No More Driver DVDs in Future EVGA Motherboards

Megalith

Megalith

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According to a tweet by the company’s global product management director, future EVGA motherboards will no longer include their drivers on DVDs. Instead, drivers will be provided on a small 8GB flash drive. While this is not a revolutionary development, many fans say that it is long overdue, as their optical drives are merely collecting dust.
 
Seems like a waste of money to me. How many folks even need this? I'd rather they kept bundling optical discs and use the money towards better customer support, etc.

Majority of consumer parts buyers just build a system, boot with windows generics, and download what they need. Those that need the disc would be fine with the optical disc.
 
I keep 1 combo BR/DVD/CD drive in my main system and thats it. It won't be going anywhere for awhile still as I still need it from time to time, but I agree about this move.
 
EVGA isn't the first company to do this. Both MSI and ASUS have done this on some of their higher end motherboards. Hilariously, MSI's X99 GODLIKE had a USB 3.1 drive that had both Type-C and Type-A style plugs, but couldn't be used during installation of Windows as the third party USB controller for ASMedia wouldn't work without drivers. In Type-A mode, the drive wouldn't detect on the native USB ports.
 
All you need is NIC drivers and everything else can be fetched from the internet. Basically every NIC and mobo manufacturer should provide Microsoft and the various linux distros built in drivers for the OS installers so we can forgo shipped driver packages.
 
I remember buying my first case with no front media drive bay. Thinking, feels good to shed this. That was 10 years ago.

I do use a USB writer on the occasion I need one. And the only time it has failed me during installation was for a very old motherboard.

I could see if motherboards still could not boot off usb for some reason.
 
Lots of other vendors have gone this route and ship custom little USB drives. Cost is probably less than a buck each in bulk, and you can re-use for whatever you want. I personally have enough vendor USB drives to fill a small fish bowl. Handy enough to make bootable ISO stuff etc.

Optical wise, my main rig still has one but I cannot even remember the last time I used it. I have a blu-ray in a USB enclosure I use for movies otherwise. I have way too much blank media laying around, I guess I need to find someone to buy that crap, LOL.

And as long as we're feeling old... I still have a USB floppy drive in the closet, and some 3.5 dos disks and other utlities. Just can't bring myself to toss it.
 
about time, havent put cd drives in a computer in ages, an nothin gmore annoying then when you need a storage controller driver to install an OS
 
ummmmm isn't this way way late , i haven't used a disk media in 6 years at least
 
Nauseous said:
how long before game companies do this for console games?
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We wish but they know if you download it and make a library they might have a chance of you coming back. I dropped both my consoles last year xbox has a amazing control for my pc , just got the newest tomb raider last weekend 13 bucks. Back on subject who still using disk ?
 
good move, saves EVGA $$$ ... who uses those disks anyways when DL's are online these days?

If folks need to find Cracker Jacks toys in their Mobo/GPU box maybe EVGA ought to include one like a mini-GTX 1080 charm toy in all GTX 10 series 1060 and higher boxes?
 
Lots of cases are being sold without even having a single 5 1/4 bay. The DVD is dead, even though I have one in my PC for reasons.
 
Mchart said:
Seems like a waste of money to me. How many folks even need this? I'd rather they kept bundling optical discs and use the money towards better customer support, etc.

Majority of consumer parts buyers just build a system, boot with windows generics, and download what they need. Those that need the disc would be fine with the optical disc.
Click to expand...

Optical disc would mean more useless plastic trash in the environment.

At least with the flash drive it's retaskable and they can always ship the latest drivers + manuals in the box for all products they make.

If EVGA wants to be even more consumer friendly, they could even make a utility downloader that can update the flash drive with the latest drivers straight from their website.
 
Even if the drivers might be dated, still think mfgs need to include a complete set of drivers for supported OSs. Not all installations will happen where an internet connection is available. I like the switch to the flash drive. The only reason my primary rig has a DVD drive is the drive was already in the case from the previous MB install way too many years ago. It was easier to connect the SATA cable then remove the drive.

Burticus said:
. . . .
And as long as we're feeling old... I still have a USB floppy drive in the closet, and some 3.5 dos disks and other utlities. Just can't bring myself to toss it.
Click to expand...

I still have a 5.25" FD drive in a parts box. Not sure I have a card to connect it to. If I do, probably some ISA adapter. And I do have a USB 3.5 FD just in case someone needs some document file off an old floppy.
 
Tweak42 said:
Optical disc would mean more useless plastic trash in the environment.

At least with the flash drive it's retaskable and they can always ship the latest drivers + manuals in the box for all products they make.

If EVGA wants to be even more consumer friendly, they could even make a utility downloader that can update the flash drive with the latest drivers straight from their website.
Click to expand...

A bunch of USB thumb drives is more wasteful compared to resin discs.
 
Mchart said:
A bunch of USB thumb drives is more wasteful compared to resin discs.
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Not if they get used for other purposes. A driver disc however, goes straight into the trash.

I have so many because I work in IT and flash drives are like tic-tacs.
 
I've had employees complain when I've given them a desktop without a CD/DVD drive. Some of them still like to bring in CD's to listen too :eek:

Same with Laptops. I've had people who want to keep using their old laptop with a DVD drive, because they like to bring DVD's with them to watch movies when they travel. :confused:

Of course these are non-technical people (like sales).

However most of them prefer the newer/lighter/faster laptops that don't have the DVD drive, (weight wins out over the DVD drive) so there's only a few holdouts left. :D
 
nutzo said:
I've had employees complain when I've given them a desktop without a CD/DVD drive. Some of them still like to bring in CD's to listen too :eek:

Same with Laptops. I've had people who want to keep using their old laptop with a DVD drive, because they like to bring DVD's with them to watch movies when they travel. :confused:

Of course these are non-technical people (like sales).

However most of them prefer the newer/lighter/faster laptops that don't have the DVD drive, (weight wins out over the DVD drive) so there's only a few holdouts left. :D
Click to expand...

People eventually adapt to change or get left behind. Even my techno-idiot parentals (and in-laws) can use an ipad or other tablet.
 
Well considering none of the cases EVGA currently sells even have an option to fit an optical drive in them, this is par for the course.
 
Well being as I haven't added an optical drive to my last two builds this is nice... but that said, I was more than easily able to get online and download drivers so whatever.
 
Well here's to hoping that the flash drives arn't write protected so you can actually reuse the drive. I have seen some media shipped by software vendors use flash drives that have been write protected so you can't reuse the drive.
 
Hagrid said:
I think it is good. Why would you use the old outdated drivers on a dvd? Who has a dvd in their system anymore?
Flash drive? i guess they are cheap, but still who is going to use outdated drivers?
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I actually have a BluRay drive in my computer that I use to rip CDs, DVDs, and BluRays to my Plex instance on my FreeNAS server. But that's just me. It's been years since I installed software from a physical media.

As for a bootable USB stick, you actually need to have both network drivers and the processor video drives. Since most motherboards and processors have pretty good on-board video, I don't install a video card initially. I want to reduce the number of variables of WTF when assembling a new system. However, my experience has been that Windows, without video drivers, boots up in OMG low resolution, and you really can't use a web browser to browse the web. I typically take several snapshots when I am initially building my system:
  • Immediately after Windows boots up, and before I install anything. (Bare bones).
  • After I install all of the necessary drivers and run all of the Windows updates. (Virgin)
  • After I install all of the programs and fonts that I use and register that copy of Windows 10 (Registered)
  • Installation of the video card and associated drivers. (Complete)
  • Disable the on-board video through the BIOS.
 
I still need a DVD drive, I make data warehouses and custom data files, and sometimes I do big repairs on datasets and I have to burn the changes to archives. Some of these files can be 30GB in size.

I always install a DVD drive, if not two DVD drives. It's a habit, and for myself it makes the computer look complete. Back in the day I used to have this huge case, an industrial tape drive case with casters and 8 bays on the front of it, that I used as a computer case for LAN parties. I mounted a collection CD drives, 5.25" drives, 3.5" drives and Zip drives, none of them hooked up to the motherboard, and I wired them to run and blink randomly. Behind the front fan was an old, old IBM mainframe idiot-light console, and inside were three different camera flashes that would charge up and then randomly go off, sending huge blasts of light out of the cracks of my case. When people asked me what my computer was doing, I would tell them, "It's being awesome!"

Then the power supply blew up. I pulled the computer parts out, and it's been sitting in a closet for 20 years. I still think about digging it out and wiring it up again.
 
the_real_7 said:
ummmmm isn't this way way late , i haven't used a disk media in 6 years at least
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I use mine a lot. Whenever I buy an expensive software download, I burn it to media for safe keeping in the advent the system dies. Basically it is my primary backup for static data. I find they are easy to keep track of than a bunch of USB flash drives.
 
I don't have a problem with this as long as they include a network driver on a small usb stick or something. I have actually used the DVD for installing network drivers before I could download other drivers. Not everyone has another computer to download drivers on either.
 
ZLoth said:
I actually have a BluRay drive in my computer that I use to rip CDs, DVDs, and BluRays to my Plex instance on my FreeNAS server. But that's just me. It's been years since I installed software from a physical media.

As for a bootable USB stick, you actually need to have both network drivers and the processor video drives. Since most motherboards and processors have pretty good on-board video, I don't install a video card initially. I want to reduce the number of variables of WTF when assembling a new system. However, my experience has been that Windows, without video drivers, boots up in OMG low resolution, and you really can't use a web browser to browse the web. I typically take several snapshots when I am initially building my system:
  • Immediately after Windows boots up, and before I install anything. (Bare bones).
  • After I install all of the necessary drivers and run all of the Windows updates. (Virgin)
  • After I install all of the programs and fonts that I use and register that copy of Windows 10 (Registered)
  • Installation of the video card and associated drivers. (Complete)
  • Disable the on-board video through the BIOS.
Click to expand...
I never bother with backing up my Windows install (other than the My Documents folder and the desktop) as every once in a while, you have to reinstall windows to clean up issues. The only things I install on my C drive are things like drivers and software that directly supports the hardware. Everything else gets installed on a separate partition, which gets fully backed up on a weekly basis along with my data storage drive. I also have never had an issue with needing drivers to access the internet since like Windows XP. I just never bother with any included drivers and get the latest from the manufactures web page.
 
When I put together my 2600k system several years ago (might have been 7?), I remember debating about adding a DVD drive. I went ahead and did since it was pretty cheap. I have only used it a few times - mainly to rip my DVD movies so I could put them on my NAS for streaming. I also have a BluRay writer, which I bought on clearance for $10 at MicroCenter. I don't remember using that drive.
My next build will not have any DVD or BluRay drives. I'll still have a few systems with them if I need them, but I suspect I won't. Time to move on.
 
People who don't have internet but need to get a bootable OS going anyways? Like I dunno, someone who's running Windows 8.x or 7 which are still in general support?

Consider more motherboards are getting 10gig on-board. How many of them are baked into Win 7/8.x? Spoiler: ZERO.

Hagrid said:
I think it is good. Why would you use the old outdated drivers on a dvd? Who has a dvd in their system anymore?
Flash drive? i guess they are cheap, but still who is going to use outdated drivers?
Click to expand...
 
Dan_D said:
EVGA isn't the first company to do this. Both MSI and ASUS have done this on some of their higher end motherboards. Hilariously, MSI's X99 GODLIKE had a USB 3.1 drive that had both Type-C and Type-A style plugs, but couldn't be used during installation of Windows as the third party USB controller for ASMedia wouldn't work without drivers. In Type-A mode, the drive wouldn't detect on the native USB ports.
Click to expand...

I have one of their newest and highest boards from Asus Maximus (Code) and it comes with a CD/DVD. I have never seen ASUS come with a flash drive.
 
I have not touched a driver disk in years. Would not use the old drivers on flash drive either. Plan ahead and get the latest NIC driver before your build. All problems solved. And yeah, others have been doing this for years.
 
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NIZMOZ said:
I have one of their newest and highest boards from Asus Maximus (Code) and it comes with a CD/DVD. I have never seen ASUS come with a flash drive.
Click to expand...

I've only ever seen this with boards like the Rampage V Edition 10 and one or two others. (I think the APEX had this as well.) I believe all of which were HEDT motherboards. When I said this was a practice with the highest end motherboards, I should have been more specific in that this was limited to HEDT offerings.
 
Dead Parrot said:
I still have a 5.25" FD drive in a parts box. Not sure I have a card to connect it to. If I do, probably some ISA adapter.
Click to expand...

Back in ...2005 I want to say, some coworkers found a 30 year old IBM AT in mint condition in the basement with 5.25 drives. One guy was able to produce DOS 3 floppies from the depths of his closet, but they didn't work. I was able to format some blanks that we found with it, so I assume the drives worked. One guy took that beast home for his "museum".
 
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