I still remember a few years ago how Apple was one of the first manufacturers to remove the DVD player from their machines, specifically the MacBooks. While having a thin device is essential to some extent, for some of us having a DVD drive is more important. Soon after the MacBook lineup lost its DVD drive, so did the iMac models. This change meant that if you want to stream anything from your old DVDs or CDs — you would have to purchase the best external DVD drive for Mac.
Back when Apple removed the DVD drive they released their external DVD drive named the SuperDrive. While a few years back it made sense to spend nearly $80 for this gadget, in 2018 that is no longer the case. Right now you can find the best external DVD drive for Mac for less than $30, more than three times less than what the SuperDrive would cost you.
Fast forward a few years, and here we are in 2018 — a lot of the new notebooks and ultrabooks lack a DVD drive to compensate for their thickness. If you are a creative professional, love your collection of DVDs or want to rip some music off of discs to your iTunes — having the best external DVD drive for Mac will solve all of your needs.
How can I find the best external DVD drive for Mac users?
While the most device will work on any computer, not just Mac, it is still recommended to look for an optimized one for your machine. Some gadgets, such as the Pioneer BDR, comes with a particular software — the Cyberlink Media Suite, which is available only for Windows users and you might be left disappointed after purchase. Finding the best external DVD drive for Mac is not an easy task, especially given the whole diversity and oversaturation that you see on the market nowadays. To help you with your search for the best external DVD drive for Mac, I’ve put my top five choices in the following list.
| # | Image | Brand | Price |
| 1 |       |
LG Electronics | $27 |
| 2 |       |
Dell | $33 |
| 3 |        |
VersionTech | $30 |
| 4 |     |
ASUS | $35 |
| 5 |      |
Rioddas | $26 |
1. LG Electronics GP65NB60
- Black, gold, silver and white models
- 14mm height
- USB 2.0 and 3.0-compatible
- Up to 480MB/s
- 0.75MB Buffer Under-run prevention
- 8x DVDR Write Speed
- 24x CD Write Speed
LG Electronics is trusted by millions of tech enthusiasts around the world. Their externalll DVD Drive — the GP65NB60 — comes in a sleek, ultra-slim design. It features a USB 2.0 connection with USB 3.0 support. The DVDR write speed is 8x and the CD write speed is 24x. It offers a under-run prevention buffer with the size of 0.75MB.
2. Dell DW316
- Black model
- 14mm height
- USB 2.0
- 8x DVD Read speed
- 24x CD Read speed
The Dell DW316 external DVD drive for Mac comes in a matte-black ultra-slim casing. It comes with the height of 14mm, fitting perfectly in any bag or even some pockets. The device supports USB 2.0 connections and has a DVD read speed if 8x. The CD Read speed is 24x. Overall, the DW316 is a great companion, especially while traveling.
3. VersionTech Superdrive
- Silver model
- Ultra-slim
- USB 2.0
- 8x DVD-R Read/Write speed
- 6x DVD-RW Read/Write speed
- 24x CD Read/Write speed
- 16x CD-RW Read/Write speed
Manufactured by the less-known VersionTech, the Superdrive comes in a silver design and features an ultra-slim body. It comes with USB 2.0 support, more than enough to stream and write DVDs. The DVD-RW speed is 6x, the DVD-R speed is 8x, CD-RW speed is 16x and the CD read/write speed is 24x. The device is made to work best with Mac machines, including some of the latest MacBook Pros.
4. ASUS ZenDrive Black Ultra Slim
- Black and silver models
- 13mm height
- USB 2.0 and USB-C
- USB-C/2.0 cables included
- DISC Encryption II
- 8x DVD Write speed
If you have recently read my reivew of the best gaming laptop in 2018 or the best 4K monitor under $300 — you probably that ASUS is trusted by millions of gamers around the world. The ZenDrive Black is also not an exception, as it packs everything you might need from the best external DVD drive for Mac. It comes in both black and silver-colored models with a mind-boggling height of 13mm. USB 2.0 and USB-C connectivity enhance your productivity by speeding up your transfers, while DISC Encryption II improves the security of your discs. The DVD write speed is 8x.
5. Rioddas Black DVD Drive
- Black model
- 14mm height
- USB 3.0 with USB 2.0 and USB 1.0 support
- 2MB Memory cache
- 24x CD-R / CD-ROM speed
- 8x CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R and DVD-RW speed
The Rioddas Black DVD drive comes in a sleek black casing. The device is very thin — only 14mm. It features USB 3.0 connetivity with backwards support to USB 2.0 and 1.0. The device is fairly easy to use — just Plug and Play. The CD-R and CD-ROM speed is 24x, whlie for everyhing else it is 8x (CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R and DVD-RW). The device also comes with 2MB of memory cache.
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