Summary :
Want to format an external hard drive for Mac and Windows PC? Do you know how to do this work easily? This post will show you specific methods to make external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC, which are easy and safe to complete.
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As we know, external hard drives are widely used to backup data or interchange files among different computers. Well, is there an external hard drive that could be shared between Mac and Windows PC? Of course, there is. Actually, most external hard disks could be compatible with Mac and PC as long as you format them correctly.
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Why Need to Format External Hard Drive for Mac and PC
To put it simply, if you want to share external hard drive between Mac and PC, you need to format an external hard drive for Mac and PC.
Currently, hard drives for Windows PC are always formatted with NTFS, while hard disks for Mac are formatted with HFS+. However, when we connect a NTFS formatted disk to Mac, Mac OS X doesn't allow us to write files to the drive neither edit files, though it can read a NTFS drive. Similarly, Windows OS will ask us to format the HFS+ formatted drive when we connecting such a disk, let along edit files saved on HFS+ formatted hard disks unless we resort to third party programs.
But luckily, there are file systems well supported by both Mac and Windows PC, and they are FAT32 (it might be called MS-DOS on Mac) and exFAT. As long as we format the external hard drive to one of these 2 file systems, it can be shared between Mac and Windows.
Further Reading
Both FAT32 and exFAT have advantages and disadvantages.
FAT32: FAT32 works with all versions of Windows, Mac OS, Linux, game consoles, etc.
However, single files on a FAT32 drive can't be larger than 4GB. If your external drive saves files larger than 4GB or you plan to save larger files to this drive, converting to FAT32 is not recommended.
In addition, a FAT32 partition must be not more than 32GB if you create it in Windows Disk Management. Of course, there is free partition manager that can help create a FAT32 volume up to 2TB, which also functions correctly.
exFAT: exFAT has very large file size and partition size limits, which means it's a good idea to format your external hard drive to exFAT.
Nevertheless, a lot of users complained that exFAT is slow, and they highly suggest using FAT32 if you can avoid file size constraints.
Three Options for Accessing NTFS Drives on Mac
Paid Third-Party Drivers
Some paid third-party NTFS drivers for Mac can be used to access NTFS drives on Mac. They work well and they have better performance than the free solutions which will be mentioned in the following part. Paragon NTFS for Mac is such a driver.
Besides, you can also use the paid third-party file system converters to convert NTFS to FAT32 or exFAT which are compatible with both Mac and PC. MiniTool Partition Wizard is one representative.
Free Third-Party Drivers
FUSE for macOS is a free and open-source NTFS driver that can enable write support. But, this solution is slower relatively. And the automatically mounting NTFS partitions in read-write mode can be a security risk for your Mac computer.
Apple’s Experimental NTFS-Write Support
The Mac OS has an experimental support for writing to NTFS drives. Usually, it is disabled by default and needs some messing around in the Mac terminal to enable it.
It doesn’t work properly all the time and could lead to potential issues with your NTFS file system. For example, it had corrupted data before. Thus, we don’t suggest using this tool and we believe it is disabled by this reason.
Here, we recommend using the paid third-party tools since they are easy-to-use and can do good work for you.
Then, we will introduce these three options for you in the following content.
The Best Paid Third-Party Driver: Paragon NTFS for Mac
Paragon NTFS for Mac can write, edit, delete, copy, or move files on NTFS volumes from your Mac computer. It offers a 10-day free trial. If you want to use it all the time, you need to pay for it.
With it, you don’t have to fiddle with terminal commands to mount partitions manually. Additionally, it can mount partitions automatically and safely. More importantly, it can code with the potential corruption. If you purchase a Seagate drive, you can even get a free download of Paragon NTFS for Mac.
All in all, it does its works well and gives you good user’s experience.
The Best Free Third-Party Drivers: FUSE for macOS
FUSE for macOS is a free solution to access NTFS on Mac. But it is less secure.
If you want to make automatically mount NTFS partitions in read-write mode on Mac, you need to temporarily disable the System Integrity Protection and replace one of Apple’s built-in tools with a binary that is more vulnerable to attack. Thus, your Mac is in danger when using this driver.
However, you can use it to manually mount NTFS partitions in read-write mode if you never mind using the Terminal. This will be safer, but you need to do more work. You can go to google the steps and see how complex they are.
Apple’s Experimental NTFS-Writing Support: Don’t Do This, Seriously
Although we mentioned this method in our article, we still don’t recommend it because it is the least tested. It is just for educational purposes, and it is available on Mac OS 10.12 Sierra. Perhaps, it will be unstable forever.
How to Quickly Format External Hard Drive for Mac and PC without Losing Data
Another way to access NTFS drive on Mac is to convert the NTFS/HFS+ to FAT/exFAT. Then, the drive can be used on both Mac and PC.
There should be some important data on the drive. To keep it safe, you can choose this best NTFS/HFS+ to FAT/exFAT converter: MiniTool Partition Wizard.
How to Convert NTFS to FAT32 or exFAT Without Data Loss
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/5/2/125285189/765949379.jpg)
To format hard drive for Mac and Windows without data loss, we suggest using MiniTool Partition Wizard and its 'Convert NTFS to FATS32' function. If you are a personal user, you can try its Professional Edition.
Step 1: Run MiniTool Partition Wizard
Download this software to your computer. Then, you can open the software and input the license key to the pop-out window to get its Professional Edition.
Step 2: Convert NTFS to FAT32 with This Software
After running the program successfully, we can see its main interface as follows:
Here, please select the NTFS partition of external hard drive and choose 'Convert NTFS to FAT' feature from the left action pane. If there is more than one NTFS partition, convert all of them one by one.
At last, click 'Apply' button to make the change executed.
When MiniTool Partition Wizard shows it applies the change successfully, the original NTFS will finally become a FAT32 partition.
By this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for Mac and PC without losing any data. Then, you can share external hard drive between Mac and PC
You Can Convert NTFS to exFAT in 3 Steps
However, if you want to convert NTFS to exFAT to make external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC, 3 steps are required.
Step 1: Transfer Data out from External Hard Drive
You can choose to copy and paste those files to other external devices or internal hard disk of Windows, but it will cost much time. Instead, you can use MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition to create a copy for your external drive, which is faster.
If there is only one NTFS partition on external hard drive, refer to the tutorial Copy Partition to get instructions. However, if there is more than one NTFS partition, view Copy Disk to get specific operations.
Step 2: Create exFAT Partition with MiniTool Partition Wizard
The Free Edition of this software also enables you to do this job.
Firstly, you need to delete the partition by using this software. Just open the software to enter its main interface. Then, choose the target partition and click 'Delete Partition' from the left action pane. After that, you should click 'Apply' to keep this change.
Secondly, the target partition will become unallocated. Here, you need to choose that partition and click on 'Create Partition' from the left action pane.
Thirdly, you will see a pop-out window. Here, you can choose 'exFAT' from the 'File System' setting option. At the same time, you can also set some other parameters for this partition, including 'Partition Label', 'Drive Letter', 'Size And Location'. After that, please click on 'OK'.
Fourthly, you will go back to the main interface. Then, please click on 'Apply' to save these changes.
Finally, an exFAT partition will be created on your external hard disk so that it could be shared between Mac and Windows PC
Step 3: Transfer Data back to External Drive
If you want to share files that you have backed up between Mac and PC, now please transfer these files back to external hard drive.
How to Convert HFS+ to FAT32 or exFAT without Losing Data
Besides, you can format an external hard drive for Mac and Windows by converting HFS+ to FAT32 or exFAT without losing any data.
Step 1: Backup Data in HFS+ Partition on Mac
Just transfer all useful files out from the external hard drive to other devices on Mac. Of course, if you have a backup already, ignore this step.
Step 2: Create a FAT32 or exFAT Partition on Windows PC
Some people may ask why create such partitions on Windows rather than Mac. That is because there are cases reporting FAT32 (MS-DOS) or exFAT partitions created on Mac did not work well on Windows.
Please skip to Solution 1: Format External Hard Drive to FAT32 to get steps to create a FAT32 partitions or go back to Step 2: Create exFAT Partition with MiniTool Partition Wizard to get operations to create an exFAT partition.
How to Make an Empty External Drive Compatible with Mac and PC
If there is no file saved on your external hard drive, how to make external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC?
It's very easy to share it between Mac and PC and you also need a Windows computer, a Mac machine, and the free partition manager MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition.
There are 3 solutions for this case, so please choose the one you like most to format external hard drive Windows 10/8/7.
Solution 1: Format External Hard Drive Windows 10/8/7 to FAT32
Since users are unable to create a FAT32 partition larger than 32GB in Windows Disk Management, they need to use MiniTool Partition Wizard Free.
Note: when you connect an external hard drive which is formatted with HFS+ with computer, Windows may ask you to format the drive. Please choose Cancel.
Please download and install this program on your Windows computer to format an external hard drive for Mac and PC.
Firstly, open the software to enter its main interface as follows. Here, please select the NTFS partition or HFS+ partition of external hard drive, and click 'Delete Partition' feature from the left action pane. If there are multiple partitions on the external disk, please select the disk and click 'Delete All Partitions' feature instead. After that, an unallocated space will be released.
Secondly, you can create one or more FAT32 partitions in unallocated space. Select the unallocated space and choose 'Create Partition' feature from the left side.
Then, you should choose 'FAT32' from the 'File System' option in the pop-out window. Meanwhile, you can set properties for this new partition and click 'OK' to go back to the main window of Partition Wizard.
At last, click 'Apply' button to make all changes performed.
Solution 2: Format External Hard Drive Windows 7/8/10 to exFAT
Firstly, please delete the NTFS or HFS+ partition in either MiniTool Partition Wizard or Windows Disk Management to release unallocated space. Then, you can create an exFAT partition with MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition by following steps introduced in the section Step 2: Create exFAT Partition with MiniTool Partition Wizard.
Once a FAT32 or exFAT partition is created on your external hard drive, you can share it on both Mac and Windows PC.
Solution 3: Create One HFS+ Partition for Mac and One NTFS Partition for Windows
Alternatively, you can create 2 partitions on the external hard drive: one is for Mac, and the other is for Windows. As to size for each partition, it depends on your own demands. By this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for Mac and Windows.
Step 1: Create a NTFS Partition and a FAT32 Partition
Please run MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition, then delete all the original NTFS or HFS+ partition(s), and create a new NTFS partition as well as a FAT32 partition, and the latter will be formatted to HFS+ in Mac machine.
Then, select the external hard drive and choose 'Delete All Partitions' to create an unallocated space.
Here, select the unallocated space and choose 'Create Partition' feature from the left action pane.
Now, please specify partition label (Windows is recommended), partition type (primary or logical), drive letter, file system (NTFS), cluster size, and partition size (you can change the length of the handle to adjust partition size). Then, click 'OK' to continue.
Now, you can see a NTFS partition is created. Please use the same way to create a FAT32 partition labeled with Mac. At last, click 'Apply' button to make all changes performed.
Step 2: Format the FAT32 Partition to HFS+ Partition on Mac
Please go to Utilities → Disk Utility to get the window below:
Then, select the external hard drive and click 'Partition' tab on the top.
Now, find the FAT32 partition and format it to OS X Extended (Journaled), which is the desired HFS+. Finally, click 'Apply' button to make all changes performed.
Tip: You may receive the prompt 'The volume 'MAC' is not journaled. As a result it can not be resized'. Just ignore the message and click 'OK' button to continue.
After NTFS partition and HFS+ partition are created on your external hard drive, it can be shared between Mac and Windows PC.
Note: You might be unable to share all files saved on external drive since Windows doesn't support HFS+ partition while Mac doesn't support NTFS partition completely.
Bottom Line
Are you planning to format an external hard drive for Mac and PC? If yes, now try one of our methods to make external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC.
Should you have any problem, just feel free to leave us a message in comment part below or send an email to [email protected].
DVD drives are becoming harder to find every year. Laptops are becoming thinner and most of them have completely dropped DVD burners. Especially the ultrabooks, where companies are also trying to keep the costs low. But DVD’s are far from dead. In order to still use them, companies have created external optical drives that can be connected to your device via USB. The best external DVD drives are slim and really easy to use. There is almost no difference between a built in and external!
It doesn’t matter if you have a Windows or Mac, the external drives work with every operating system. I recently built my PC and I noticed that even the newer cases don’t have slots for a DVD drive. The world is definitely moving towards cloud storage and USB drives. But plenty of software and even games are still released on discs. Plus downloading from the internet takes up extra space. Or maybe you have a DVD collection you’d still like to be able to watch. The best external DVD drives solve all these problems
For example you can go with our top rated drive, the Dell DW316. I have also put them into a list below that has more in depth information.
1. LG Electronics GP65NB60
LG Electronics is a South Korean electronics company. They are most known for their fantastic TV’s but also home appliances and even mobile phones. They also make smaller electronic devices, such as optical drives. Their GP65NB60 is Amazons best selling external DVD drive! It is also one of the top rated ones and for a good reason.
The LG GP65NB60 has an Ultra-Slim design. It has a dimension of 141×14×136.5 mm / 5.6×0.6×5.4″ and weighs only 200 g / 0.4 lbs. The design is super sleek, it’s fully made out of nice tough plastic and you can choose between 4 different colors: black, gold, silver and white. It also has some nice structured edges. The slim design means that you can literally place it anywhere you want. Plus it’s convenient to carry it around as it doesn’t take up any space. It’s basically as thick as a pencil. It also has a button on the front for opening up the external DVD drive. There is also a LED light next to it that indicates if the drive is reading your discs. The back of the drive has a MiniUSB port. The drive comes with a MiniUSB-USB2.0 cable.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 141×14×136.5 mm / 5.6×0.6×5.4″
- Weight: 200 g / 0.4 lbs
- DVD Writing Speed: Up to 8x DVD+RW
- CD Writing Speed: Up to 24x CD-RW
- Features: SilentPlay, MiniUSB to USB cable
- Compatibility: Windows and Mac operating systems, TV
Another reason why the LG Electronics GP65NB60 is the best external DVD drive, is because of how easy it is to use it. Just plug the drive into your laptop, PC or TV via the USB cable. And can also be used on a TV. So you can use it to watch DVD’s straight from your TV. That’s a feature that not all external DVD drives have. LG has also got a feature called Silent Play technology. It reduces noise during playback by recognizing the media type and adjusting the speed for optimal performance. And even when compared to other external DVD drives, it’s really quiet.
The external drive is also compatible with the following operating systems: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Mac OS X(10.7.5). The drive can also be used to burn discs. It has an up to 8x Writing Speed of DVD’s and 24x of CD’s.
More information: LG GP65NB60 review
2. Samsung SE-218GN
Samsung is another South Korean electronics company that is most known for their mobile phones. They have also got one of the best external DVD drives, which isn’t that surprising as they also make some of the best SSD drives.
With the dimension of 147×14×141 mm / 5.8×0.6×5.6″, the Samsung SE-218 is pretty much as slim as an optical drive can be. The drive has a black plastic case, which is made out of good quality materials as it looks pretty good and feels high-end. This is definitely the plus of Samsung products. It is also really well built so it can also handle travelling. Making it also a nice little portable drive.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 147×14×141 mm / 5.8×0.6×5.6″
- DVD Writing Speed: Up to 6x DVD+RW
- CD Writing Speed: Up to 24x CD-RW
- Features: MiniUSB to USB cable, Nero Express software
- Compatibility: Windows and Mac operating systems
The SE-218GN has also got a button on the front which is used to eject the drive tray. It only works when the drive is plugged in with the MiniUSB cable. There is also a tiny manual eject hole which can be used if you left a disc into your drive. You’ll have to use a needle or a paper clip to reach the button inside the hole. The external DVD drive has also got a MiniUSB port on the back which is used for connecting it to your laptop or PC.
The Samsung SE-218GN external DVD drive doesn’t require any setting up. All you have to do is connect it to your PC or Laptop with the MiniUSB-USB2.0 cable that comes with it. You can also use the drive to burn files onto DVD discs. The writing speed of dual-layer DVD’s is up to 6x and for CD’s up to 24x. This is definitely pretty basic and nothing special. You also get a copy of Nero Essentials 10.0 with the drive. It includes the Nero Express burning software, Nero Backup and Nero InCD. Also the drive does work with both Windows and Mac. I have also read that it has worked with some Android tablets as well, but I haven’t been able to test that out myself.
3. Dell DW316
Dell is an American company that is most known for their computers and desktop screens. Especially for their business solutions for both private and public companies. Dell is also one of those companies that has dropped DVD drives from their cheaper end laptops and ultrabooks. So it’s no surprise that they have also released an external DVD drive. Which is also in my opinion one of the best available!
The DW316 external DVD drive has a pretty standard Dell design. If you are familiar with Dell laptops then you’ll know what I mean by that. It’s body is fully made out of high quality plastic. It also comes in one color: black. Like most other highly rated external DVD drives, the DW316 has also got an Ultra-Slim design. That makes it possible to take anywhere you want without having to take an extra bag. It has a dimension of 144.7×136.5×14 mm / 5.7×5.4×0.6″. Another thing that I quite like about it’s design is the curved corners. They make the optical drive’s design more interesting and sleek.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 144.7×136.5×14 mm / 5.7×5.4×0.6″
- DVD Writing Speed: Up to 8x DVD+RW
- CD Writing Speed: Up to 24x CD-RW
- Features: MiniUSB to USB cable, CyberLink Media Suit software
- Compatibility: Windows and Mac operating systems
The front of the drive has a button for opening the drive tray. There is also a tiny LED light there that indicates if the drive is working. On the back, there is a MiniUSB port for connecting the drive to your device. The drive comes with a MiniUSB-USB2.0 cable.
The Dell DW316 is a plug and play external DVD drive. As in you don’t need to install any external software or go through a crazy setup process to use the drive. Just plug it into your PC or laptop with the USB cable and that’s it. The drive also comes with a pre-loaded CyberLink Media Suit software. It’s pretty useful for burning files onto discs. It has a writing speed of up to 8x for DVD’s and 24x for CD’s. So it’s as fast as LG GP65NB60. Both of them are pretty similar and definitely the best external DVD drives. The only difference is the design and the LG is a bit more quiet. So eventually it comes down to taste on which to pick.
More information: Dell DW316 review
4. ASUS SDRW-08D2S-U LITE
ASUS is a Taiwan based company that is extremely well known for their fantastic computer hardware. Especially if you take a look at their GPU’s, which are almost always highly rated. But besides that, they also have plenty of different computer accessories. From displays to gaming keyboards and everything in between.
The SDRW-08D2S-U LITE is one of their best selling and most popular external DVD drives. What makes it so great is the size. It’s actually one of the smallest external drives that you can buy. It has a dimension of 142×142×20 mm / 5.6×5.6×0.8″ and it weighs only 280 g / 0.62 lbs. Being easily transportable is a huge plus for it.
In addition to that, it doesn’t look bad either. Yes it’s made out of normal plastic but it comes with a diamond texture finish. This gives it a premium look, which I must agree with, does look really nice. Especially when the light shines on it.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 142×142×20 mm / 5.6×5.6×0.8″
- DVD Writing Speed: Up to 8x DVD+RW
- CD Writing Speed: Up to 24x CD-RW
- Features: MiniUSB to USB cable, M-DISC
- Compatibility: Windows and Mac operating systems
This model uses the typical tray loading mechanism. There is an eject button on the front, which makes the tray slide out. The back side has a mini USB port. And yes, the drive does come with a mini USB to USB cable as well.
Also the SDRW-08D2S-U LITE does not require any installation. Simply plug it into your laptops or PCs USB port and it’s good to go. It has a maximum write speed of 8x for DVD’s and 24x for CD’s. As you have probably noticed from this article, this is the max you can get from external drives. So yes, in terms of performance, there’s really nothing to talk about. It does absolutely everything it’s supposed to without any issues.
5. ASUS ZenDrive U9M
ASUS actually has quite an impressive line-up of optical drives. Their newest one is the ZenDrive U9M, which is a modern take of external DVD drives! Not only is it one of their best-selling models but it also looks incredibly nice.
In my opinion ASUS has found the perfect balance between a modern design and simplicity with the ZenDrive series. Yeah you can say that it’s plain and there’s really nothing going for it, but yet it still looks fantastic. It’s pretty much the epitome of sleek.
The drive has a simple square design with slightly rounded edges. The drive is made out of plastic but they have somehow given it a metallic finish. Which makes it look like it’s actually made out of aluminium. It’s a really nice touch in my opinion.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 142.5×135.5×14 mm / 5.6×5.3×0.6″
- DVD Writing Speed: Up to 8x DVD+RW
- CD Writing Speed: Up to 24x CD-RW
- Features: MiniUSB to USB-A cable, MiniUSB to USB-C cable, M-DISC, CyberLink Power2GO 8 and PowerBackup
- Compatibility: Windows and Mac operating systems
In terms of technology, the U9M has a simple tray loading mechanism. There’s a typical eject button and an emergency pinhole on the front for opening the drive. The back side has a Mini USB port. However, instead of just getting a typical USB-A to Mini USB cable, you also get a USB-C to Mini USB cable! Which means that you can use this drive if you have a USB-C port as well.
There’s really not much to talk about in terms of performance. It works just the same as any other of the top external DVD drives. It has the standard writing speed of 8x for DVD’s and 24x for CD’s. Perhaps the only notable feature is that it supports M-DISC and disc encryption. Plus it also includes two programs: CyberLink Power2GO 8 and PowerBackup.
6. Lenovo DB65
If you have ever owned a Lenovo business grade laptop then you already know how good the brand is. They make amazing laptops with incredible build quality. And this time, they have even created an external DVD drive that looks very similar to their laptops. A fantastic companion if you already have one of their computers and require an optical drive
What I like about Lenovo is that they enjoy pushing boundaries. When I first looked at the Lenovo 4XA0E97775 I thought that it was kind of bulky. But when I looked at the dimensions, I was actually shocked. Not only is it incredibly small but it’s actually the thinnest external DVD drive that you can buy! And it has a tray loading mechanism! This ultra slim size factor is definitely a plus side for most people as you can comfortably bring it with you anywhere you go.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 144×137×14 mm / 5.7×5.4×0.6″
- DVD Writing Speed: Up to 8x DVD+RW
- CD Writing Speed: Up to 24x CD-RW
- Features: MiniUSB to USB cable, Power DVD
- Compatibility: Windows and Mac operating systems
The overall design is really simple though. It’s made out of black plastic that has a brushed steel finish on the top. It reminds me more of the style they use on their consumer grade laptops. As with all tray drives, it has an eject button on the front and a Mini USB port on the back.
The Lenovo DB65 doesn’t require installing any drivers. It works right out of the box. Simply plug it into any USB port and you are done. The package does also include a program called Power DVD. It can be used to burn files onto the discs. As far as the read/write speed goes, it’s as fast as the rest of the drives I have listed here. The typical write speed of 8x for DVD’s and 24x for CD’s. Also you won’t find any fancy modes from it either. It’s a simple portable DVD drive that simply does everything that it’s designed for.
7. Apple USB SuperDrive
Apple was one of the first companies to really incorporate the slot loading mechanism into their devices. While other brands still had tray loading drives on their laptops, Apple already had MacBook Pro’s with the slot drives. Unfortunately that didn’t last that long as companies started making thinner laptops, which didn’t have enough room for optical drives.
That’s why Apple created the USB SuperDrive, an external optical drive for reading and writing both CD’s and DVD’s! It was the first external drive to have their fantastic slot loading mechanism. It’s one of the reasons why it’s still sold till this day!
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 139×139×17 mm / 5.5×5.5×0.7″
- DVD Writing Speed: Up to 8x DVD+RW
- CD Writing Speed: Up to 24x CD-RW
- Features: Attached USB cable, Slot disc tray
- Compatibility: Windows and Mac operating systems
Besides that, it’s also one of the best looking optical drives by far. It’s made out of the exact same grey aluminium as the MacBook Pro. Which is also means that it’s incredibly durable and you don’t need to worry about it breaking apart in a laptop bag. The build quality is just fantastic. If you have the money then the Apple USB SuperDrive is more than worth it.
But that’s really about it. All of the technical specifications match the other DVD drives. It has the same 8x DVD write speed and 24x CD write speed. Don’t expect it to be any faster or better in terms of performance. So whether it’s worth it, comes totally down to your budget and if you like the way it looks.
8. VersionTech SuperDrive
Most external DVD drives are pretty much the same. They have a rectangular design, a MiniUSB port at the back and a disc tray that slides out. VerisonTech has changed that by creating an external DVD drive that looks exactly like the SuperDrive found in Macbook Pro’s. So if you are looking for something unique, then the VerisonTech SuperDrive is definitely the best external DVD drive for you!
The VerisonTech SuperDrive has a pretty cool design. At first I actually thought it was made out of aluminium, until I actually touched it and realized that it was plastic. That’s how good of a job VersionTech has done at keeping the SuperDrive as close to matching a Macbook Pro as possible. It has also got a Slim design, with the dimensions of 182.8×180.3×33 mm / 7.2×7.1×1.3″. There is also a large rubber ring on the bottom the drive, which stops it from sliding around. A pretty nice and useful addition. Unlike most other best external DVD drives, the VersionTech doesn’t have a MiniUSB port on the back. It is simply attached to a USB cable that can’t be removed. Also the front side has a slot instead of a disc stray. There aren’t any eject buttons or LED lights.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 182.8×180.3×33 mm / 7.2×7.1×1.3″
- DVD Writing Speed: Up to 8x DVD+RW
- CD Writing Speed: Up to 24x CD-RW
- Features: Attached USB cable, Slot disc tray
- Compatibility: Windows and Mac operating systems
The same principle applies to the VersionTech SuperDrive as any other external DVD drive if you want to use it. Just plug the USB cable into your Windows or Mac device. It works with both. The only thing that somewhat annoys me is that you can’t remove the cable. Which means that you are limited to where you wish to use it. With a laptop its simple, but with a PC it can be difficult, depending on where your PC is located.
Next just slide a disc into the slot. You need to push in around 3/4th of the disc until the drive pulls it in. Just like you’d see on an Apple SuperDrive. I do want to note that the noise level depends mostly on the surface you place it on. While burning a disc, the DVD drive kept moving around a wooden table because of how light it is. Once I played a rubber mat underneath it, the drive became pretty quiet. The drive has a write speed of up to 8x for DVD’s and 24x for CD’s. Oh and if you wish to get your disc back, then you’ll have to use the eject button on your computer screen.