Acer Aspire V3-572G-76EM (Help Needed Please!)

Hello, I really need somebody's help!
Warning: I am not very tech savvy.
I am interested in purchasing the Acer Aspire V3-572G-76EM
I know that it does not come with an internal CD/DVD drive.
I've searched everywhere online and I can't come up with a solid answer as to whether or not I can buy and install an internal CD/DVD drive myself. As well as instructions on how to and which components I need to buy for this process.
Also if I do add an internal CD/DVD drive, will I still be able to upgrade the HDD to an SSD? Or not?
If this is not possible then would the ASUS X555LB-NS51 be a good alternative?
(I plan to use this for college schoolwork and moderate gaming)
This is the only thing holding me back from making my purchase, if anyone could help me out soon I would very much appreciate it! Also sorry if I seem to jumping all over the place or if this thread is in the wrong place!

 

Hi there.

This notebook had been designed with a DVD drive in mind so there is a place for it and a plastic place-holder has been put where DVD should be. I can't say for sure if the connector is there or not but seeing as some configurations of this model come with DVD as standard, it's reasonably safe to assume the connector is there.

You can upgrade HDD to SSD regardless of the DVD drive (by replacing the HDD, obviously not by adding an SSD in a caddy in optical bay as this one will be used by DVD).

All you need is a DVD drive and a plastic bezel/front and a single screw (which is already in the laptop).
Dismantling the notebook seem to be more tricky though. I won't copy/paste instructions on how to do it as you can find some basic ones on the internet - once you remove the top (keyboard and palmrest in one peace) you have access to HDD, DVD and so on.

 

Finally, a solid answer. This really helped me out a ton. Seriously, thank you!

 

I ordered a Panasonic UJ-272 Blu-Ray, the Acer bezel and the Acer mounting bracket. However, the bracket does not come with a screw. I had to order that, and since I don't know what size it is, I ordered a kit of miscellaneous screws from CDSParts. I'm waiting for that now.

To Qast, since you already did this upgrade, did you disassemble the whole back of the laptop, or did you just insert the new optical drive into the slot? (after unscrewing the screw that holds in the dummy plastic drive)

It seems as if I can just push in the new drive and it should settle in to the connector, but that is just an assumption.
Thanks,
Rick

 

Answering my own question: It's better not to open up the whole back and possibly mess up something.
The reason is that there are multiple connectors that look fragile between the back portion and the keyboard portion. These are really two halves of a chassis and not the same as other laptops that have a back cover over the entire package.

1. Turn off laptop, disconnect from power, and Remove battery.
2. Remove screw that holds in the dummy CD tray.
3. Pry loose with your fingernails the dummy CD tray.
4. Remove the flat bezel from your CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive. Pry with your fingernails.
5. Replace the flat bezel with the one you ordered from the ACER parts store. Note it won't be perfect and sometimes it might come off.
6. Screw in the optical drive mounting bracket to the drive with a 2x3 (smallest) screw
7. Push in carefully the whole mechanism until it settles completely into the socket. Screw in the holding scew you had previously removed.
8. Power on and open the mechanism. Be careful to wait about 5 seconds after tray ejects to pry with your fingernails.
It seems under Windows 10 eject comes first before the tray unlock completes.
9. Under Windows 10 you may download Media Player for free IF you had upgraded from Windows 8.
Look for other software you need, like a blu-ray player.