Panasonic UJ-265 Slim 6X Blu-ray Writer SATA Slot Load

Just about the only option I could find for a slot load Blu-ray burner. Works great and has had no problems reading any media I have put in it. I have this mounted in a Fractal Designs Node 804 case and it fit and operates perfectly.

I have built over 50 PCs in the last few years. I've used almost every make and model of every type of part you can think of. This is not only the worst optical drive I've ever used, it's the worst PC component period. For the price, you'd think it would turn Blu-rays to gold, but it barely reads them. Can't handle DVD-R discs, but the worst of it is the noise. I bought this for an HTPC, but couldn't even get the OS installed before taking it out and returning it. I design jet engines for a living and have yet to hear an engine roar as loud as this drive. If you must have this product, be sure to wear ear protection when in use.

I bought this to replace the SuperDrive in my 27" Mid-2011 iMac. The drives Apple built into iMacs before 2012 seem to be notorious for failing after not a whole lot of usage, supposedly because they weren't willing to spend the necessary money to include a drive that was actually designed to function while aligned vertically. Anyway, I had used an Asus USB optical drive for a long time, which cost less than $30 and has worked very well (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HUMYCO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1); but then there came a time when I decided to re-do my Boot Camp setup (which creates a partition on your hard drive where you can install Windows and then choose at startup which OS to boot to). Unfortunately, I discovered after reformatting my hard drive that, for some baffling and extremely frustrating reason, Apple doesn't allow these SuperDrive-equipped iMacs to install Windows via USB, neither through an external DVD drive, or an external hard drive, or a flash drive. So replacing the Superdrive was my only option for getting Windows reinstalled.The first drive I got seemed to be defective -- the computer recognized the drive, but it would eject all discs within a couple seconds of insertion. So I returned it. I've since read that this may have been fixable by launching Roxio's Toast software first (not included with the drive), although that doesn't make much sense to me, and that software costs $100, and I obviously needed the drive to work outside of Mac OS if I was gonna get Windows installed, anyway. But I ordered a second one, and thankfully it works without any software required.It does still have some peculiarities, though. It's very reluctant to accept discs -- I have to push them about a centimeter deep into the slot before it recognizes them. And when you eject discs, they come out so fast that they'll just fly right out of the drive and fall if your hand isn't there to stop them. Its screw holes also don't align perfectly with those of the cradle in which it's installed in my iMac, so it takes a little extra effort to get it in there. None of those are dealbreakers, but they certainly are cons.Anyway, the drive works, and I got my Windows back. However, all things considered, I must advise against bothering to replace your SuperDrive, with this drive or any other, unless you have some task for which an external drive just won't work. Between the first one I bought not working* (apparently not an entirely uncommon occurrence with this drive), and the smaller inconveniences I've listed, there are too many potential stumbling points; not to mention the probability that this drive will fail fairly early in its life, just like the drive that originally came with the iMac, since I don't think this one is designed for vertical alignment either. Still, I give it three stars because it does work, and it isn't marketed specifically as an iMac component, and it probably wouldn't have most/any of these issues if it were installed in a traditional PC tower.* For what it's worth, the first drive was made in 2012, and the second one was made in 2014. I'm not sure that's relevant at all, but there it is.

I bought this particular drive specifically to put in the slot-loading bay of an Alienware M17x R4: so for me this choice was because I needed to take off the faceplate. I mention that because this drive make it easy to do: on one side is a small plastic tab that pops out, and the rest of the grab points for the faceplate can then be popped right off if you need to.The Panasonic UJ-265 Slim 6X Blu-Ray Writer SATA drive isn't going to be the fastest writer on the planet, but if like me you just want to be able to play Blu-Ray discs, occasionally burn some data, or rip video to digital, you'll do just fine. It comes in a plain box, no extra software, just designed to plunk in and go. I did this on a Windows 8.1 system. Plug & Play easily installed the device drivers for me in moments and I was ready to go. Since I was replacing an existing drive, my software all quickly figured out that the new drive was also my new default--so apps like AnyDVD, ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre, and CyberLink PowerDVD all worked with no additional effort.If you're looking to bump up a laptop and you don't need bundled software, this should work just fine for you. If your laptop has the slot-loading opening built into its body and you need a drive without a faceplate, the fact that this one can be removed is a useful extra feature.

I purchased this to replace the DVD player in my ALIENWARE 17" laptop. It came with everything I wanted with the one exception, a blue-ray player. Installation was simple, First I had to remove the bezel which was easy, since the drive on my laptop is completely internal. So far it is working flawlessly. I have recorded a back up disc and have played a couple of blue-ray movies to test it out and it worked very well. For those that are not extremely technical you must give your computer a minute to update drivers before you will see the drive show up in your computer folder which is normal.Very simply put, great price, great drive.

I've read a few other reviews that suggest this drive is noisy. It indeed is, and this is why. When you insert a CD, DVD, or BRD, the drive spins up to max speed and stays there no matter how slowly the data is actually read. While playing media this drive just whizzes away at full speed instead of slowing down to a quiet speed that better matches the 1x speed data is actually being consumed at. Furthermore the drive makes rather loud clicking, buzzing, and beeping noises during seeks. All in all, it might be OK in a laptop (and indeed the drive seems to perform fine except for noise), but in an HTPC or other application where quietness is priority, this is not the drive you want. Unfortunately there are not many alternatives for a BRD burner at this time. The options open up a bit if a BRD ROM/DVD Burner combo drive is acceptable and considerably if BRD is not a requirement at all.