Optical Drives - CD / DVD Writers IDE

With a rapid growth in disc based media, optical drives have never been more essential. Most drivers, software and games still come on disc which requires a reader or writer in order to install.

IDE drives connect directly to the motherboard via a ribbon-like IDE cable. IDE drives are compatible with older motherboards and are available in two types; reader (ROM) or burner (Writer).

A reader allows the user to watch movies or listen to music on the computer or read data files stored on a disc. DVD readers are also backwards compatible and allow for CDR media to be read.

A writer allows the user to "burn" data to a disc, essentially allowing them to create a disc with their own content on it. The optical media created can then be used in compatible devices such as a DVD player or CD player.

Light scribe writers are also available which can also inscribe an image into the gold surface of the disc using the laser.