Best Laptops With a DVD Drive

Companies including Dell and HP still make laptops with a built-in drive that can play your old DVDs and CDs

When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.

Laptop with dvd kyoshino

The proliferation of streaming services for music, movies, and TV shows might make a DVD drive on a laptop seem superfluous.

But anyone with a sluggish internet connection or strict data caps can appreciate the utility of returning to old-school media every now and then—that “Frozen” DVD never buffers on the 3-hour road trip to Grandma’s house.

More on Laptops
CR's Laptop Ratings & Buying Guide
Laptops With the Best Battery Life
Best 2-in-1 Laptops
More From Consumer Reports
How to Preserve Laptop Battery Life

A built-in DVD drive allows you to make copies of your data for safekeeping, too, with a $15 pack of 50 blank DVDs. Sure, you can use cloud-based storage services like Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive, but they, too, depend on the robustness of your internet connection—and your tolerance for monthly subscription fees.

Of course, you can always buy an external DVD drive for $20 to $40 at stores like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. The device usually connects to your laptop via USB—as long as the laptop has a USB port and it's not being used. And you remember to pack the cable.

The following laptops with a built-in DVD drive—ordered from least to most expensive—are the best in our ratings.


Before you shop for a new laptop computer, check Consumer Reports' ratings and buying guide.

Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings.

We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.

Become a Member
More From Consumer Reports