Best Internal CD & DVD Drives of 2025
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Internal CD and DVD drives are essential computer components that allow users to read and write data on CDs and DVDs. These drives are typically installed inside a computer's case and are connected to the motherboard via a SATA or IDE cable. They come in various speeds and formats, including CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, and DVD-RW. Internal CD and DVD drives are useful for installing software, backing up data, playing movies, and burning discs. They are a reliable and cost-effective solution for users who require frequent access to optical media.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
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Top 10 Internal CD & DVD Drives
JUSTOP 24X SATA Internal DVD-RW Writer
The JUSTOP DVD-RW Writer offers an impressive 24X ultra-high writing speed, allowing you to burn discs quickly and efficiently. It supports various formats, including DVD-R, DVD+R, and CD-R, ensuring compatibility with many popular discs. With speed adjustment technology, this device tailors the writing speed to match your media, enhancing performance. Additionally, its standard SATA interface makes it compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux systems, providing versatility for different users.
HP USB External DVD Drive with Dual-Layer Recording
The HP USB DVD Drive offers a compact and sleek design, making it an ideal portable storage solution. With its Windows compatibility and USB connectivity, you can easily access and store your data on the go. Enjoy the convenience of writing to or playing from CDs and DVDs, allowing you to manage your media effortlessly. Additionally, its dual-layer recording and erasing speeds of 8X DVD and 24X CD ensure that you can quickly and efficiently create backups or enjoy your favourite films.
Hitachi-LG GH24 Internal DVD Drive with M-Disc Support
The Hitachi-LG GH24 DVD Drive offers exceptional data protection with its M Disc support, using a unique stone-like recording surface instead of organic dye. This feature ensures that your data remains safe and secure over time. Additionally, the Silent Play technology reduces noise during playback, allowing you to enjoy your media without interruptions. With a 24x write speed for DVD R, you can quickly burn your files, making it efficient for everyday use. The drive is also compatible with Windows 10, ensuring seamless integration with your laptop or desktop.
ASUS ZenDrive U9M Slim External DVD Burner
The ASUS ZenDrive U9M is a versatile external DVD burner that includes both USB Type-C and Type-A cables for easy connectivity. With M-DISC support, you can safeguard your photos, videos, and data for over 1,000 years, ensuring your memories are preserved. This device is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS, making it suitable for a wide range of users. Additionally, Nero BackItUp simplifies the backup process for your important files, allowing you to protect your digital assets effortlessly.
LiteOn IHAS124-14 Internal DVD-RW Drive
The LiteOn IHAS124-14 Drive is a versatile internal DVD-RW that offers a SATA interface, allowing for easy installation in your system. With support for double layer DVD recording, you can store more data on each disc, making it perfect for larger files. Its fast access time and high data transfer rate ensure you won’t be left waiting long when burning or retrieving your data. Plus, the ability to mount it vertically adds to your convenience, fitting seamlessly into your setup.
Hitachi-LG GUD1N Slim DVD Drive
The Hitachi-LG GUD1N Drive is a versatile and reliable internal DVD player and writer. It supports M-DISC, which ensures your important files, photos, and videos are preserved for longer than standard DVDs. With Silent Play Technology, you can enjoy multimedia without disruptive noise, as it optimises playback speed. Additionally, it boasts Super Multi Compatibility, allowing you to read and write various disc formats at an impressive speed of 8x. This drive is also compatible with Windows 10, making it a practical choice for your laptop or desktop.
LG Electronics 14x SATA Blu-ray Rewriter
The LG Blu-ray Rewriter is a versatile internal drive designed for your media needs. With its Super-Multi capability, you can easily read and write Blu-ray discs at impressive speeds of 14X for BD-R SL and 12X for BD-R DL. It also supports DVD and CD formats, allowing you to burn DVDs at 16X and CDs at 24X. The 4MB buffer memory ensures smooth operation, helping you to avoid interruptions during large data transfers. This drive is compatible with popular operating systems, making it a practical choice for users.
Lite-ON Black Premium 2 16X Internal Drive
The Lite-ON DH-16AFSH-PREMM2 is an internal CD/DVD drive that offers impressive performance. With a maximum DVD write speed of 16X, you can quickly create backups or store large files. It also supports dual-layer DVDs, allowing you to store even more data on a single disc. For CDs, it boasts a maximum write speed of 48X, which means faster music or data burning. The drive is compatible with various operating systems, ensuring that you can use it with your current setup without hassle.
TechMagnet Internal DVDRW SATA Drive
The TechMagnet DVDRW Drive is an internal optical drive designed for desktop PCs. It offers a read speed of 24x for DVDs and 56x for CDs, allowing you to enjoy high-quality playback of your favourite videos or install software with ease. This drive is compatible with a variety of systems, including Dell, Lenovo, and HP, and supports multiple Windows versions. Its tray load mechanism is versatile, enabling both horizontal and vertical mounting, which adds convenience to your setup.
Pioneer DVR-S21WBK/PLUS 24X SATA DVD Burner
The Pioneer DVR-S21WBK/PLUS Burner offers exceptional DVD recording capabilities at 24X speed, allowing you to efficiently create high-quality discs. With Serial ATA (SATA) connectivity, you can enjoy faster transfer rates and improved airflow in your PC. The Secure Media Speed Stability feature ensures that your duplication speed remains within safe limits, enhancing the reliability of your recordings. Additionally, Stable Recording Control helps the drive communicate effectively with various media formats, ensuring optimal performance and consistent results for all your burning tasks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is an internal CD drive?
An Optical Drive refers to a computer system that allows users to use DVDs, CDs and Blu-ray optical drives. The Drive contains some lenses that project electromagnetic waves that are responsible for reading and writing data on optical discs.
2. Are CD and DVD drives the same?
DVD drives are not only able to play and write to DVD media, but also CDs. The main difference between CDs and DVDs is the size of available storage. With a CD, you'll get around 700MB at the most. A DVD, on the other hand, will be able to hold just shy of 5GB (4.7GB) worth of data.
3. Do any computers still have CD drives?
Nearly all modern PCs lack disk drives. This is especially true for laptops, which have to make the best use of their space to deliver a truly portable computing experience.
4. Do new computers come with CD drives?
Whether you wanted to play a new game, install software, or back up and reinstall the operating system, doing so was possible by inserting a small disc into an optical drive. Their storage capacity was often greater than what hard drives could support. However, most new PCs don't come with an integrated drive anymore.
During our internal cd & dvd drive research, we found 156 internal cd & dvd drive products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 106,938 customer reviews through our big data system to write the internal cd & dvd drives list. We found that most customers choose internal cd & dvd drives with an average price of £27.57.
The internal cd & dvd drives are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of internal cd & dvd drives, including JUSTOP, HP, Hitachi, ASUS, Best Price Square. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 412 consumers with an average rating of 4.8.
Tom Law is an adventurer who has captured his love for nature into all of his works. A native of Newcastle, Tom has always wanted to share beautiful stories alongside the lovely sights of nature. Fortunately, he took into photography on one of his many journeys and gradually grew a passion for it. Tom Law is now an expert photographer who tours the world while creating and keeping memories of his adventures. He frequently puts his thoughts and experiences into writing.