Need a new DVD-RW drive

[BoomerD]

Hey folks, my old Yamaha CRW-FE1E CD/RW drive appears to have given up on me, (windows says it's working, but it won't read anything anymore, games, music, etc.) so I may as well finally step up to a DVD/RW tyoe of drive. How about some recommendations for a GOOD unit. Not looking for the cheapest out there, just a good solid reliable one. I don't burn much, (maybe 2-3X year) but want one that will work right. The Yamaha was getting so that 75% of the time, disks wouldn't burn, or "buffer underrun" errors were stopping the burn.
I've browsed through NewEgg, and see the usual; Sony (who I like) Pioneer, (which has a crappy review there) and lite-on, plus a few others with which I have no experience.

I'm willing to listen to any troubleshooting suggestions for the Yamaha as well, but figure it's just time to upgrade.
Thanks.

Sorry, edited my pour speling...

 

[pkme2]

Get the 16X Plextor SATA DVD burner.

 

[Seekermeister]

Don't buy LiteOn, I've had two of them go out in about a year.

 

[modestninja]

If you want better info that here go to CDFreaks... Those guys are crazy about their DVD+-RWs.

At this point there isn't much real world difference beside features like lightscribe and DVD-RAM support. I've got one of each of the main manufacturers around here (that's what happens when you have a couple of new builds and the price of a DVD-ROM is not much different than that of a DVD+-RW. Anyway, I've got an NEC (3500a), Pioneer (111-D), BenQ (DW1650) and Liteon (165P6S) and they all do fine job... The one I use the most for burning is the Pioneer. I would suggest though no matter which burner you get you upgrade the firmware to one of the many better versions out their. The can do nice things like allow bitsetting, give you better quality burns, faster burns, remove riplock, make you drive region free, etc...

EDIT: Newegg reviews aren't that accurate, I personally don't give them much credence...

 

[The Boston Dangler]

It's tough to recommend a burner that costs 3-4x average to someone that burns a disc a few times a year. Other than that, yeah Plextor's great. I'm insulted they haven't dropped prices to even approach the rest of the industry.

$30-$40 LG, Samsung, Lite-On. They're all pretty much the same, in fact most use the same guts.

My Plextor 712 has been great for years, but the prices are whack. Me personally, I'll never go with Pioneer drives again.

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: modestninja
If you want better info that here go to CDFreaks... Those guys are crazy about their DVD+-RWs.

At this point there isn't much real world difference beside features like lightscribe and DVD-RAM support. I've got one of each of the main manufacturers around here (that's what happens when you have a couple of new builds and the price of a DVD-ROM is not much different than that of a DVD+-RW. Anyway, I've got an NEC (3500a), Pioneer (111-D), BenQ (DW1650) and Liteon (165P6S) and they all do fine job... The one I use the most for burning is the Pioneer. I would suggest though no matter which burner you get you upgrade the firmware to one of the many better versions out their. The can do nice things like allow bitsetting, give you better quality burns, faster burns, remove riplock, make you drive region free, etc...

EDIT: Newegg reviews aren't that accurate, I personally don't give them much credence...

Thanks...I'll check that site out...I don't give too much credence to the newegg reviews either, but when people are complaining about the product, that makes me wonder...

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
It's tough to recommend a burner that costs 3-4x average to someone that burns a disc a few times a year. Other than that, yeah Plextor's great. I'm insulted they haven't dropped prices to even approach the rest of the industry.

$30-$40 LG, Samsung, Lite-On. They're all pretty much the same, in fact most use the same guts.

My Plextor 712 has been great for years, but the prices are whack. Me personally, I'll never go with Pioneer drives again.

Never been impressed with Samsung. Got stung once on one of their products about 15 yrs ago, and haven't bought any of their stuff since...
Don't mind paying more for a product that actually works as advertised. I went out of my way to get the Yahama drive years ago, and paid top-dollar (~$100) for it at the time. Worked very well for several years, so I figure I got my $$ worth.
I'll look into the Plextor drives.

 

[jackschmittusa]

Plextor would be a waste of money for you with as little as you burn.

I have had several NEC burners (since 2x), and all performed very well (I know that at least the 4x one is still working in someone else's rig).

I have a BenQ that I got to try out Lightscribe with. It is a very fast reader and burns well.

I have 2 Samsungs that I bought for the DVD-ram capability (my settop recorder supports DVD-ram). The one in this rig I use almost every day. I use Verbatum media and it has been flawless so far burning @16x.

 

[mchammer]

Anybody have the LG H10?

 

[ForumMaster]

the NEC 3550A is considered good. i have the Sony DW-Q30A which is actually an Lite-On OEM Drive. it has been perfect thus far. *knock on wood*

 

[John]

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
Don't buy LiteOn, I've had two of them go out in about a year.

FWIW I've had a Lite-On 16x 1633S in my rig for over a year and not one hiccup. I've probably sold and installed over 200 of them, and I've only had a couple with random issues over time. Sorry to see that you had bad luck.

 

[Fun Guy]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Never been impressed with Samsung. Got stung once on one of their products about 15 yrs ago, and haven't bought any of their stuff since...

You've really missed out then. Samsung makes some of the best products on the planet. LCD displays, RAM, hard drives....really good stuff.

On topic, I got the NEC burner and have been happy.

 

[Zepper]

Actually Plextor isn't nearly as bad now. The latest PX-760A runs about $100 - that about 1/2 to 2/3 of what my 712 ran when it first came out. Now you can pay more for their slot-loader. But when you make the only of something, wouldn't you charge what the traffic will bear? I think the software bundle that comes with Plextors makes up some for the extra price. But the Samsung 182D is hard to beat at $30. for the OEM unit - IDK if Samsung is doing retail packaging any more. Or the 182M if you want the Lightscribe fad.

.bh.

 

[Old Hippie]

I bought the BenQ 1655 and it's been very reliable. I really like the LightScribe feature for stuff I'm gonna keep.... boot, driver and repair disks.

 

[BoomerD]

OK, way too many people are telling me how good Samsung products are to ignore...SO...I'm gonna give them one more chance to screw me... I ordered a SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R Burner, LightScribe Technology, IDE, Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM from Newegg. $32.99, which is a helluva good price, considering I paid around $100 for the Yamaha CRW-F1E about 5 years ago...Should be here tomorrow...I gave SERIOUS consideration to the Plextors in spite of the cost, but my wife holds the purse strings, :roll:, so I made a compromise...
Thanks everyone for your input...