SONY USB 2.0 External Slim 8X DVD±R DVD Drive Model DRXS70U

Pros: Plug and Play, No hitches

Cons: Power but for the price not a problem

Pros: Reads all formats, burns DVDs & CDs well. Device is compact, sleek,easy to use.

Cons: if you own a sub-notebook, dont assume that you can carry this in case, along with notebook. If you have used standard drives, 8X may seem slow.

Pros: Reliable burning. Quiet running. Nice looking enclosure. Looks like brushed aluminum, matte black with silver trim on front. For size, imagine stacking two regular CD jewel cases for thickness, then add 1/2 inch of length and width.

Cons: I guess reliable burning needs more milliamps than available through USB, hence the external power adapter, about the size of a cigarette pack, plus cables. The low-voltage-side skinny wire looks flimsy, but maybe ok if handled properly. Adapter and all cables total up to more bulk than the CD drive.

Overall Review: External power can reach about 11 feet from CD drive to wall outlet. CD drive itself fits in a quart-sized freezer bag with lots of room to spare to drop in some CDs, but not enough room for the cables. I use a second quart-sized bag for the cables, with plenty of room to drop in some other accessories. It all fits in the laptop carrying bag, along with the computer. Product ships with Nero7 Essentials which works fine, but it is bloated at 160 MB. My needs are simple, and I use ImgBurn that installs only 1.6 MB.

Pros: I dropped my Mac laptop and dented the side where the CD drive is. Instead of purchasing a replacement, I simply looked for an external drive and this is the best one! It is Mac compatible and you don't even need to install any software to use it; simply plug it in and place a CD, and voila! Sleek shape is a plus.

Cons: You have to plug it into a power outlet; less portable if you are planning to use it when you are on the move.

Pros: Small, lightweight, very portable. Great range of read/write formats.

Cons: Requires more than just USB for power. Even if you use a dual USB plug, it still requires the power adapter.

Pros: Very good performance on reading and writing both CDs and DVDs. Very durable and sturdy aluminum enclosure.

Cons: Not powered by USB. Only powered by outlet. This is a big con in my opinion. Who wants to worry about a plugging it all the time? Also you can not use it on the go when not near an outlet. Though the aluminum enclosure is nice it does add significant amount of weight.

Overall Review: I bought this drive kind of epecting it to be USB powered. I tried researching it and could not figure it out. I truly think they need to have category on specs for slim DVD burners about USB powered (yes or no).

Pros: Quiet, Fast enough, pretty too.

Cons: None

Overall Review: The previous reviewer claimed to have done some research on the power requirements of this drive....odd, I looked at the Newegg image viewer and noticed the draive came with a DC transformer....Hint Hint