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• External Optical Drive Reviews
• Best External Optical Drive For Mac 2018 Football
• Best External Optical Drive For Mac 2018

Best External Drives for Backup and Storage in 2018 (Mac and PC) April 30, 2018 April 29, 2018 When you purchased your computer, you thought it had plenty of space.

DVDs, like CDs, require a laser-powered mechanism in order to read or write to them. An optical drive pairs that system with a mechanism for spinning the disc in question, so that all areas of the disc are accessible to the lens. They were fist made commercially available by Sony in 1987.

For the first few years, the technology was used primarily for music CDs and software CD-ROMs. As this was the primary means of installing new software on a computer, most PCs included an optical drive in their design. This gave users the freedom to use new programs, listen to music straight from their computers, and, in many cases, get access to the internet.

The introduction of the DVD in 1997 added even more uses for optical drives. Because of their high data storage capacity, they were the perfect vehicle for consuming video content like movies and TV shows. For the first several years of their use, internet connections fast enough to download large video files in a reasonable timeframe were hard to come by. This helped sustain the need for optical drives, updated for the new disc format, in computers during this period. While downloading music and software from the internet was becoming much more of a possibility for many consumers, it would still be a few more years before the same would be true of video content.

By the early 2010s, it became more and more common for computer manufacturers to eschew optical drives from their machines altogether. This was due primarily to the amount of physical space they demand. As laptops and even desktop computers began confining themselves to slimmer and lighter profiles, there simply wasn't room for the mechanics of a disc drive. At the same time, it became increasingly possible to download and stream movies and other video content over the average home internet connection.

Of course, many people still need a way to read CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. Whether you've amassed a collection of your own or want to watch something that's not available for streaming, the only option may be to buy an external drive. Thankfully, there are several reliable models on the market, and most of them feature simple plug-and-play functionality.

Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.

The Rundown

• Best Overall: Pioneer BDR-XD05B at Amazon, “Slim and lightweight Blu-ray writer that offers a great experience in a design that’s just 8.2 ounces.”
• Runner-Up, Best Overall:Pioneer BDR-XS06 at Amazon, “Offers fast write speeds alongside an auto quiet mode to reduce noise.”
• Best Splurge: OWC Mercury Pro at Amazon, “It’s capable of writing M-DISC DVDs and M-DISC Blu-rays, but it can also burn and play regular Blu-ray Discs.”
• Best Write Speeds: ASUS BW-16D1X-U at Amazon, “This beautifully designed device is packed with features and is more powerful than most external Blu-ray drives.”
• Best Budget:MthsTec Ultra Slim at Amazon, “Supports speeds up to 10x faster (5Gbps) over USB 2.0 (480Mbps) and no AC adaptor or drivers are required.”
• Best for Macs: Sea Tech at Amazon, “A plug-and-play package that’s just 15.2 ounces and measures 8 x 7.4 x 1.9 inches.”
• Best Design:Pioneer BDR-XU03 at Amazon, “Works with BDXL discs, Blu-ray discs and is backward compatible with DVD and CDs.”

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Pioneer BDR-XD05B

Released in 2015, Pioneer’s BDR-XD05B is a clamshell-designed (opens from the top) slim and lightweight Blu-ray writer that offers a great experience in a design that’s just 8.2 ounces. Measuring 5.24 x 5.24 x .58 inches, the XD05B offers premium and proprietary features such as PowerRead and PureRead to assist in the delivery of smoother playback of both DVDs and CDs. The Pioneer will handle write speed at 6x for a Blu-ray on one quad-layer BDXL disc that can store the equivalent of around 27 DVDs.

The inclusion of Auto Quiet mode allows for the reduction in disc rotation speed to reduce noise. It switches between both quiet and performance modes depending on your needs. Pioneer includes CyberLink software for Windows, which allows for Blu-ray playback. Unfortunately, the BDR-XD05B is only compatible with Windows software leaving Mac fans to look at alternative options for Blu-ray writing and playback.

Runner-Up, Best Overall: Pioneer BDR-XS06

The Pioneer BDR-XS06 external Blu-ray writer is a solid piece of technology that offers fast write speeds alongside an auto quiet mode to reduce noise. Auto quiet mode assists in noise reduction while listening to music or watching movies, as well as when setting it too high for faster data transfer.

Measuring 5.31 x 5.31 x .71 inches and weighing 5.6 ounces, the Pioneer is powered solely by USB connection via a computer. The drive itself supports BDXL format with storage for more data in the form of 156 percent more capacity than a 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray disc.

The inclusion of Toast Lite Software allows quick and easy burning from a Windows or Mac computer, although Blu-ray playback requires the separate purchase of additional software. Both portable and fast, the Pioneer offers 6x BDR on single and dual-layer discs as well as 4x max write speed on BD-R triple and quad-layer discs.

Best Splurge: OWC Mercury Pro 16X Blu-ray, 16X DVD, 48X CD Read/Write solution

If it’s speed you crave, the OWC Mercury Pro delivers, reaching write speeds up to 16X. It’s capable of writing M-DISC DVDs and M-DISC Blu-rays, but it can also burn and play regular Blu-ray Discs.

Housed in a single piece of aluminum, this drive has a sleek, but solid design and impressive build quality. On the back, you’ll find access to the USB 3.0 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0), power and Kensington lock slot connections. Along with the drive, you get applications including Smile DiskLabel and ProSoft Data Backup for Mac and NovaBackup for PC. While they aren’t the latest and greatest versions, they will serve you well nonetheless.

Best Write Speeds: ASUS Computer International Direct ASUS BW-16D1X-U

Measuring 9.6 x 2.5 x 6.5 inches, this beautifully designed device is packed with features and is more powerful than most external Blu-ray drives. The Mac- and Windows-compatible device can write up to 16X with BDXL support that supports data storage up to 128 GB. Using USB 3.0 technology, it enables data transfer rates up to 10 times faster than those offered by a USB 2.0 connection. On top of that, it doesn’t just read and write to Blu-ray discs; it also reads and writes to both DVD and CD optical media discs.

But what sets this drive apart from others? It comes equipped with CyberLink Power2Go8 software designed to streamline the burning process and protect private files, plus professional data backup software to ensure all your precious files are backed up sufficiently.

Best Budget: MthsTec Ultra Slim

The MthsTec Ultra Slim external Blu-ray player and DVD burner combo drive offers up a fantastic value (and a host of features). It weighs 10 ounces and measures 5.9 x 5.6 x 0.6-inches, making it par for the course in the Blu-ray external drive world. Fortunately, its size hides its extensive feature set.

Connecting to a computer via USB 3.0, the MthsTec supports speeds up to 10x faster (5Gbps) over USB 2.0 (480Mbps) and no AC adaptor or drivers are required. Overall write speed is set for a standard 6x (plus an 8x DVD-Max write speed), which means the MthsTec is backward compatible with older technology.

Best for Macs: Sea Tech

While all the Blu-ray external drives support Windows 7 to Windows 10 software, Mac support is a little more hit and miss. Realistically, Apple doesn’t officially support Blu-ray playback, but there are a host of third-party applications that do. As a CD/DVD unit, the Sea Tech aluminum external USB Blu-ray writer super drive is a plug-and-play package that’s just 15.2 ounces and measures 8 x 7.4 x 1.9 inches.

Released in 2012, the Sea Tech remains as perfectly viable today as it was back then, thanks to updated third-party software that provides a great viewing experience on both Apple desktops and laptops. Additionally, the Sea Tech provides support for M-Disc, which offers years of reliable data storage and playback. Write speed on the Sea Tech is an average 6x, while Blu-ray playback is a standard 2x speed. Unfortunately, there’s no auto-quiet feature to reduce the internal noise while playing or writing a disc, but that’s a worthy tradeoff for a drive that’s 100 percent compatible with Apple’s computer line.

Best Design: Pioneer BDR-XU03

Slightly expensive for its standard feature set, the Pioneer BDR-XU03 price is best understood when you consider the magnesium body design that’s both futuristic and functional. Capable of standing both vertically and horizontally, the BDR-XU03 weighs 8.6 ounces and measures 5.2 x 5.2 x .5 inches. Along with a 6x writing speed, there’s support for additional features such as auto-quiet mode, as well as USB 3.0 for faster data transmission between a PC and the Pioneer itself.

The BDR-XU03 works with BDXL discs, Blu-ray discs and is backward compatible with DVD and CDs. Additionally, Pioneer includes support for PureRead to help minimize sound glitches during music playback, which provides an error-free audio performance and even helps during movie playback. And if you have a green thumb, it's even eco-friendly because the smaller design also means reduced power consumption.

Tested by

How We Tested

Our reviewers spent six hours testing one of our readers' favorite external Blu-ray drives. To get the most comprehensive feedback possible, they connected it to their laptops to see how it handled everything from playing movies to burning discs. We asked our testers to consider the most important features when using this drive, from its speed to its design. We've outlined the big takeaways here so that you, too, know what to look for when shopping.

What to Look for in an External Desktop Blu-ray Drive

External Optical Drive Reviews

Writing and rewriting - The most basic Blu-ray drives are only useful for playing Blu-ray movies. If you want to burn your own Blu-ray discs, look for one that’s capable of writing or rewriting. Drives that can both write and rewrite Blu-ray discs are more flexible, but rewritable Blu-ray discs can’t store as much information as regular ones.

Compatibility - There are two compatibility issues to look out for with an external Blu-ray player: port type and operating system. Blu-ray players that support USB 3.0 transfer data faster, but that doesn’t help if your computer only has USB 2.0 ports. In that same vein, some external Blu-ray drives only work with Windows, others only work with Macs, and some can be used with both.

Speed - If you only want an external Blu-ray drive to watch movies, speed isn’t a big concern. But if you want to rip Blu-ray movies to your hard drive or burn your own Blu-ray discs, a faster drive will save you a lot of time.

Test Results: Pioneer BDR-XD05B (Best Overall)

What We Don't Like

Best External Optical Drive For Mac 2018 Football

• Electronic open/close button didn’t work consistently

• Not as compatible with Macs

Best External Optical Drive For Mac 2018

One of our testers summed up this external desktop Blu-ray drive as a “fast, flexible Blu-ray and DVD drive that has a few speed settings and also burns disks.” Our reviewers also liked that it was quiet: “The speed and quiet rotation definitely set it apart from the cheap external DVD drive that I used in the past,” one person said. While not necessarily a negative, our testers warned that this drive requires a more extensive setup with Mac machines. One reviewer also reported that its electronic open and close button didn’t work consistently.