ZenDrive Ultra Slim USB 2.0 External 8X DVD Optical Drive +/-RW with M-Disc Support for Windows and Mac and Nero BackItUp for Android devices

I picked this drive for its dual compatibility with USB 2.0 and USB-C, and after several weeks of use, it’s proven to be a great value. Like most compact, budget-friendly external CD/DVD drives, the tray feels a bit delicate, but that’s expected and not an issue if handled with care. I only needed it for occasional use, so extreme durability wasn’t a priority. The USB-C cable has a convenient length, connects easily, and delivers excellent read/write speeds, especially compared to USB 2.0. In terms of build, appearance, performance, and ease of use, everything has been smooth and trouble-free, making this a solid and reliable choice.

In this day and age most new computers don't come with an optical drive. And why should they? Programs are downloaded or sometimes stored on a thumb drive instead of a CD or DVD. But if you're anything like me you still have several programs that are on disc. Or maybe have files and photos you backed up years ago to DVD. I don't plan to use a DVD drive on a daily or even monthly basis, but I figure it's nice to have one around in case I need to reinstall an old program on a new system or if I get an album or audiobook on disc that I want to digitize. I've gone through 3 external DVD drives recently looking for the right one and this one best filled my needs. All of them did the basics well, but there was one outlier condition that (for me at least) really set this drive apart, and that's reading very full discs. For example: I've found that sometimes long audibooks will try to minimize the amount of discs they need for a book by using as much of the allotted space as possible. They'll use 73 minutes and 59 seconds of an allotted 74 minutes of play time if it means only needing 9 discs to record a book instead of 10. That totally makes sense! But of the three drives I've tested, two struggled on some tracks on those overly stuffed discs (likely when data was stored in the outer most or inner most tracks). This resulted in stutters, garbles, and static blips in the digitized files. This drive was the only one that consistently read in all the files correctly and resulted in clear, complete output. This drive is a great value. It can read and record CDs and DVDs, even the long lasting M-Disc format. Mine even came with 2 M-Disc DVDs, though I'm not sure if that's standard or just a promotion. It's got an aluminum casing so it's pretty sturdy. It's not perfect. It won't read or write Blu-Ray discs. It's also fairly slow compared to internal drives or external drives that have a dedicated power supply. If I were burning discs on a regular basis I'd probably want something a little faster. But for occasional use? It's hard to find a better inexpensive option out there.

Disc technology is a dying field. We expect little to no improvements or included features. When purchasing an external drive, you hope for durability, longitivtiy, and quality. Overall this model delivers. It does have some design issues though. The drive tray is flimsy, so it is easy to have difficulty shutting the drive until it is aligned properly. The drive tray does not eject fully so you have to put the edge of the disc under the lip of the unit. The transfer rate is much slower than SATA internal drives due to having a USB 2.0 bus. So far, this has held up well to several months of heavy use. There is not too much heat build up, and I haven't caused the unit to thermal throttle or shut down. I haven't traveled with it so I have little opinion about durability on the road. It is not much larger than a disc so it wouldn't take up too much space in a bag. It is plug and play. It worked on a Mac, Windows 10 & Windows 11 without any drivers or setup. Depending on what is on the disc or what you intend to burn onto the disc, you may need software that is not included. It does come with a double ended cord in case your USB bus doesn't provide enough power through a single port. This typically only occurs when burning a disc. Based on the disappearing technology, there are two primary brands left. You can choose ASUS made in Taiwan, LG made in Korea or one of several Chinese brands.

I usually do not write a review so soon for this type of purchase. I generally use it for awhile. I tested DVD RW and CD RW and they test good. I had a Macrium boot disk for imaging my system hard drive that works on boot up. I have a Dell XPS 8930. I started PC with the Asus DVD optical drive plugged in and the Macrium boot disc in the DVD drive. I started the PC pressedF12 and the Asus drive appeared, chose the Asus drive, and the drive booted to the Macrium rescue disk. So it will boot to the drive with bootable media inside the Asus drive. It is light weight, will play DVD on one USB plug 3.0. I use two male type A plugs normally. It has a Y splitter cable with mini USB male into the Asus drive and two male A plugs to plugs into the PC. I do not know if it will burn with one type A male inserted into a usb 3.0 port or not. Perhaps it would but I must test it later. It may be for USB 2.0 two plugs are needed but not sure. I use both regardless if I'm using 3.0 or 2.0 USB ports, but later I will test with one plug in 3.0 port to see if it works. When I will test that part is unknown. This little drive is plug and play without any of the software in the Asus box. It would be very handy to have the software though. The drive seems to be durable. Being that it is portable, be careful not to drop the drive when transporting etc. It does come with 2 Traxdata M disc DVD R discs 4.7 GB, 4X. I eject the disc and then unplug the drive rather than disconecting with a disc in the drive. The drive is fast enough. You will not be sorry if you purchase this drive with what I have learned so far.

Works with my win11 system. No issues.

Great. Did the job it was purchased for.

Easy setup and works well. No issue.

Bought this for 1 reason, it reads DVD RAM discs. Also I was impressed with its easy install and play, not always the case. Noted a comment from one person about it needing 2 USB ports, this is because it comes with a Y-connector with 1 USB for data transfer and 1 for power, I had 2 ports available, but also have a USB 4 way extender. Interesting following its shipment from the US, but a lot to go through to copy 8 discs :-D Won't buy Panasonic DVD RAM writer again.

Hasta el momento (27/03/2026) el lector se ha comportado como se espera. Aún no he probado la grabación en el disco M que viene de bonus (2). Ya actualizaré.

It works perfectly, high quality, fast and easy to use.

Per il momento soddisfa le mie esigenze. Ho fatto una prova di lettura inserendo un vecchio DVD che avevo masterizzato circa 10 anni fa, nessun problema. Ho fatto una prova di masterizzazione dati a 4x su dvd con questo prodotto, non fa rumore e masterizzazione a buon fine.