OWC Mercury Pro 24X Super-Multi 24X DVD/CD Burner/Reader External Optical Drive with M-DISC Support

I use this to rip my physical media collection to my computer. Works pretty well. Out of several hundred blu ray movies, I’ve only came across maybe two or three disks that it wouldn’t read.I have not tried writing to any disks, so I can’t comment on how well that works.But it was easy to set up, and by that I mean its plug and play. Turn it on, put in a disk, and it works.The enclosure it comes in is nice and sturdy, and it’s reasonably quiet when it runs

In the realm of computing, the term "Pro" is often overused—but not in this case. Here, we are truly in professional territory. On the OWC website, the manufacturer provides only the essential specifications of this enclosure, without delving into details. Yet, in practice, this case is a small marvel of its kind. We ordered it to build an external DVD player to pair with a Mac Pro, and the high-quality aluminum chassis efficiently dissipated the heat generated by the DVD drive, which I used to upload CDs for my reviews. After transferring ten CDs to the computer, the enclosure remained only moderately warm.The unit arrived well-packaged, complete with all necessary screws and an external power supply. Its design is so clean and well-thought-out that the longest part of the setup was simply screwing everything in place—mounting the DVD drive and connecting the cable took mere seconds.Once assembled and in operation, the enclosure exudes a sense of reliability—and it’s not just an impression. If, like us, you opt for a slightly noisy burner, this case helps tame the sound, turning it into a mere whisper.It’s hard to find a better option on the market today. This enclosure is worth every penny—no one will regret the investment.

OWC Mercury Pro - USB to SATA Optical Drive Housing. The first thing I noticed is that the housing is heavy duty aluminum and the face plate framing the drive in the front is 15mm thick, over all a well built case. Very easy to assemble, just slide the drive through the front and carefully plug in the two cables. Slide the drive in to line up the screw holes. Then thread four screws into each side of the drive. Make sure the front of the drive is lined up with the front of the case and then tighten the screws on each side. Make sure the cables to the drive are inside the case, then slide the unit into the aluminum housing. Put screws through the rubber feet and then screw them through the housing the drive assembly and that's it. Plug in the cables to the back and connect to the computer and power. Activate the power switch on the back of the unit and your ready to use the drive. The computer will recognize the drive. The unit has worked well for me so far and I have used and burned a number of disks so far. The only draw back that I have found is the USB cable is only two feet long, so you may need a 1 to 2 foot extension for the USB cable and that's one thing they need to change.

I recently came across some DVD's that have data I wanted to extract. Back when I loaded the files onto said DVD's, CD/DVD drives were commonplace on PC's. Well, my five-month-old PC doesn't have a disc drive. While I'd gladly pop the cover off the tower and install a drive myself, the PC is still under warranty, and as I've had issues with this particular brand of PC, I want the warranty valid should I need to use it.I bought one of the countless slim, single cable DVD drives here on Amazon and hated it. Since the drive's single cable managed both current draw and data signals, the drive would get starved for power and shut down for a split second, but it was long enough to interrupt all attempted data transfers. I'm relieved that none of my DVD's were damaged by this, but it did give me a good scare. I decided I needed a drive that had a separate PSU and hoped that this choice would free up the USB connection for dedicated signal transfer.I'm just a casual electronics tinkerer, so I'm not going to authoritively state that my thought process is correct. But it seems to be the case; as I state in the review title, this drive has been so smooth. I'll confess that I balked at this drive's price tag, but unless someone pours funds to make discs bleeding edge tech again, computers are not going to be sold with disc drives again, so I reasoned this purchase may pay off in the long run.I haven't had this drive for long, but I can say it's been great in the short term. The drive is shockingly quiet, given that I have it on a shelf that seems to amplify vibrations and harmonics. It doesn't matter if I pop in a CD to retrieve an old CAD file from my trade school days, or a DVD that's loaded to full memory. This drive quickly and easily reads any disc I've put into it, and it doesn't interfere with my PC's basic functions.For example, when I would leave the single cable drive connected to my PC, my PC would take painfully long, literally minutes to index recent files when I opened File Explorer. And I don't have many files on this PC! In stark contrast, I've had this disc drive pulling data off a DVD, with a music player running, two Internet tabs up, and am able to open File Explorer and instantly see my recent files.So, I have to say from my experience and examination, this drive is worth it's price. Not only have I been very pleased with its performance, but I find the hardware of good quality too. I haven't popped this drive open and don't intend to do so, but the main enclosure is cast and brushed aluminum, and the drive's face and disc tray are smoothed plastic. I'm very glad I have this drive now!

Very well made product. Perfect fit for the LG 4k capable ripper blue ray drive I put in it. Now the new rig can keep up with where the old rig left off...LOL Tested with a 4k "Fantastic Beast" disc. Worked fine for the rip. No hiccups, no hesitations noted.

High Quality although I wish there was a black version that matches most CD/DVD Combo drives. Easily fit mine and I was able to almost immediately get to viewing my media. No drivers needed.