ITX build to give your system a more complete feel. The price tag is pleasantly low as well. And I don't know about you but the Asus logo has always looked cool to me--I love that spacey font!While I will probably only use this disc drive for installing my OS, it will be good to know that it's there in case I decide to buy any games in DVD format. As gamers may or may not know, games in DVD format typically sell twice as cheap in the "old fashioned" format as opposed to the digital one. Thankfully external disc drive technology is inexpensive and unobtrusive. This is sort of a niche product, but it is a good one that will compliment any PC build geared for being compact.

This works great for burning Gamecube games on mini discs. This is just what I needed. Will try it with the Verbatim discs I have too

The disk drive in my laptop hasn't been working for quite a while, I didn't want to pay to replace the internal drive again, but I really needed to have a way to read all the CDs and DVDs that I have. I wanted something relatively inexpensive, and this drive fit the bill perfectly. My only complaint is that it requires 2 USB ports to supply enough power to run, which is a bit difficult because they are on opposite sides of my laptop. Luckily, I already had a USB extender, so I was able to make it work. I tried using a USB hub, but it pulls too much power from one port, so my computer shut down the USB port until I unplugged everything. Also, when I first hooked everything up the lights on the device turned on, but my computer didn't recognize the device. Turned out I hadn't fully inserted the cable into the drive, but I had inserted it enough for the drive to turn on and spin the disk. Once I got it plugged in properly it in worked great though - very fast, no need to install any software on my Mac.So, if you are interested in this product make sure to have the following:(1) You need 2 USB ports on your computer.(2) You may need a USB extension cable if the USB ports aren't close together.(3) Make sure all the cables are firmly plugged in or the computer won't register the device.Now that I have it running smoothly I am very happy with the device!

so, I've had this for about 6 months and i can tell you it works great. I'm not a fan of the price but, unlike other thing that you have to pay through the nose for and end up throwing it out because it doesn't work as advertised, this works like a dream. I've played DVD almost every day. as for burning, when i first got it, it did that but then it decided to quit doing that. fortunately, my laptop has a drive so i use that for burning. but i said, watching dvd is great. i have windows 7.when i first got it, i'd placed directly on top of my desk. then decided i would like it up higher so i placed the drive on top of a couple of empty dvd case --one that held 7discs. that's when i ran into trouble. windows would take a long time in recognizing it or it wouldn't at all. i figure the cable had become loose. so now it is back ontop of my desk and all is well.i had to get a hub because of the pathetic amount of usb ports( why do laptop makers give us so few usb ports, I'll never understand). anyway, i have my drive plugged to that. i didn't think it would work -- not enough power, but i was wrong.. i'm also using a extender with it, because the cable on this isn't too long. again, i didn't think it would work -- not enough power, but i was wrong.it's a nice looking device. the casing is plastic so i figure if you drop it, it's a goner.

This Asus drive is a life saver. My dvd drive on my lap top died on me, this drive was a great buy and a much quicker fix than opening up the laptop. The drive runs quietly and smooth. The disc tray opens pretty easliy. Mine does not stick or go crooked like some laptop drives will. Be sure to brace it though before you open it the tray pops out kind of quick and has gotten a little close to the edge of my desk a few times. Dvds play perfectly and I have used the drive to install three games on my laptop. The drive seems durable enough it feels like its worth something not light and brittle. I havent dropped it yet but I bumped into it with my elbow and it barley slowed. If you into the whole athsteistic thing it doesn't even look to bad. The Asus logo contrast nicley with the black and it's got a nice glossy shine with a cool cross hatching pattern on the top. It comes with a common USb plug in. I have been using this heavily for over a month and it show no signs of wear. Great Product!