this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2026
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Those things are clearly meant for laptops. It's always awkward to hook them up to tower PCs. Either you're bending the short cable to stick them in the top chassis ports and the cable tension pushes it halfway off the case, or your are letting the drive dangle from the back panel ports.
I kinda miss the beefy boys that came with detachable USB cables and their own power supplies.
I just looked up an external 5.25" enclosure for sata disc drives. Nearly $50 and doesn't even include a drive. That's crazy.
I've got this idea of putting a slim bluray burner in my machine. I got the bay adapter that houses that and 2 2.5" drives but haven't finished the thought by actually getting the burner. 🤷 It's probably pointless though.
The portable BR RW I found last year has a USB-C connection on the drive so you can use whatever cable you want.
Though they do make USB extension cables so you don't have to bend it weird.
I do still miss the chonky boys though, but the nice thing with USB-C is that it doesn't needs a separate power cable and plug.
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Lemmings on 3.5" disk, will not ever throw away, too many memories
whoa whoa whoa unreal tournament is retro gaming ?
next you'll be telling me nirvana is classic rock.
My guy, I’m right there with you. I have a boxed copy of Unreal Tournament 2004 on my shelf, that I bought back in uni… more than half a lifetime ago!
Boxed UT1999 Game of the Year edition :p
heh same, although I was in college
Don’t give a listen to Dexter and the Moonrocks, my guy, they have a song about how the ancient music of the 90s and nirvana in particular crafted who the singer came to be. It made me feel arthritic and shake my fist at the clouds.
I heard Red hot chili peppers on a classic rock station... Several years ago.
I still have all my discs from 20 years ago.
I also still have all my disks from 30 years ago.
I also still have all my disks from 40 years ago.
and I still have the drives to read them.
Somewhere deep down I'm a dragon. I need to hoard!
because I own them
Sony: rrrrrrRRRREEEEEEE
my PC does have a optical drive, and it will always have an optical drive.
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Even if your PC doesn't have a disc drive by default, you can still enjoy the games by getting a USB disc drive. I literally got one originally for my laptop and have been using it with my current desktop. It's been a good purchase when audacious is allowed to read the disc.
Actually, the few that still get produced are vastly inferior to the 2000s ones via a SATA plug. We are losing the facilities and knowledge, tolerances are far worse now.
Btw, i've discovered redumper (from the Redump disc-preservation initiative) if makemkv doesn't suffice anymore. The old SATA ones chugged along like nothing, while the new-ish ones errored here and there, requiring long correcting runs. All in all, better get some old notebooks than a new USB drive, if you want to go get ripping.
I was basically forced to buy one many many years ago when cases with no optical drive bays first came on the market. The motherboard I got with that build had the drivers on a CD, and that included network drivers. I had no secondary PC to download them with. I suppose I could have used my phone, but back then the internet wasn't built for phones very well, and I remember it being a pain in the ass. Since then I have used it quite a few times. It's always been a great thing to have just in case I need it.
I miss the large boxes that video games came in the early 2000s and earlier. The physical media, like manuals, maps, and tech trees were incredible. You couldn't just alt+tab or check the internet, you had to pin a map to your computer room wall, and keep real notes. Its easier now, but it takes some magic out of the experience.
My teenage bedroom wall was covered in game maps... and Christina Aguilera.
Uhh, I still have a functioning dvd drive.
One day I will get a disc drive, then we'll see whos laughing.
I have 1 Pioneer and 1 LG DVD drives tucked, just in case.
Bart Simpson was 10 in 1989. He would be the POSTER CHILD of collecting cds.
Edit: Marge was 34 in 1989. Oh my god, Marge is a boomer.
He's also 10 in 2026
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You can get any compatible drive and still use them as well. If you wanted. The option is there.
I just rebuilt two older systems and installed my optical drives in them. One linux box and one Win 7. It’s honestly great having them back. I’ve started moving some DVD’s and CDs to backup. It was surprising how much better quality a decent bitrate rip of a CD is compared to music streaming services.
I have the full Warcraft 3 battle chest stored safely. I will never use it but I would have a deep sadness at loosing it.
I will not stand for this personal attack. It is not okay that you call me out like this.
I still have demo discs from PC Gamer magazine.
I really wish we could go back to being a magazine culture.
You had patience, because of the limited media things were prioritized so you didnt get a lot of bullshit
and it was exciting for the time of the month to come around waiting to get it and find out all the new information.
Thanks to the infinite scrolling 24/7 always on internet, thats gone now and replaced by an infinite conveyor belt of fresh hells and misery.
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I'm glad I still have my physical copy of Freelancer considering you cant buy a copy of it any more.
I still have my copy of Fable proudly stating “Optimized for Windows Vista!” Just because it makes me laugh.
jokes on you. I have 3 optical drives. and at least one still works!!
Broken Sword 2? Why'd YOU BREAK IT AGAIN!?!?!
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