If you own one of those netbooks that are popular now-a-days (such as the Acer Aspire One), you'll need some kind of optical drive. I was able to install Windows XP and Ubuntu using a desktop SATA DVD Recorder, but I had to use one of those USB to SATA adapters. After getting both OSes installed, I was able to do without an optical drive. However, I'd feel better if I had one that I can readily use without putting together the same contraption, so I went out to search for a slim DVD recorder that gets power from the USB port instead of a seperate AC Adapter.

I was shocked to find that most slim external DVD recorders are expensive! They are twice as much as most standard-size external DVD recorders (they require a seperate AC Adapter), and almost three times the cost of an standard-size internal drive! It was hard to find one for less than $100. So just by chance, I found the LG GSA-E50L which they bill as a 8x USB Power.AC Adapter-less Slim Portable External Super Multi DVD Rewriter (whew thats a mouth-full!) at Fry's Electronics for $79.99. The sticker on the box still say $99.99, and at Newegg is still asking for that price!

LG 8x Slim Portable External Super Multi DVD Rewriter
Upon opening the box, I was shocked to see how sexy this drive look. It's a strange word to describe an external DVD recorder, but what else can I say? The plastic is glossy and smooth, the entire top of the drive is shiney (comes out of the box with a semi-sticky protective plastic sheet), and the entire unit is rounded off. It also feels pretty hefty. The black glossy body is accented by the glossy white sides (including the rear and door).

In the rear, you'll find a mini USB 2.0 port along side a small DC power port. While the LG drive can run off the USB port alone, the instruction pamphlet informed that some host USB ports may not be able to provide enough power to run the drive. For those occasions, LG included a second cable that goes from the DC power port to an additional USB port on your PC or laptop. This way, the drive will draw power from two USB ports, eliminating the need for a seperate AC Adapter.

LG is confident that their drive won't need any more power than that. In fact, they are so confident that they didn't even include an AC Adapter in the box! They do inform us that an AC Adapter is available as an optional accessory.

Inside the box, you will also find a CD with software. LG bundled in PowerDVD 7, PowerProducer 3, Nero Express 7 (with LightScribe Support), InCD 5, Acrobat Reader 8, and an electronic copy of the manual.

Overall, I was impressed at the design of the drive.

Installation
Installing the DVD recorder is easy. The included USB cable was all I needed to get the drive up and running. Windows XP detected the drive and assigned it a drive letter. I didn't even need to use the USB to DC power cable. I already have a CD burning program installed (CDBurnerXP Pro), so I decided not to install any of the bundled software. It was able to see the drive as a DVD recorder and was ready to throw down some data.

In Use
Reading and writing both CDs and DVDs did not pose a problem for the LG GSA-E50L. I was surprised that the discs were able to spin at full speed from just the power off a single USB port! The familar fast whirring noise from your typical high-speed drive could still be heard from the LG, but it isn't as noisy as some of the laptop optical drives I heard.

It took nearly 14 mintues to create an ISO file from a Windows XP Pro SP2 CD. It took about the same amount of time to write as well, which isn't surprising since both read and write rates are the same (24x at around 1.6 MB/sec).

A full single-layer DVD was also written and read (4.25 GB disc). At a maximum of 8x either way, I was able to read and write a full single layer DVD with only 25 minutes on the clock. While it seems a bit high, you must keep in mind that it is sucking juice just from a single USB port. I can't imagine a 16x DVD reader/writer operating in this condition.

In all tests, reading and writing to CD-Rs were noiser than with DVDs. However, as said before, it is much quieter than other laptop drives I've experienced. It's a much more subdue hum.

As expected, I was able to use the drive to boot CDs and DVDs to load OSes and use diagnostic discs on not only the Acer Aspire One, but also a few other client PCs without the need of the USB to DC power cord. In all instances, the LG drive was recognized upon boot up and booted from the inserted disc on just the single USB cable.

The Upshot
I wish LG would have included a USB cable that have two heads like some portable external hard drives include so I would have one less cable to worry about. It isn't easy to replace a USB to a round DC connector cable if you happen to lose it.

Then again, like me, you may not even need it. If you own an Acer Aspire One, rest assured that this LG drive works on just a single USB port. And yes, the BIOS of the One also recognizes the drive and can boot from it.

The LG GSA-E50L Slim 8x External DVD Rewriter is the perfect companion for netbook owners.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 80
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh