External USB DVD drive for Thinkpad X61 (recommendations?)

I would like to hear recommendations for an external USB DVD recordable/RW drive to be used with my future Thinkpad X61 (not bought yet). I have never used an external drive so am not familiar with any issues involved. Thanks

 

If you want a thin and light burner then the LG GSA-E50L is probably the best. Although it comes with 2 USB cables, I tried it with several notebooks and they could all power it through one USB port. That burner has Lightscribe - there's a slightly cheaper E50N without Lightscribe. It comes with a decent software set including PowerDVD and Nero Express.

If you don't need portability then the standard desktop burners in a USB enclosure are the least expensive solution.

There is no specific installation to be done. Plug it in and it will be detected as a USB optical drive.

John

 

I have the X61t and if they are anything alike (which I would assume is the case), the notebook is pretty forgiving as to the kind of drive it can boot from. Basically any drive should work. I used a LG 18x DVD-RW and tried a Samsung one and there was no difference.

 

I second the LG GSA-E50L if you want an usb powered one.

If you want AC powered I don't believe it matters much. I use a Samsung and it works fine. LG, Philips, Sony all make good drives.

 

Thanks for the input! What are the pros and cons of USB-powered versus AC-powered? I don't think portability is very important for me as I usually don't use CD/DVD when carrying the laptop away from home.

P.S. What's the reasonable price range?

 

I've also seen lots of LiteOn slim DVD burners for $30-$40 less then the LG one, not sure about quality on it.


As for pros and cons,

USB
+Slim
+Portable
-Expensive
-Slow

A/C
+Cheaper
+Usually fast
-Heavy
-Needs A/C power

 

Buy this case, put in any drive you want. It powers off the USB port. I've had one myself with my T42. The best thing about USB power is not having to lug around the adapter.

Link

 

Yes. Lite-on is another option and is a good choice for optical drives. They used to make make burners for some of the big names such as Sony and have, in my experience, been very reliable.

Previous generations of the Lite-on slim external burners came with a small PSU. it's unclear from the specs of the current model whether they have changed to USB power. Possibly, because they have redesigned the enclosure after many years.

John