The 3 Best External CD/DVD Drive for Surface Pro in 2023

Although Microsoft Surface Pro laptops run Windows 10 systems, many users encounter that Windows 10 compatible external CD/DVD drives cannot work with Microsoft Surface Pro series laptops, the most potential cause is the power shortage problem, which means that the Surface Pro cannot provide enough power for an external optical drive through a single data cable.

This problem may also occur with the USB ports on the front panel of the desktop computer because these USB ports are not on the motherboard of the PC and cannot provide sufficient power for a USB CD/DVD player. Although occasionally your computer can recognize the external optical drive, it still cannot play the disc. The phenomenon is that the indicator of the CD/DVD drive will flash for a few seconds and then disappear.

There are three solutions to make an external CD ROM drive works on Surface Pro:

• Use a low-power external optical drive.
• Choose an external CD/DVD drive with an additional power supply cable. If the USB port on the Surface Pro laptop cannot supply enough power through a data cable, you can plug the power supply cord into another USB port on a laptop, or use a power bank/USB power adapter to get extra power.
• Use a USB Y cable, that allows for power to be taken from 2 USB ports to power your external optical drive or hard drive.

We tested and analyzed all external DVD drives that are perfectly compatible with Windows 10 OS on the market, and listed the following best external CD DVD drives for Surface Pro (3/4/5/6/7/8/Go) series notebooks.

1. Dell USB CD DVD Drive-DW316

Specs & Features:

• Connector: USB 2.0
• Media Load Type: Tray
• Device Type: Reader, Writer, ReWriter
• Compatible with Windows 10/8.1/7/xp, Linux, and all versions of Mac OS
• Supported discs: DVD +/-R, DVD+/-RW, DVD+R(DL), DVD-R(SL), DVD-RAM, DVD-R(DL), CD-R, CD-RW
• Max Read Speed:  24x (CD)/ 8x (DVD) 
• Max Write Speed: 24x (CD)/ 8x (DVDR)/ 6x (DVDR DL) 
• Preloaded CyberLink Media Suite allows you easily play and burn DVD/CDs, or install disc-based computer programs.
• 1-year warranty

Disadvantage

• Not faster USB 3.0

2. ROOFULL External CD DVD +/-RW Drive USB 3.0 Type-C Portable CD/DVD ROM Optical Drive Player Reader Writer Burner with Protective Carrying Case for Mac MacBook Pro/Air, iMac, Windows 10 Laptop Desktop

Specs & Features:

• Connector: USB 3.0 and USB-C
• Come with a USB to micro-USB power supply cable
• Media Load Type: Tray
• Device Type: Reader, Writer, ReWriter
• Compatible with Windows 10/8.1/7/xp, Linux, and all versions of Mac OS
• Supported discs: DVD +/-R, DVD+/-RW, DVD+R(DL), DVD-R(SL), DVD-RAM, DVD-R(DL), CD-R, CD-RW
• Max Read Speed:  24x (CD)/ 8x (DVD) 
• Max Write Speed: 24x (CD)/ 8x (DVDR)/ 6x (DVDR DL) 
• Come with a protective storage carrying case (If you do not need a carrying case, you can check this)
• 18-month warranty

Disadvantage

• No software included

3. LG Electronics 8X USB 2.0 Super Multi Ultra Slim Portable DVD Writer Drive +/-RW External Drive with M-DISC Support (Black) GP65NB60

Specs & Features:

• Connector: USB 2.0 
• Media Load Type: Tray
• Device Type: Reader, Writer, ReWriter
• Compatible with Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP/Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Linux, and Mac OS (10.7.5 and above)
• Supported discs: DVD +/-R, DVD+/-RW, DVD+R(DL), DVD-R(SL), DVD-RAM, DVD-R(DL), CD-R, CD-RW
• Max Read Speed: 24x (CD)/ 8x (DVD) 
• Mac Write Speed:  24x (CD)/ 8x (DVDR) 
• Come with Cyberlink Software
• Support M-Disc
• Ultra-slim design
• 1-year warranty

Disadvantage

• Not faster USB 3.0

Conclusion

Although many external CD/DVD drives claim that their devices can work with Surface Pro laptops, most of them are not specifically optimized for Surface Pro. If the product we recommend cannot meet your needs and you have already found a product you like ​but are not sure whether it is compatible with your Surface Pro, you can try a premium powered USB HUB or a USB Y-cable as we mentioned above. In addition, it is best to complete the test before the Amazon return window closes.

FAQs:

Q: Can I use these external CD/DVD ROM drive on another computer?
A: Yes! These CD/DVD players can work with most Windows and Mac computers. 

Q: Can I use these external optical drives to play Blu-ray discs on my Surface Pro?
A:  No! These are only external CD/DVD drives for Surface Pro, we will recommend the best external Blu-ray player for Surface later.

Q: Can you recommend some popular media player software to play CDs and DVDs on my Surface Pro?
A: You can try free media player software such as VLC player, 5KPlayer, Any player, PowerDVD for Windows, just search and download them on Google (Do not download them from APP store).

Q: What if my Surface Pro still does not recognize these external optical drives?
A: After excluding the low battery factor, Surface Pro still cannot recognize the external optical drive, it should be a driver installation error, please just reinstall the driver to fix it.

Read More:

• Check the best external CD/DVD RW drive for most brands of Windows 10 laptops
• If your computer has been upgraded to Windows 11, take a look at which external DVD drives are compatible with Windows 11 OS