Linux Mint Forums

I'm looking for a more minimal environment, and though I can download the DVD version, I was wondering more about the differences between the CD and DVD, especially if the CD would make me more productive, and wasting my time much less.

You would have to be a bit more specific about what "productive" means for you.
The DVD gets you proprietary codecs and I believe LibreOffice. If you definitely do not want to install, and run only from liveCD/DVD, have a look at Knoppix.