LG Super-Multi Portable DVD Rewriter with M-DISC Mac & Surface Support Model GP50NB40

Pros: inexpensive,works.

Cons: none for the price although I will note that the thing is very light and you do not want to drop it,then again what cd/dvd burner do you want to drop.

Overall Review: works well for daughters laptop.

Pros: *Small *Lightweight *Works fine *Burns everything within its capabilities

Cons: *None

Overall Review: I can't imagine why anyone would review this drive as an extremely fragile device, because it is, by nature. If you buy it, you should already know its limitations, and not derail it by nature of it's size. Yes, its a drive form-factor which is commonly found in laptop computers. Why would that surprise anyone? Contrary to a previous review, this drive IS bootable, for current Windows and Linux CD/DVDs. You simply need to set your computer's BIOS to be bootable from a USB device. I have booted multiple variants of Windows and Linux LiveCDs/DVDs from this drive, and all have performed without any failure. There is no need to use the included Y-adapter cable to use this drive, unless you're using it with a USB 1.0 system. USB connections after that point provide suitable power for connected devices such as this. This drive reads and writes everything I've asked of it, and does it well. I've never sent writing to it at max speed, which is a common failure of many optical drives, which is also a fact that many people don't understand. I've yet to use M-DISC in this drive, but it's holding up very well to my demands of it so far.

Pros: Cheap Works

Cons: It does appear to be pretty unsubstantial, but if you were going to use it portable, that's probably just what you want. I doubt that you could drop it very many times before it would fail.

Overall Review: I unpacked this drive and connected it to my Windows 10 box. Nothing happened. No lights, no icon under This PC to show that it was recognized. Nothing. I was going to send it back as DOA. It turns out, however, this is normal. Nothing happens until you put in a disk. I pushed the eject button on the drive and the it started to come to life. A light came on and the drive ejected. I put in a disk and then the drive appeared in the file explorer on my computer. Seems to work just fine.

Pros: -Used it to install Windows 10. The BIOS had no problem detecting it as a USB boot drive. -Works like you'd expect from an external DVD drive.

Cons: -Noisy.

Pros: Small, light, rips and burns disks.

Cons: Mac users: First, thanks Wesley J. (1/11/2014) for the workaround on the empty drive not being recognized by the Mac Finder when empty. Here's an even more convenient workaround. (I'm using it with a Mac Mini): Navigate to: Macintosh HD > System > Library > CoreServices > Menu Extras Double-click on the file named "Eject.menu" and an eject button icon will appear in your menu bar. If the eject icon is not where you like it, Command-drag the icon anywhere on the menu bar that you prefer. This beats having to go through using the Disk Utility app.

Pros: Easy to use, looks good, portable, speed, TV connectivity.

Cons: Somewhat cheap construction.

Overall Review: I received this yesterday, but let me give my first impressions. Function: Some reviews say it's to read/write. It works just as fast as anything you'll get standard on a laptop. I already ripped disk and burned two, and it was just as fast as I expected. The only thing is it took longer to finish burning (using iTunes). This works just fine for everyday mild use. Ease of use: Its very easy to set up. I just connected the USB cord and was able to use it right away without loading the software from disk. It's nice to not have the bloatware. It was easy to set up for the TV. Just follow the instructions. Unfortunately, my TV apparently doesn't read from the USB input. I guess they're just there for power. Unfortunate, but this is a TV problem, not a Drive problem. Appearance: It doesn't look fancy, but the matte finish makes it look clean. Simple, but nice. Construction: Yes, as some reviews point out, the construction of the drive is a bit flimsy. I expected this from a drive listed as "slim", so I'm not surprised. Here's my solution - keep all the packaging. The box it comes in is still only about 2 inches thick and has foam support, so the drive is very secure in there. I feel like I could throw this package in a backpack and it would be fine. My biggest concern is the tray. I was expecting that this drive needed a gentle touch, but the first few disks were very tight and needed a little muscle. Hopefully this loosens over time, and I'll just pray that I don't need to get too rough with it. Overall: It works great for its intended use. If you need a super-fast drive that is built solidly, you shouldn't be buying a $30 drive. But if you just need something affordable for day-to-day use and you can be gentle, you can't go wrong with this one.

Pros: Lightweight, cheap

Cons: Comes with outdated firmware

Overall Review: Booting from this external CD drive with a Windows 7 repair/install cd fails until you do the firmware update from LG. Firmware update is simple and things work perfectly after that.

Pros: Basically works---sort of.

Cons: Bought it for my daughter to take to college. within the first few weeks the drawer stopped staying closed. If she tapes it shut (or rubber-bands it) it will work. But really...