How do I choose the best external DVD drive for my iMac?

Here's the one I have:

Other World Computing – 24X OWC Mercury Pro USB 3.2 (5Gb/s) Super-Multi DVD/CD Burner/Reader External Optical Drive with M-DISC Support

This is a desktop drive with its own power supply – so it's not fussy if you plug it into a hub or dock, and it doesn't want to take up two USB ports (one for data + power, one for extra power), the way some portable drives do.

The power supply and the USB 3.0 B to USB-A cable are both detachable and replaceable, so if something (e.g., a cat) happens to one of those, that doesn't automatically mean that you have to throw the whole drive away. There are USB 3.0 B to USB-C cables on places like Amazon that would let you connect this CD/DVD drive directly to your iMac with no need for a separate USB-C to USB-A adapter.

I have one DVD drive I purchased from OWC (macsales.com). Started misbehaving after 5 years or so until I bought a new mechanism to go inside from a local vendor where I live. No problems since then.

I have a second, cheap (US$16?)drive I bought from the same vendor. The few times I have used it, it works.

I think drives only misbehave with Macs if you are expecting software to always behave properly. I have one app that used to work fine in my old computer with my drives. In my new computer with the latest macOS the DVD does not load automatically. I have to open it using the file menu item.

This is the really cheap one I have:

DVD Drive (Amazon)

I don't use it much, but it seems to work fine.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Servant of Cats wrote:

so if something (e.g., a cat) happens to one of those, that doesn't automatically mean that you have to throw the whole drive away.

A problem with which I am quite familiar.

Yep. Back when Apple had integrated optical drives, pretty much every one of those integrated SuperDrive drives got replaced under AppleCare.

And from developing DVD maintenance, diagnostic, and authoring software to use optical drives, the things are just flaky even in normal (and non-furry) operations, with devices sourced from well-known vendors.

As for the OP, I’m not sure it much matters. They’re all going to be flaky, sooner or later. I’m using a couple of Apple SuperDrives, some old drives from an outfit called Compaq, and my favorites (and with relatively sane and unusually consistent firmware) are from Plextor.

Media can be a big deal with some of these drives, too. Different drives work better or worse with different brands and types of media.

That's the first one I have. Replacing the actual drive is standard for optical disc drives. I have mine connected to the USB-3 type C port on my computer via an old USB-2 hub that has similar low traffic demand devices such as my keyboard and mouse attached to it. I don't think it would work any faster over USB-3 and it save my computer ports for things that could use a faster port.

Servant of Cats wrote:

so if something (e.g., a cat) happens to one of those, that doesn't automatically mean that you have to throw the whole drive away.

A problem with which I am quite familiar.

MrHoffman wrote:

As for the OP, I’m not sure it much matters. They’re all going to be flaky, sooner or later.

That's why I bought a cheap one.