Tips for Buying a CD Drive

Just about every new computer ships with a CD or DVD drive. Usually, those computers have a combo CD and DVD drive that is also is able to burn or write DVDs and/or CDs. However, on occasion, you might find a used computer that doesn’t have a CD Drive, or you may find that your CD Drive has stopped working. In some cases you may just want to upgrade your CD Drive.

Below, you’ll find some things to keep in mind when you are buying a CD Drive. Follow these few guiding principles and you will wind up with the right kind of drive to fit your needs. They can also save you the hassle of making a purchase, getting it home, installing the drive, and then winding up not sure what to do with it.

First you need to decide what it is that you want from a CD Drive. Do you just intend to read CDs?  If so, then you don’t even really need a DVD Drive, although it may be difficult to find a drive for your computer that doesn’t read DVDs. Regardless, you’ll want to make sure that the drive you purchase does indeed, at least, read CDs if that is what you want to use the drive for.

Consider buying a burner if you intend to record CDs or DVDs from your computer. There is any number of reasons you might decide to record CDs or DVDs from your computer. For example, you might wish to make back up copies of movies that you own. You might wish to store pictures or videos of your family on a DVD or CD. Make sure that if this is your intention that you get a CD drive that is capable of writing as well as reading CDs and DVDs.

Next, you need to pay attention to the speed of the CD Drive that you are purchasing. Speed on a CD drive or a DVD drive is measured in relation to the speed of the original CD or DVD drives. So, today a 48X drive reads data at approximately forty-eight times the speed that the first generation of CD drives could read data.  Likewise, if you are purchasing a CD burner, it will have a burn speed. It might, for example, have 8X burn speed. This means that the drive burns data or writes data to the CD 8X faster than the original CD.

You also need to choose between an external and an internal drive. Some people prefer a drive that connects to their computer on the outside, while others would rather have it sit inside the computer’s case.

Finally, when you are buying a CD drive make sure it is compatible with your computer. Many computers have specific interfaces inside that have to match up correctly with the CD drive. Know what type of interface your computer has before you buy a CD Drive.