[dburna]

My Mac Mini has developed an alignment issue with the DVD drive.  It is sporadic, but it will put a mark on some CDs as it reads them.  Rather than get the problem fixed, I thought the better/cheaper solution would be to get an external (USB and/or Firewire) DVD writer for the system.  I have seen ones on Amazon in the $30-40 range (shipped) but have no idea if they're any good.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a DVD writer that is:

1. Compatible with Macs (should be most of them)
2. Quiet
3. Cheap
4. Produces good quality CD/DVD rips
5. Reliable

Thanks in advance for any recommendations on models, prices, and preferred purchasing locations.

-dB

[lokie]

OWC has been good for me.

[DS-21]

When my wife needed a player to read some photo DVD's on her new Retina MacBook, we picked up the "BUFFALO 8x USB 2.0 Portable DVD Writer - DVSM-PC58U2VB" drive from Amazon. Cost I think $33 with Prime shipping. It doesn't need a separate power jack, just the USB port, and rips music CDs at least as fast as the Superdrive in my MacBook does. Reasonably quiet, though anything with a spinning disk in a thin plastic case will make some noise.

The other nice thing is that the cables wrap around it. At least, assuming you'll be fine with standard computer USB cables and don't require boutique audiophool idiot wiring.

[dB Cooper]

+1 on the Buffalo; got mine from Microcenter for about the same price. Works fine. No need to spend more.

BTW, dburna, don't waste your time/money trying to fix the drive. I have had problems with every single slot load drive in every Mac I have ever owned. Thats 4 or 5. I have experienced the same 'scarring', and some discs buzz like a marital aid. A Mac Genius once tacitly acknowledged to me that the slot load drives Apple uses suck. I won't put a disc I care about into one.

[srb]

The other nice thing is that the cables wrap around it. At least, assuming you'll be fine with standard computer USB cables and don't require boutique audiophool idiot wiring.

Why not just say "don't require expensive boutique wiring" instead of interjecting "fool" and "idiot" into so many of your posts?

Steve

[jtwrace]

I went with an Apple Superdrive and it works very well.  I've always used the internal drive of my Mini with iTunes.  Since going with a Synology NAS I decided to start ripping with my MacBook Air. 

It worked very well with XLD last night on this new Cd I purchased.



If you use XLD you will need this for the offset http://www.accuraterip.com/driveoffsets.htm