While most notebooks come with a built-in optical drive, there are an increasing number of slim and light machines that keep weight down by excluding such a drive. This slim and light device from LG weighs in at 400g, so won't be too much strain should you need to carry it with you.
The design is neat and slim that can easily be stowed away. With only one button on top, to open the case, and an LED light to signal activity, the white and black design is minimal. Should discs jam for any reason, there is a pinhole to manually open the drive.
It draws its power from the notebook, so no need for a power cable and if you have an older USB 1.1 machine, it comes with a second cable. So, while it'll take up two USB ports at least you'll be able to use it.
As with most drives you'll find under run protection is standard and with 2MB of cache, we found that discs burnt with an above average success rate.
When it comes to read/write speeds, the drive is capable of handling all formats, with an average top-speed of 8X in DVD rewriter mode, It is also capable of handling CD-Rs at 24x write speeds.
In many instances, a drive is only a good as the software used, so the inclusion of Nero Express for DVD or CD recording is a good choice. There is also PowerProducer for DVD authoring and PowerDVD for DVD/Video playback.
Our quick take
The LG GSA-E50N slim DVD rewriter is a great all-round package that is easy to setup and use and is a great addition to the portable traveller’s mobile kit.
LG GSA-E50N slim DVD rewriter - 4.0 / 5
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To recap
The design is stylish and robust and it's easy to use, making this a great all-round portable DVD rewriter