Can you add an optical drive to the "2019" Mac Pro? What is the best option?

Tower Mac Pro models of yesteryear had two 5.25" optical drive bays for internal drives, but the "2019" Mac Pro only can support an external optical drive.

These days, the majority of users have moved on from optical media like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray, but some users -- like the reader who asked the question -- still find optical media valuable for inexpensive and reliable backups.

EveryMac.com likewise finds it worthwhile to burn archival data to DVDs or Bluray to free up storage space on other drives and has long used site sponsor Other World Computing's "Slim" External Blu-ray Burner/Reader for this purpose.

Photo Credit: Other World Computing (Slim External Blu-ray Burner)

DVDs, even CDs, still can be sufficient for some archival purposes -- like storing a year's worth of tax documents and receipts for a small business, for example -- and Blu-ray's higher capacity can get the job done to archive or backup at least some photo and video projects. As file sizes get larger and larger, Blu-ray won't be viable forever, but with 25 GB of capacity for a single layer disc, 50 GB for a double-layer disc, and 128 GB for a quad-layer disc, it still has some life left.

The OWC Slim External Blu-ray Drive also would work with the "2019" Mac Pro, but it uses comparatively slow USB 2.0 (USB-A) and is limited to 50 GB double-layer Blu-ray discs.

Accordingly, the best optical drive for the "2019" Mac Pro is the OWC Mercury Pro Blu-ray/DVD Burner/Reader.

Photo Credit: Other World Computing (Mercury Pro Blu-ray Burner)

The OWC Mercury Pro is physically larger than the OWC Slim, but it uses a faster USB 3.0 (USB-A) interface and supports quad-layer Blu-ray for a maximum capacity of 128 GB.

Also see: How do you upgrade the storage in the "2019" Mac Pro? How many internal drives of what type are supported? What is the best external storage option?

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