Optical Drives

[TBSN]

Well, I'm almost decided on most of the components of my build, but I have no idea what DVD burner to choose. It seems like it would be a simple decision, but the prices seem to fluctuate widely, from $30 to around $100, and this is a really important part. I don't want something that's going to die in 2 months...

So, does anyone have any suggestions about which DVD burner/ combo drive I should be looking at? Should I just go for the cheapest one I can find? Thanks,
B

 

[jpeyton]

Lite-On, NEC, Samsung, LG, Pioneer, BenQ

Those are all good brands. You will be fine with any of them.

 

[TBSN]

Alright, thanks for the advice. I found a NEC branded one that's for a pretty good price.

 

[TBSN]

P.S.: Any idea why some of the models, like the slot-loading ones, are so much more expensive, sometimes around $100? Also, if I'm using a NV680i based mobo, is there any reason to go with a SATA drive? I know it is supposed to make setting up a P965 easier because it keeps things on the Intel ICH8R controller....

 

[Aluvus]

Originally posted by: TBSN
P.S.: Any idea why some of the models, like the slot-loading ones, are so much more expensive, sometimes around $100? Also, if I'm using a NV680i based mobo, is there any reason to go with a SATA drive? I know it is supposed to make setting up a P965 easier because it keeps things on the Intel ICH8R controller....

Slot-loading models have always been expensive, which is part of why they've never become popular.

The main reason to buy an SATA optical drive is to have one less PATA device. Particularly in the case of motherboards with only one PATA port. There's an element of "forward compatibility", in theory.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Originally posted by: TBSN
P.S.: Any idea why some of the models, like the slot-loading ones, are so much more expensive, sometimes around $100? Also, if I'm using a NV680i based mobo, is there any reason to go with a SATA drive? I know it is supposed to make setting up a P965 easier because it keeps things on the Intel ICH8R controller....

Aluvus is right, slotloaders have always been more expensive. It's a more complicated mechanism than a sliding drawer.

One caveat on SATA opticals; make sure your motherboard supports booting from SATA optical drives. To quote from my P5N-E SLI (Nvidia 650i chipset) user guide:

"Due to chipset limitation, the Serial ATA ports supported by the NVIDIA chipset doesn't support Serial Optical Drives (Serial ODD) under DOS."

I think this means they would not be able to run a Windows OS setup, since the installation starts in DOS mode.

 

[TBSN]

Thanks for the info, very important stuff. Do you know if the 680i chipset also does not support SATA opticals in DOS mode?

 

[bob4432]

i would go with the pioneer 111d (i currently have a benq 1655, pioneer 111d and a older nec single layer that i used a hacked firmware to make it a dl burner, can't remember the #") and the pioneeer works very well - on sale for $29 no shipping at the egg

 

[TBSN]

Cool, the 111d is the one I was looking at. I guess it doesn't really make sense to use a SATA drive unless you have a P965 chipset mobo which doesn't support IDE very well, right?

 

[zodder]

Wow. No Plextor love, eh?

 

[CallMeJoe]

Originally posted by: zodder
Wow. No Plextor love, eh?

Plextor CD-RWs were my favorites, but they've lost some of their lustre with their DVD-RWs. Selling a rebadged BenQ drive as a Plextor (PX-740A) was a real low point.
One other reason for a lack of Plextor love is the continued premium Plextor price despite the improvement in their competitors' more reasonably priced drives. I love my Samsung SH-S162L. It rivals the best of my Plextor CD-RWs for fit and feel.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: CallMeJoe

Originally posted by: TBSN
P.S.: Any idea why some of the models, like the slot-loading ones, are so much more expensive, sometimes around $100? Also, if I'm using a NV680i based mobo, is there any reason to go with a SATA drive? I know it is supposed to make setting up a P965 easier because it keeps things on the Intel ICH8R controller....

Aluvus is right, slotloaders have always been more expensive. It's a more complicated mechanism than a sliding drawer.

One caveat on SATA opticals; make sure your motherboard supports booting from SATA optical drives. To quote from my P5N-E SLI (Nvidia 650i chipset) user guide:

"Due to chipset limitation, the Serial ATA ports supported by the NVIDIA chipset doesn't support Serial Optical Drives (Serial ODD) under DOS."

I think this means they would not be able to run a Windows OS setup, since the installation starts in DOS mode.

with native chipset support, why would hdd's work and opticals not?

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: zodder
Wow. No Plextor love, eh?

I'm surprised they are still around. They haven't been worth the price premium since 1999.