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building a new desktop without optical drive - yay or nay?

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paradigmGT

Member
I still need to source an optical drive for my desktop build. Besides using them to boot from an OS disc to install a new OS, I never really use them. Can I simply mount the ISO of the OS to a USB thumb drive, and install from that? I do not see any other use for an optical drive.

I see newegg.ca has this for $17.99:
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16827135204
 
Unless you're building a Mini-ITX system, I really don't see a reason to skip the optical drive, especially given how cheap it is. OS, drivers, music CDs, sharing files with friends...there are plenty of reasons a DVD burner is worth the $18.

How long will it take you to download an ISO and copy it to a thumb drive? An hour maybe? Worth $18 to you?
 
Personally, I prefer to have at least one optical drive around, just in case it's ever needed to read from or burn to a CD or DVD. So I would either put in an internal CD/DVD burner in your build, or get an external USB CD/DVD burner and leave it in a drawer somewhere.
 
I have one, but dont even use it. It's just sitting in a 5.25 bay and its not even plugged up.

Even for .ISO, you can get a program like virtual clonedrive and still run isos.
 
I haven't had an optical drive in my main system, servers, or guest system in over a year now. Haven't regretted it. I can get a 16Gb USB 3.0 flash drive for the same price as that DVD drive and I'll get infinitely more use out of it.

It takes me like 35 minutes max to download a new Windows ISO if I don't already have it saved. However the fact that Windows now takes 8 minutes to install makes up for that. Especially if you ever have to reformat or do a second install.

Plus I can download all my drivers (and other applications if I so desire) before hand and put them on the USB drive as well. First install savings may be minimal but you'll be thanking yourself on any future installs.

Adding a DVD drive just takes up space, uses a SATA port, and makes me run a second set of SATA cables in the case.
 
My last build I used a thumb drive to install Windows and now that I have the ISO on the drive I do not have to do any more downloads. But I also have the DVD burner, but I can't remember using it in the last year. However, I now have a project I need to burn and send to relatives so it will still get some use. I do not expect to have to buy another one. Ever.
 
You could get an external USB-DVD Drive I Suppose. I dont see much use for a full-time DVD Drive. It is stupid to even require to use one to play a game. That is just a game manufacturer that does not trust you. These digital rights NAZI's should be put up against a wall and executed. I dont see why they cant just put the game on a flash drive. One scratch to a DVD drive and it is headed for the trash bin.
 
I use my optical drive(s) all the time. Older games that install from CD, ripping music from albums I've bought, doing an extra backup to DVD of stuff that's not hugely important but would be annoying to lose.

I didn't bother with an optical drive for my new server build though. Its predecessor had a DVD drive in and I think I only used that to install Windows. This time I used a USB DVD drive that I've had for years.

I have two optical drives in my current system. Partly because the Samsung one I had to begin with wouldn't read some of my recorded DVD discs, and partly because I swapped a drive within warranty for a customer with a new one I had in stock, then their drive got repaired and sent to me unexpectedly (I was expecting a refund). Now I've got a situation where the second drive (LiteON) won't read DVD discs at all, only CDs, and the Samsung won't read recordable DVDs and my standard film DVDs. It's getting quite frustrating. At some point I'll probably buy myself a Pioneer drive of a model that I've been using for recent customers' computer builds and replace the LiteON. Maybe I'll replace both if I can find a blanking plate for my case.
 
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Sleepingforest said:
Through digital downloads (primarily Steam, Amazon, GoG for me). I can already get 30-40GB sized games in an hour or two via download.
Click to expand...


I don't believe in steam. The very name congers up an image of a steaming pile of crap. I like owning the game on physical media that I can reinstall if the hard drive crashes. Besides, I don't think older games are available on steam. I have both FS2004 and FSX and don't think I can get those on steam. Plus COD4, Sim City 4 and BF2.
 
piasabird said:
You could get an external USB-DVD Drive I Suppose. I dont see much use for a full-time DVD Drive. It is stupid to even require to use one to play a game. That is just a game manufacturer that does not trust you. These digital rights NAZI's should be put up against a wall and executed. I dont see why they cant just put the game on a flash drive. One scratch to a DVD drive and it is headed for the trash bin.
Click to expand...


That's why I use Alcohol 120% and run a virtual DVD drive.

But with these new cases why do so many have like 5 5 1/4 inch drive bays?
 
John Conner said:
I don't believe in steam. The very name congers up an image of a steaming pile of crap. I like owning the game on physical media that I can reinstall if the hard drive crashes. Besides, I don't think older games are available on steam. I have both FS2004 and FSX and don't think I can get those on steam. Plus COD4, Sim City 4 and BF2.
Click to expand...

You can redownload games if your drive crashes; it's not a one-time-only download. As for older games: that's why there's GoG (and Steam does have BF2, Sim City 4, and COD4).

Believe what you like, but the convience and selection is much better than you make it out to be.
 
Sleepingforest said:
God I hate homophones.
Click to expand...

Whatever happened to equality!?!? :'(




Seriously though, DVD drives are optional at this point, I see them for 15-20 bucks all the time though and in the event you DO need one, I would rather already have it.

That being said my last 4-5 windows installs have all been via USB, and I use a virtual drive to mount most of my ISOs
 
I still use optical - mix CDs for the car, and playing old CD-based games. (Age of Empires III 4-EVA!!!)

My laptop doesn't have an optical and it hasn't been a liability. External USBs are cheeeeep. (My external USB DVDRW actually became my desktops internal DVDRW because I never used it with my laptop.)

You can use the Windows USB DVD Download tool to create a bootable USB stick for OS installs.
 
OP, your question - like many other similar questions - is bound to receive very different answers, depending on the needs and habits of the people who post their replies.

Personally, I wouldn't conceive of building a machine without an optical drive. Backwards compatibility aside, I like to be able to read as many types of media as possible. And yes, I dislike Steam, Netflix and all the other digital delivery systems. I do not trust the cloud.

Ask yourself this: Is the $20 spent on acquiring and installing a DVD burner in your new system likely to save you a lot of frustration at any point in the future? If the answer is "yes", you got all the impulse you need.
 
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