my NEC 3520...

[Bacardi151]

recently bought a NEC 3520A, and for some reason it's not 16x, but only 4x, do i have to do a firmware update for it? if so, does anybody know a link to a stable firmware??

thanks in advance

 

[artikk]

Sorry Nik.

 

[intogamer]

yeh...16x but there are no dvds with 16x. You can burn some 8x dvds at 16x speeds. yeah they do have a firmware update

 

[Bacardi151]

thing is, when i go under nero to look for specs on the dvd burner, it says 4x.

 

[Flashram]

Originally posted by: intogamer
yeh...16x but there are no dvds with 16x. You can burn some 8x dvds at 16x speeds. yeah they do have a firmware update

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp...=6810187&type=product&id=1091100392023

 

[Bacardi151]

oops, it looks like it is still reading what the speed is of the dvd burner based on the disc i have in it and , now that i took the dvd out, it says 48x but for CD and not DVD...i'll just take the word for it that it is 16x given there's a 16x dvd disc

 

[DAWeinG]

You can burn 8x dvds at 16x with the proper firmware AND media. If you have good media such as Taiyo Yuden, you can burn at 16x usually with no problems with the NEC 3520A burner. However if you use cheap stuff like ritek/ridata then you might have some problems such as skipping or read errors after a couple months. For cheap media, burn at lower speeds.

There is a patched firmware where they remove dvdlock and add a bunch of compatabilities and hidden features of the burner. I recommend Liggy and Dee's firmware version 1.8U, the lastest firmware found on cdfreaks here

This is the NEC forum that should answer ANY questions you have about your burner.

I recommend reading the FAQs and everything else.

Although flashing the firmware will void your warranty, you can always reflash it back to the original manufacturer's warranty. However I'm not sure if the manufacturer can still detect that you flashed it with a different firmware. So flash at your own risk!

Enjoy your NEC 3520! They're one of the best burners on the market right now! cdfreaks approved!


Edit: Also you can use Nero CD-DVD speed to test the speeds. Don't think that since you have a 16x burner you will burn at 16x even with 16x media. Just a lot of factors that affect reading/writing/ripping.

 

[Bacardi151]

are beta firmwares reliable? i rather stick with something that's stable and bug free. do you recommend 1.8U? can i use NecDump tools for flashing firmware? i hope i dont have to do it through dos like u have to do with most mobos

 

[DAWeinG]

Originally posted by: Bacardi151
are beta firmwares reliable? i rather stick with something that's stable and bug free. do you recommend 1.8U? can i use NecDump tools for flashing firmware? i hope i dont have to do it through dos like u have to do with most mobos

The firmware comes with it's own windows flasher. You can flash it in windows. It is reliable. Read the other people's comments, they are helpful!

 

[Baked]

The firmware at cdfreaks is very reliable. Your NEC3520A should be able to burn at 16x right out of the box w/o flashing to any other firmware. Could be the quality of the media you're using.

 

[dakata24]

from my experience, i seem to get better burns using my 4x Ridata DVD+R (RICOHJPN01) that burn at 8x (rarely a coaster) vs Fuji TY at 16x (Tested a 16X burn with some Fuji TY DVD-R and did a scan and found a few bad sectors).

still using the firmware my 3520a shipped though. i think 1.04.

 

[Baked]

TY's best burned at 12x, using the f/w in my sig.

 

[DAWeinG]

16x media is not widely available yet which is why you don't see it in retail stores. It is still in its infant stages. As time passes on, you will be able to achieve 16x or near 16x speeds. But for now, you should be happy even getting a 12-14x write speed with top notch quality TY's and Liggy and Dee's firmware. NEC or whoever distributed your NEC burner writes firmware so that more media will be compatible with the burner at proper and higher write speeds.

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: DAWeinG
You can burn 8x dvds at 16x with the proper firmware AND media. If you have good media such as Taiyo Yuden, you can burn at 16x usually with no problems with the NEC 3520A burner. However if you use cheap stuff like ritek/ridata then you might have some problems such as skipping or read errors after a couple months. For cheap media, burn at lower speeds.

Ritek is considered the crappy stuff?

 

[aplefka]

Originally posted by: igowerf

Originally posted by: DAWeinG
You can burn 8x dvds at 16x with the proper firmware AND media. If you have good media such as Taiyo Yuden, you can burn at 16x usually with no problems with the NEC 3520A burner. However if you use cheap stuff like ritek/ridata then you might have some problems such as skipping or read errors after a couple months. For cheap media, burn at lower speeds.

Ritek is considered the crappy stuff?

I always thought it was cheap, but I wouldn't buy something more expensive just to burn at 16x instead of 8x.

 

[intogamer]

Originally posted by: igowerf

Originally posted by: DAWeinG
You can burn 8x dvds at 16x with the proper firmware AND media. If you have good media such as Taiyo Yuden, you can burn at 16x usually with no problems with the NEC 3520A burner. However if you use cheap stuff like ritek/ridata then you might have some problems such as skipping or read errors after a couple months. For cheap media, burn at lower speeds.

Ritek is considered the crappy stuff?

 

[DAWeinG]

Originally posted by: igowerf

Originally posted by: DAWeinG
You can burn 8x dvds at 16x with the proper firmware AND media. If you have good media such as Taiyo Yuden, you can burn at 16x usually with no problems with the NEC 3520A burner. However if you use cheap stuff like ritek/ridata then you might have some problems such as skipping or read errors after a couple months. For cheap media, burn at lower speeds.

Ritek is considered the crappy stuff?

Depends on your burner. A lot of people have had good results with ritek with their burners, and a lot of people have had bad results. Compared to Taiyo Yuden I would say the consensus on cdfreaks is mediocre media. It depends on the burner. However I personally would pay the extra money to ensure that my dvds will be able to play in a few years and have a longer lasting life.

 

[intogamer]

Originally posted by: DAWeinG

Originally posted by: igowerf

Originally posted by: DAWeinG
You can burn 8x dvds at 16x with the proper firmware AND media. If you have good media such as Taiyo Yuden, you can burn at 16x usually with no problems with the NEC 3520A burner. However if you use cheap stuff like ritek/ridata then you might have some problems such as skipping or read errors after a couple months. For cheap media, burn at lower speeds.

Ritek is considered the crappy stuff?

Depends on your burner. A lot of people have had good results with ritek with their burners, and a lot of people have had bad results. Compared to Taiyo Yuden I would say the consensus on cdfreaks is mediocre media. It depends on the burner. However I personally would pay the extra money to ensure that my dvds will be able to play in a few years and have a longer lasting life.

hmm not with the 3520 I hear!

 

[DAWeinG]

Originally posted by: intogamer

Originally posted by: DAWeinG

Originally posted by: igowerf

Originally posted by: DAWeinG
You can burn 8x dvds at 16x with the proper firmware AND media. If you have good media such as Taiyo Yuden, you can burn at 16x usually with no problems with the NEC 3520A burner. However if you use cheap stuff like ritek/ridata then you might have some problems such as skipping or read errors after a couple months. For cheap media, burn at lower speeds.

Ritek is considered the crappy stuff?

Depends on your burner. A lot of people have had good results with ritek with their burners, and a lot of people have had bad results. Compared to Taiyo Yuden I would say the consensus on cdfreaks is mediocre media. It depends on the burner. However I personally would pay the extra money to ensure that my dvds will be able to play in a few years and have a longer lasting life.

hmm not with the 3520 I hear!

If that's the case, then I should try a spindle!