Lenovo ThinkSystem Half High SATA DVD-ROM

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

At £84.64 ex‑VAT for a Lenovo “half-high” SATA DVD‑ROM, this is the sort of part you buy to fix one very specific headache: a server chassis that needs an optical drive for installation, recovery media, or occasional firmware/diagnostic use, but where you don’t want the faff (or cost) of a full upgrade cycle. If you’ve got a compatible ThinkSystem server with a half‑height optical bay and you specifically need a *read-only* drive, it’s a sensible, low-risk spend. DVD‑ROMs like this are often the cheapest way to get access to vendor media when someone before you deployed without an optical drive (or replaced it with a blank slot).

That said, I wouldn’t buy it “just because you might need one.” For anything involving regular software installs, backups, or media creation, an optical drive is usually a productivity tax versus bootable USB/iDRAC/iLO-style workflows. Also, £84.64 isn’t crazy, but it’s not a bargain if your real problem is that your server isn’t set up for network/USB install—solve the install method and you may never need this. Bottom line: buy it if you’re replacing a missing optical drive in a supported half‑high ThinkSystem bay and you have legitimate media/recovery needs; otherwise, consider whether USB/network boot would save you the maintenance and space.