Mroace Portable External CD/DVD Drive

The latest laptops (almost universally) no longer include a DVD/CD driver. To slim down the latest PCs, that device has been eliminated. Most software is available as a download, and I suspect that laptop/PC makers don’t see potential buyers needing music- and video-burning capabilities. The good thing is that the cost of external DVD/CD drivers has dropped. And in the case of this unit by Mroace, the features included are impressive. I just don’t know if I will get use of all of them.

This unit is charged by a usb micro cable (you supply the charger). I’m not sure why that connection isn’t the latest (USB C), but I have plenty of USB chargers that work with the provided cable. The driver includes a wired-in USB A/C cable that can be stored in a channel on the bottom of the unit when not in use. Five ports are positioned for easy access on the top of the unit - a Type-C, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and one for an SD card. The box also included an SD reader (insert your micro SD and you can upload or download from the unit).

The connection allows for CD and DVD read/write functions and no driver is required to use with most laptops. (I had no problem with my “newish” laptop: I connected to my USB-C port and my laptop immediately “recognized” a new device.

The unit is 8X DVD read and write and read/writes CD at 24X.

Since this is a portable, and very lightweight unit, and I expect to work with more than one laptop/PC, it would have been even better if a travel pouch was included (to protect it during travel), but I just use the original box.

We required a CD/DVD drive because our old laptop is no longer working anymore, and our two newer laptops don't have disk drives. This CD/DVD drive seemed like a great choice and it didn't disappoint. It is very easy to use, and what is better is that even though it takes a USB port from your laptop, it more than makes up for it with all its features (5 in 1).

Now we have access to our CD data again, and we can connect our USB Flash memory and hard drives. This is a straightforward and convenient product that I highly recommend.

Worked great as soon as I plugged it in. Copy speed off of a DVD is between 2 and 2.4MB/s. It has a plug for extra power, but doesn't seem to need that in order to operate properly with the laptop I'm using. I have several old CDs and DVDs that I haven't been able to access for years because none of my computers have a drive, so it's nice to finally get the data off of them with this handy little drive.
Other pros: built in USB cable that stows inside of the unit is nice, but I would have been fine with just a normal plug. Extra USB 3.0, 2.0, and USB-C port is a nice touch when most laptops come with so few ports. I didn't test the SD card reader since my laptop has one already.

As almost no laptops come with optical drives anymore and fewer and fewer desktops do, I find myself needing more external drives for accessing legacy media I still have need of. Overall, this one does what it is supposed to. I tested it out on both my laptop and my primary desktop and it had no problems on either. I was able to read a couple of older CD's I had on hand and I was also able to access a DVD-RW disc, format it UDF, copy files to it, and then read them back. I also tested out the SD card slot using the included micro adapter and that worked just fine as well with RPi Imager to program a micro SD card. The built in USB2 hub port on it also worked fine when I plugged in a flash drive, as did the USB2 port (I didn't test the USB-C). This was all done with the drive plugged in using only the built-in primary cable and without need of the secondary micro-USB cable to steal any extra power from another USB port. So, basically, it worked as advertised.

What I really like about this drive is that by having the extra USB ports on top of it, I still have USB ports available when this is plugged into my laptop (which only has 2 ports). The inclusion of the SD card reader is also nice, but only of value when on my desktop, which is a somewhat rare machine that doesn't already include a built-in reader. My only real complaint about this drive is the super short length of the built-in cord, though for use beside a laptop it will probably suffice, but for most desktops it is so short that the drive would end up hanging in mid-air when connected. The fact that it stows completely inside the drive is nice for laptop use though. One other trivial complaint I have about the drive is that I wish it didn't have all the blue LED's on top that stay on. They are totally superfluous and also waste current that could be better used going toward the limited USB power budget for the secondary USB ports.

Overall though, it has a lot of nice features and it seems to work well.

I could not get it to work with my laptop.

Good product. Works as advertised.

Works as expected. Delivered respectfully to my door.

It does what its suppose to do like it

I hate that new laptops and desktops are not including CD/DVD drives! So when I recently purchased a new micro-pc, I wanted to have a CD/DVD drive with it. I miss being able to watch DVDs on my computer. Or burning CDs for the car. That is why I bought this - and it fully lives up to my expectations! It's plug-n-play, which is good, because they don't provide a word of documentation. I've enjoyed mine for several months now, and haven't had a problem with it.

Use this to transfer my cd music to a flash drive.

Worked great to transfer my CD's to my PC easily.

Great product and easy to use.

Great for moving music to a flash drive.

Feels a little flimsy but, despite that, seems to hold up and perform very well. Plug and play with no issues. Smooth playing and region free.