New DVD-ROM and CD-RW...Brand?

[eLinux]

I know that topics like this have been posted a thousand times over (and yeah...I used the search feature). I'm looking to buy a CD-RW and a DVD-ROM Separately... Here are some thoughts and options I have been looking at... Input anybody?

CD-RW
I'm torn between either Sony, Samsung, and Lite-On... Here is the thoughts I have on all three brands thus far...

Sony seems nice...I've heard good things about it. I heard that the drive itself has some sort of protection scheme or copyright something or another? Has anybody heard about this?

Samsung looks sweet...I don't know about how long their drives last, and I have heard sketchy things about their tech support.

While reading reviews, Lite-Ons seem to preform well for the testing phase. While looking at reviews on cnet and searching around the web (I have been doing my homework on this for quite some time now) I see that some people have said after a few hundred burns, Lite-Ons have died on them...

I'm looking for something at about 48x24x48...solid, fast. Not quite sure which one. I'm leaning towards Samsung, simply b/c it looks nice and few people have said anything negative about their drives. I read lots of "cheap" things about the Lite-On... Sony is just...Sony. No good, no bad opinions. It seems everybody knows Sony makes solid drives...

One last thing: the drive must be black (to match my case). This is why I am looking at these three companies -- they all have black drives.

DVD-ROM

Same thing for this...same three companies. Something solid, long-lasting, and very well built. I heard the Lite-On is super loud and fast for ripping. Again, not sure which one to go with, but I'm leaning towards Samsung again...simply b/c it looks nice and reviews have it being a solid drive.

What do y'all think? From using the search on this forum, I have a feeling that very few people have Samsung drives... Is there something wrong with them?

One last thing: I read about Samsung "drive-hangs"? Here's the link:

Drive Hang Forum Posting on AfterDawn

...what is y'alls thought on this?

Sorry so long...input GREATLY appreciated! Thanks again everybody.

 

[BigFatCow]

well i have a lite-on 40x cdrw, and a sony 16x dvd drive, both are great. My liteon and i have gone through some crazy back ups, where i burn like 20 cds back to back and the data comes out uncorrupted. Theres not much to say about my dvd drive, its been good for a really long time, i cant remember when i bought it, but it was quite a while ago, and it still works like new...

 

[Spicedaddy]

Sony CDRWs are made by LiteOn, don't know about Samsung.

For the DVD, if you want quiet, go for Toshiba. (but they're slow for ripping) If you don't mind a little noise, either Pioneer or LiteON.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: Spicedaddy
Sony CDRWs are made by LiteOn, don't know about Samsung.

For the DVD, if you want quiet, go for Toshiba. (but they're slow for ripping) If you don't mind a little noise, either Pioneer or LiteON.

Although it's not advertised, some of the Toshiba drives read DVD-RAM. Comes in handy if a friend has a DVD-RAM recorder in his home theater system or his computer.

 

[eLinux]

So nobody has a clear set opinion on Samsung? I just hear that some CD-burners don't hold up to the test of time (i.e., burning hundreds of CDs will kill 'em). I just want to make sure that I don't make a mistake if I dish out $100 for a CD-RW and a DVD-ROM and they die on me -- I use both these devices quite heavily.

 

[ndee]

Plextor all the way you get what you pay for (most of the time )

 

[DDG]

I would go with Plextor's CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive. It rips at 20X, rewrites at 10X, reads CDs at 40X, and reads DVDs at 12X. I'm running one now and just recieved a new unit to replace an ailing Sony !6X DVD-ROM drive. The drive is also available in black. And in case you're wondering it's audio extraction rate is 40X. The price usually falls between $130-$150 US dollars.

 

[AU Tiger]

Samsung's SM-348 CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo is the drive you need. It smokes the competition currently in performance and features for a combo drive. Get the retail version (8MB Cache) from Dell for less than many stores sell the OEM.

Samsung SM-348 - $79.95

 

[Jeff7]

Liteon's are good - I have a Liteon DVD drive and CD-RW; both are good.

Just FYI, they don't fare well in near-boiling Rit dye. The color's too dark too.

 

[thorin]

Lite-On makes good CDRWs as does LG (at slightly lower cost).

Samsung makes good DVDROMs but I'd suggest Pioneer (or AOpen .... I'm not 100% sure if they still do this but my 6x AOpen DVD was a rebadged Pioneer).

Thorin

 

[eLinux]

Originally posted by: ndee
Plextor all the way you get what you pay for (most of the time )

Plextors are kinda expensive...especially the black ones.

 

[eLinux]

<bump>

So any other opinions about Samsung CD-RW drvies, and DVD-ROM drives? I'm looking for non-combo, although I might take that route since it's fairly cheap...

I just want to hear more experiences from users that have had either of these drvies for a long time and how its living up to the test of time.

 

[eLinux]

bump

 

[EglsFly]

I currently prefer LiteOn drives, although I also like my Pioneer SLOT load DVD drive!
LiteOn drives work great and the price is nice!

 

[wyckedcool]

I've got a Sony Spressa CDR-CDRW that I've had for about 3 years and never
have I had one problem with it. Burns great still to this day. Only thing is it's
only 8x so I'm wanting to up-grade. I've been trying to decide between these
three brand's myself.

 

[Challenger]

Lite-On all the way!!!

 

[eLinux]

Originally posted by: wyckedcool
I've got a Sony Spressa CDR-CDRW that I've had for about 3 years and never
have I had one problem with it. Burns great still to this day. Only thing is it's
only 8x so I'm wanting to up-grade. I've been trying to decide between these
three brand's myself.

I understand the dilema all the way. I am still to hear something bad about Samsung, so I think I'm going to go with them...especially since their black drives are pretty nice. Plus, getting a CD-RW that matches the Samsung DVD is gonna be sweet.

 

[wyckedcool]

Good luck eLinux with the Samsung if that's the one you choose. I think based upon
all the reviews I've read and good thing's people have said, I'm going to go with the
Lite-On. Everyone seems to like their's.

Anyone know where I can get a black Lite-On 40x to 48x? ? I've seen a few but they were
out of stock. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thank's