How useful is your Optical Disk Drive in your ultraportable?

An Optical Disk Drive will occupy a relatively large surface area within an ultraportable laptop. Imagine what manufactures could do with that space if they offered other hardware options which could occupy the same area. I think customisability will make a PC even more personal, and personally I would replace an Optical Disk Drive with a premium sound card.

What do you people think about this, and what type of hardware would you consider replacing an Optical Disk Drive with?

 

I don't really know what you call "ultraportable" but most if not all of those I call this way do not have an optical drive by default!

besides that, an almost identical thread and poll already exists:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...-you-want-optical-drive-your-next-laptop.html

 

I could have sworn I saw a couple of other threads exactly like this.

 

Well, it is good to know that some people are thinking the same way, maybe this will prompt manufacturers to offer alternative hardware, replacing the Optical Disk Drive. Apart from having a premium sound card as an alternative, I cannot actually think of anything else I would want.

What are your thoughts?

 

Well there is the VAIO Z, which is discontinued now, and it has an optical drive. Its also in the ultaportable category.

 

I find an optical drive quite useful for backup discs, watching DVDs, installing old software, etc. while traveling with a laptop. I know people prefer to rip discs into ISO files so they can back them up on flash drives and open them with virtual clone drive, but that still requires another computer that has an optical drive.

 

I don't really use it as much. Only for some games i have and reinstalling windows if necessary. But hey i won't notice it anyway, my Z11 ways less than most thin n lights anyway >_>.

 

Buy 2nd HDD caddy from eBay to replace optical drive on hard drive. There are 12.7mm (usual) and 9.5mm for ultraportable laptops. Check what is yours optical drive.

 

for os installations i use an usb-stick. much faster. for everything else: network. \\server\Software FTW.

i don't have any cd drive except on my server, there i have a bluray drive to .. transfer my movies onto it. never used one for anything else since years.

 

Have it and wouldn't get rid of it from my 12." No dongles/peripherals for me, thanks.

 

no dongles and peripherals for me, too. still no need for one..

 

One day I'll be in that category perhaps. If my kind aren't wiped out by an asteroid first.

 

Although I don't use it much, I couldn't make do without an optical drive. However, for a secondary system like a netbook or ultraportable, I would not want an optical drive.