Does anyone have a recommendation for an external CD drive to use with the 13" Framework AMD? I never anticipated needing a CD drive but the need has presented itself.
TYIA!
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CD … drive ? What is this thing ?
Lol … just kidding !
Don’t bite … don’t 
Well I don’t thing there is much a difference between one or another drive. Unless you wanna RIP your music CDs … Be careful though, some ‘old’ drives still use external power source. So, check it out before buying !
Haven’t used it with Framework, but I bought a Pioneer BDR-XD08UMB-S. I like that it:
- Supports 4K UHD discs, including writing them (this is the main reason it’s so expensive, can’t get anything new supporting 4K UHD without paying a lot)
- Very compact so easy to store when I’m not using it.
- Drive connector is regular USB-C port on the drive, meaning two things:
- You can choose whether to use a USB-C to USB-C cable or a USB-C to USB-A cable
- You only need a single USB-A port; a lot of drives with USB-A use two of your computer’s USB-A ports because it’s only USB 2 which doesn’t have enough power with a single port.
- Supports LibreDrive meaning you can use it with MakeMKV to back up your 4K UHD movies if you so desire
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I use a Asus branded external CD/DVD drive and it has a mini USB connector. It comes with a mini USB to double USB 2.0 cable but works perfectly fine if you only plug in the data USB cable into your computer, thereby using only one USB port on the computer. I imagine that it requires two USB 2.0 ports as the max current draw is 500 mA (at 5V) per USB 2.0 port and it requires more than that. Nevertheless, modern USB hosts have no problem supplying more power due to USB 3 having a higher max current draw (900 mA) and also due to USB Battery Charging (USB-BC) which is rated at 1.5 A and also allowing High Speed communication. USB-BC is part of the USB 2.0 specification.
I have been very happy with this Verbatim Blu-ray external drive, but any drive from a well known company should work
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