News - Samsung announces two new ultra-slim portable DVD writers

[HEXUS]

A good companion for your Ultrabook or ODD-less PC build perhaps?

Read more.

[Otherhand]

Wacky evangelism follows. I promise you'll wish you hadn't read this by the time you get to the end. Best to close the tab now, tbh.

I got an external Blu Ray writer to replace my internal one. I'd transplanted my micro ATX components out of an ATX case into a SFF Aerocool cube, and the optical cages had to go because of a clash between them and a large CPU cooler (couldn't face removing and replacing the cooler, given the difficulties of fitting the thing). I hadn't expected that switching to an external ODD would have such a radical effect as it did.

I need to reduce noise as much as possible for my audio work. My PC is now on a small lower table of its own between my studio monitors, which are themselves standing just behind the taller main desk (display, music equipment, kb/mouse). I have an audio interface neatly under one side of the screen and the external ODD under the other side, both plugged in and powered by the display's USB ports. I set the BIOS to allow me to power on my PC with Ctrl+Esc on the PS/2 keyboard, and I never touch the chassis anymore.

This puts the chassis a good 1.5m from my head, the display blocks some direct lines between the case and my ears too, and the studio monitors aren't competing with mechanical noise anymore. As noise management goes, this was much more cost-effective than buying and fitting soundproofing; I can barely hear it. I reckon if I swapped out the case fans for Aerocool's specialist 10dB ones, I wouldn't be able to hear a thing.

[Grey M@a]

I have one of the older SE-218 models for my Samsung Series 9, thing has never let me down, I also use it on the gaming rig as I removed the burner from there also.

Great drives for the price, now we need them to make a slim line blu ray drive and I would be happy to carry it around with the lappy so I can watch blu rays on the road

[Funkstar]

Would go well with an Ultrabook. Slim enough and light enough to slip into your laptop bag and forge about until you need it. Pretty much cheap enough to.

[SciFi]

Can't recall the last time I used a disk of any form...

[Askew]

I clicked this wishing that they'd be slot loaders, I know that's a PITA to implement over a tray mechanism but it's oh so sweet to use.

I'd buy even a full size slot loader twice the cost of my current tray drive to enjoy the experience of using one.

[GuidoLS]

Let's pretend for a moment that we all don't have multiple-MB/GB download speeds -

What would be the advantage, if any, of either building a system without an optical drive, or removing an optical from an existing system? One that isn't, say, a Brix type system, or Pi, or something smaller than your average shoebox.

[Fraz]

What is this "DVD" of which you speak? I'm assuming it's some kind of sexually transmitted disease.

[KyleOftheDead]

What is this "DVD" of which you speak? I'm assuming it's some kind of sexually transmitted disease.

It's what they used in the 70s for films n stuff

[Aftershock]

I've got a cheap £20 Light on external that I use with my Retina Macbook, but honestly I use it so infrequently that I could live without it... Im building a Mini-ITX rig and don;t think I'll even bother putting one in...