Alternative MacBook Optical Drive?

[ryban]

Hey everyone ... I'm new here and to Macs - much more familiar with windows based machines ... but a friend's macbook optical rive has died. Its about $300 to get it fixed thru Mac & about $150 for a superdrive on ebay. Does anyone know if its possible to use any slot loading optical drive with the macbook? Of course the drive in the mac now would have to be taken out of its housing and the new drive put into that, I'd imagine ... you have to do the same on a Windows based lappy to conform to the connectors used on the specific laptop. I don't know much else about any compatibility issues we would have though.

Alternatively, does anyone have the model number of the regular Combo Drive, not the superdrive ... or a better than $150 price for the super drive? Trying to do this as cheaply as possible, $150 is a bit out of the budget for right now.

Thanks ...

- Bryan

 

[anotherarunan]

not too sure about slot loading drive replacements...but there are firewire/USB external drives that arent that expensive, not the most visually pleasing replacement, but an alternative nevertheless

 

[eman]

The 661-3905 is a combo drive that should fit in a macbook and your going to spend approximately $90 on this drive. I wouldn't want to carry around a separate drive, but it is an option.

 

[Sun Baked]

Well when you use a non-standard slim 9.5mm slot loading drive, things tend to be a little more.

You can likely buy a FW external for cheap as a stop gap until you can find an internal.

Likely somewhere around $50-75 for a cheap external DL drive in a FW capable case. I know CompUSA carries a DvD DL drive retailing in that ballpark, so the Christmas sales might get you a better bargain as will shopping around online.