Do you still need to buy a CD/DVD drive?
If you are a new computer user, optical discs may not be something you are aware of. But surely many old users remember how CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs revolutionized the world of digital media to the point that they became an important part of people’s activity when dealing with computers to save backups, install drivers and software and drivers, watch movies and store photos, music and videos...etc.
For a number of years, the optical drive has been a standard in any computer, whether desktop or laptop. But as you know, the technology train is fast, where what is new today can become old tomorrow. No one would have thought that the flash drive or USB flash memory would be able to replace CDs or DVDs due to their small capacity and high cost - at that time - and with the advent of external and portable hard drives that provide very large storage capacities, many people have come to view DVDs/CDs as something unimportant.
However, when it comes to assembling a new computer or buying a laptop, many people ask whether they should consider the CD-ROM drive or whether they can ignore it. Well, there is no direct answer, but we can at least put forward the factors that support this decision, so let's get started.
Reasons to buy an optical drive
1- Play traditional media discs
If you have any CDs or DVDs that contain digital media such as photos, movies or music, you may want to think twice before deciding to skip buying an optical drive for your next computer or laptop build . Also, if you're a fan of optical drives, they're cheaper than internet service, although they're rare now.
For example, buying audio albums from CD stores can be a useful and cost-effective alternative when compared to a music streaming service like Spotify. If you're looking for a way to get a new album cheaply, you'll find it in buying DVDs or CDs, knowing that the content stored on these discs is always of higher quality and original than what's available on the Internet.
The same goes for movies and photos too. So that's why an optical drive is valuable to some people.
2- Ability to create optical discs
Most of us don’t care about creating optical discs or storing content on CDs these days, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a thing of the past and you won’t need them one day in the future. Optical discs still provide a form of cheap, disposable storage that no other option on the market currently offers.
You will notice that some books come with a CD that explains the content, or when you buy a computer component such as a mouse, keyboard, speaker...etc., it comes with a CD for the drivers only. Moreover, backing up your data on CDs will remain one of the best options for years to come.
3- The easiest way to install new device drivers
While optical discs are disposable, if you're building a new computer for the first time, having an optical disc drive will allow you to install drivers for all the components from the motherboard to the mouse and keyboard. Although drivers are now available online,
However, it is possible to encounter a problem if the network card itself needs to be defined. Therefore, the easy and simple way to solve this problem is to have an optical disc reader.
4- The best way to install operating systems, such as Windows.
Yes, Windows versions, even Windows 10, are still sold on CDs. In fact, it's the most common way to get the operating system legally. Without a CD, you'll have to download the ISO file from the Internet, and you'll need a USB flash drive large enough to store the contents of that file on.
Then set the BIOS settings to boot from the flash drive . This not only takes your time, but also some money; you have to buy a flash drive larger than 4 GB just to store the iso. And after you finish installing Windows, you may throw it away to collect dust until you come back to it in the future when you need to reinstall again. All of this can be summarized in optical discs at a cheap cost, wouldn't that be better?!
Reasons to not buy an optical drive
1- Optical discs are obsolete.
Unfortunately, optical discs are becoming a really old technology, with disc sales declining dramatically and not maintaining their market share, even for albums and DVDs. It has reached a point where modern operating systems no longer accept installing programs and games stored on them,
Some people also have a hard time finding stores that sell video game discs, even on Amazon and online stores. So there is no reason to use an optical disc drive unless you intend to use it later.
2- It is an aesthetic error in the shape of the computer.
Computer case designs tend towards aesthetics with colorful lighting and attractive and distinctive shapes that give a good impression while using the computer. Also, laptop designs that manufacturers try to make thinner and less thick than old laptops.
However, the optical drive often hinders this trend, as it requires a dedicated slot for this drive on the front of the case, which is not compatible with modern designs. This is why laptop manufacturers have removed this drive that was built into their older devices to make the design better and cleaner.
Note that in some other laptops, we find the CD reader replaced with a Hard Drive Caddy Adapter, as shown in the picture above, which allows the user to add a second hard drive if you want to get additional space; just like the SD Card in smartphones. So, you should not buy an optical disc reader if you care about the aesthetic appearance of the computer case.
3- There are external optical discs.
Also keep in mind that the optical drive doesn't necessarily have to be built-in, as there are also versions that allow you to use the drive separately via a USB port.
Moreover, it offers you faster read and write speeds than the built-in one, so it will be a practical addition for music or movie lovers. So, if you don't need an optical drive at the moment, you can still buy an external one and use it at any other time in the future when you need to play a CD or DVD.