ASUS 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.

I bought this for a laptop that doesn't have an optical drive built in. I tested in on a laptop that does have a built in optical drive. This drive was faster than the built in and much more quiet! The tray does open wide enough to allow a disc to be mounted to the center spindle. Instead of the reviews that said you have to angle the disc into the drive then push down on the spindle. The unit is VERY thin! But it's not cheap plastic at all. Yes you do have to use two USB 2.0 ports since there isn't enough amps/juice to operate the drive. Each USB 2.0 only puts out 1.0amps this drive needs 2amps to work. Plugging it into a USB 3.0 and higher I bet you could just use one cable. I'm very impressed with this drive, only time will tell how long it lasts.. But so far looks great!

I am submitting this review after several weeks of use. This drive is amazingly compact. As such, some protection and care should be exercised during storage and use, (I bought a hard-shell carrying Case) I own an ASUS Laptop and felt that it was best, based on reviews, to stick with a drive by the same manufacturer. This drive is perfect for your Laptop Bag or your backpack. I have had absolutely no issues with this disc drive. The performance is pretty much as expected in a small, lightweight, external drive. It is not lightning quick and I noted seek times a little slower than my desktop unit. By purchasing this drive, I was able to pair it with my new laptop that does not have a DVD drive. This allowed me to purchase a much thinner, lighter Laptop and also get features that would have been sacrificed by including the cost of the drive.(more memory) I am sure that this drive will work with other manufacturers products, not just ASUS. Just be aware that it needs TWO USB connections to work properly. I rated it 5 stars for the Value, Light weight, and ease of use. I rated it 4 stars overall because I feel it could be made just slightly more sturdy and they could have at least included a protective sleeve or case.

I bought a new laptop that did not have a dvd/cd drive and needed to add programs to it that I have on disk, this ASUS ZenDrive does just what I need it to do!. Plug in and start downloading, it didn't seem to take very long. I give it the 5 stars it deserves. The only thing I can complain about the unit itself is the length of the cords, too short, I am using it in an awkward position, I have my laptop on a board on my lap and have enough room on the side to put this drive. It just fits and works great but I would of preferred a longer cord so that I could set it off on my side table. Thanks ASUS for another great product, I have an ASUS tablet that I bought about 5 years ago and it is still going strong! The only thing that I was really not thrilled about was the way it was shipped. The unit was packaged well in the box that came from the factory but the box that it was shipped in was too big and only 1 piece of "bubble wrap" was thrown in. Thankfully there was no damage. Have had a lot of items from Amazon not packaged very well. I have already left feedback on the packaging, I did that first thing, hopefully they will get enough negative feedback on the way they pack items and get that fixed.

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.

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.

For those who are still burning CDs/DVDs, this is a MUST. If you're looking for an affordable disk drive that can both read and write a CD or DVD then this is exactly what you are looking for. I used this drive to burn audio CDs for my car and everything went smoothly. You'd obviously need to know how to burn disks beforehand but it's only a small learning process. Not only can it write in fast speeds but it's very lightweight and compact, so it is easily portable. Highly recommend!

this unit is almost archaic and DVDs have given way to usb

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.

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.

Très ergonomique simple d'utilisation et très efficace rien a redire si ce n'est j'en recommanderai un autre :D Je recommande les yeux fermés.