External DVD drives for Macs provide the ability to watch or listen to DVDs or CDs on your computer without having to open the computer case and install an internal drive. Macs with Thunderbolt ports can use Thunderbolt-based external DVD drives, while those without Thunderbolt ports can use USB-based external DVD drives.

External DVD drives are available in a variety of form factors, including desktop models and portable models. Desktop models are larger and tend to be more expensive than portable models, but they offer faster performance. Portable models are smaller and lighter, but they typically have slower performance than …