I heard it's bad for a CD/RW if you use it as daily CD-Rom... true?

[ndee]

Title says it all... thanx

 

[Biggs]

I agree, just like any equipment, it'll hasten then "wear-and-tear" phenomenon.

 

[ndee]

Nope, you don't understand. My fault. They say that the laser somehow is diffrent, and that it's not good for the laser of the CD/RW.

 

[Modus]

I think this was more the case two or three years ago, when CD burners were much more "bleeding edge." Nowadays, I'd say using a CDRW as your main reader is OK and won't cause the drive to wear out before it's obsolete. Even some large OEM systems these days are eschewing the $35 CDROM drive to cut costs, and it seems to work out OK.

Modus

 

[Sukhoi]

Like Modus said, this may have just been true a few years ago, but I think CD-RW lasers used to be heaver than standard CD-ROM's. I want my CD-RW to last as long as possible, so I picked up a cheapo 40X CD-ROM for daily use.

 

[Sharkmeat]

I use two same brand name CD-RW (same sothware cuts down on problems)ever day for all purpose use and it seems to load alot faster than the reg CDroms,Also a good note is I don't haft to remember which CD Drive I need to write or read .If the CD-RW last a year you better beleave it will last alot longer.I also use the No CD cracks to cut down on ware and tear when playing games.Yes I do buy the games.

 

[Gunbuster]

When you burn out you current CDRW drive from use just get a new one. Even under heavy use it should last at least a year, by that time 16x writers will be low/mid end.

Get the most out of it now, it will be slow 1-2 years from now

 

[stso]

I am not sure about this, but I have always use my CD-ROM drive to read CDs.
The CD-RW drive is only for burning ....

 

[madthumbs]

Maybe someone got confused with DVD and CDRW. DVD uses an visible red laser, CD uses an infra red laser. That causes cheaper DVD drives (without separate lens') to poorly read cds.

If I had just a cdrw, I wouldn't bother getting another CD drive. By the time a normal user would wear one out, it should be obsolete and much cheaper to replace. You could buy 2 drives and have them last a really long time, or you could use the one and it "might" quit by the time you want an excuse to upgrade. We're talking the price you pay for a CDrom drive now is what you may pay to get a replacement CDRW that is a helluva lot better.

 

[Riverhound]

Well I don't have a regular cd-rom so i tend to use my CDRW. My other drive is a DVD-rom and they both read cds at 32x. I personally think my CDRW loads cds faster and works better so i use it. But if you have a regular CD-rom i would use it. Why else have it.

 

[MWink]

I have found CD-RW drives to be VERY unreliable. I would not want to place any extra wear and tear on mine. Most of the ones I have seen last 6-12 months. I would just get another CD or DVD drive as a CD reader.

 

[corkyg]

I am a non CD/RW user for reading. Besides . . . unless you have a separate reader, it is not as easy to copy CDs . . . audio or data.

 

[jagr10]

SO if I buy a plextor 16/12/40 burner and I use it for all purposes daily, how long will it last?

 

[Kenmitch]

I would think that as long as the cd's are kept clean....No greasy fingerprints etc. from the kiddies that it would not hurt it....But on the other hand wouldn't you rather wear out a cd-rom drive instead of the burner....If you think it's a waste of money to have both then trick yourself and buy a DVD drive!!!

 

[Eug]

Without a separate CD-ROM drive you cannot copy directly disc-to-disc, or read an MP3 CD-ROM while burning a disc.

That would annoy me to no end. You ain't a true AnandTecher if you only have a CD-RW and nothing else.

 

[chuckieland]

my cdrw is for burning cds only
i use my DVD drive for reading cd and daily use
with the price of cdrom been so low. it does not make sense to save that $30buck.
cdrw is not like cpu, when it's outdate, it cannot run software or game that you require.
so I planning to use my cdrw as long as possible and burn as many cd as possible.
that is why my cdrw is for burning only

 

[shawnmos]

I too only use my cdrw for burning. Plus my cdrw only reads at 8x so why would I want to use it for anything else anyway? It burns at 4x though which is good enough for me.

 

[SUOrangeman]

CD(R and/or RW) don't use the same laser for reading and writing, do they?

The only thing that may wear would be the spindle, as it is turning no matter what the lasers are doing. I am planning to only keep my Ricoh CDRW/DVD combo in my new system.

-SUO

 

[Platypussssssss]

IMO any CDRW that only lasts a year is crap! I had used my old Panasonic 7501 almost daily for almost three years when I retired it (still fully functional). I burned hundreds of CD's with it and never had any problems whatsoever with it. I'll be really dissapointed if my Plextor 12/4/32S doesn't work for at least another two years.

 

[ganesha]

Same with me Platypus, my HP 8100 lasted almost 3 years as my only CD drive. 100's of burns later, I sold it to my brother for his 2nd system.
My new Plexwriter 12/10/32 is rated:

MTBF: 60,000 POH
Tray Loading: 200,000 Load Cycles

That means I can open it and close it 200,000 times or run it 6.8 years.

 

[madthumbs]

One of the things that makes Plextor drives so great is they are built to last. They are even said to use metal gears. Also, CDRW's are said to have better reading capabilities than most cdroms in general. The laser for burning is approx. 10x more powerful than the read laser. As far as I know, they both go through the same lens. As for an idea of spindle longevity, have you heard of many cdroms dying from wear and tear? I haven't.

 

[Smbu]

I hardly ever use my Plextor 12/10/32 scsi burner for normal cd reading. That's what I have my Plextor 40x max scsi cdrom drive for. It also makes it easy to do cd to cd copying. My 2x DVD rom drive is too slow, so I only use it for watching movies.