PLEXTOR 740A, BENQDW1640 OR PIONEER 110D

[imported_Lucho]

Hi guys, is great to share with ya... I need some help... Wich DVDRW do you think is the best?

 

[jc9970]

I've had a great experience with Pioneer. Previously owned DVR-108, DVR-109, and they burned like a champ. I just picked up the 110 for my new rig.

 

[imported_Lucho]

Hmm... That's Kewl... but i saw the last review of it.. and it says lots of pi errors.. eventhough am not sure what is that about kinda worries me.. and other thing is that plextor cost almost 100bucks..:S
thx for the fast reply

 

[mike3uz]

What about the NEC 3550 and the 3540?

 

[iamtorax]

I can't speak for the pioneer or plextor, but I love my BenQ 1640. I have a NEC 3540 and a LITEON 1673 in two other machines, and the BenQ takes the cake for speed and quiteness.

 

[jimbob200521]

ive had nothing but good experiences with plextor

 

[Skott]

The new Plextor PX-760A sounds hot. Here is the blurb from the new Maximum PC January 2006 issue. Page 12

Plextor Drops the 18x Bomb!
Shattering a long-held industry belief the the 16x is the fastest speed a burner can write to recordable DVD media, Plextor has announced its all-new PX-760A 18x double-layer burner. Like other highly touted Plextor burners, the PX-760A can achieve top speed on even slower rated 16x media. The drive will also burn double-layer +R media at 10x and double-layer -R media at 6x. Yummy.

 

[gsellis]

The Pioneer will burn dash R media better than the others. Plus R is not so good on the Pioneer. The BenQ is well respected as is the Plextor.

I make DVDs as a side business (Videographer, Video Editor). I used to use Pioneers exclusively. Currently, I have a NEC 3500a and 3550a as my primary burners using Liggy and Dee's firmware updates to allow bitsetting +R media to DVD-ROM (using TY hub printable media.) This is the best combination I have found for compatibility. It still can be stymied by Daewoo set tops on occasion though (as will any other - I have come to dislike Daewoo players )

 

[LED]

Originally posted by: jc9970
I've had a great experience with Pioneer. Previously owned DVR-108, DVR-109, and they burned like a champ. I just picked up the 110 for my new rig.

Same here...the Plextor and Benq are 1 of the same (I own a 716A) but ahhh the Pioneer110D can be changed to a 110 or A10XLA ...

Edit=Typo

 

[INM8]

I dont know about the plextor, but i do have a benq1640 and its great. Iv read reviews on the PIONEER 110D and apparently its not that great. Im sure the plextor would be a good drive as well, but i have never had any experience with it, so i cannot say for sure. I also have a PIONEER 109, and the benq is definatly quieter and faster than it. I guess it also depends on the prices of these drives, but i bet the Benq is the cheapest anyway. Unless the benq is unusally expensive where you are, i would go with the 1640, you wont be sorry

 

[Skott]

Plextor and Pioneer have always been rivalries and in direct competition with each other. I prefer the Plextors over the Pioneers myself. Heard alot of good things about that BenQ model though. Its low cost also adds to its appeal. Tough choices for sure. I think the Plextor and BenQ would be the better choices here. I doubt you'd be unhappy with either. Could just go with cheapest in price and let that settle it for you.

 

[jlbenedict]

I own the Plextor PX-740A, and it is an outstanding drive. Its very quiet and very fast.
I previously owned an NEC 3520, and I think the Plextor blows it away.

The Plextor drive also is a little shorter, compared to the NEC drive, so that is an added plus if you have a smaller case.

Newegg has the Plextor PX-740A right now for $79.99 ($59.99 after $20.00 MIR)
with free 3-day shipping. I would snag this drive up if I was you

 

[Wolfshanze]

If you can afford it, the Plextor PX-716A is a much better drive then the PX-740A, which is actually not even made by Plextor (just a differant manufacturer's drive with a Plextor label slapped on it). The PX-716A has four-times the cache, twice the transfer rate and is 50% faster at reading CDs over the PX-740A... Check it out!

The best thing about Plextor drives is excellent firmware support after the product is released... they are always updating what the drives can do. Plextor is the best company by far of the three, but I would get the 716A over the 740A.

 

[jlbenedict]

Originally posted by: Wolfshanze
If you can afford it, the Plextor PX-716A is a much better drive then the PX-740A, which is actually not even made by Plextor (just a differant manufacturer's drive with a Plextor label slapped on it). The PX-716A has four-times the cache, twice the transfer rate and is 50% faster at reading CDs over the PX-740A... Check it out!

The best thing about Plextor drives is excellent firmware support after the product is released... they are always updating what the drives can do. Plextor is the best company by far of the three, but I would get the 716A over the 740A.

Its easy to rattle off technical stats that really do not mean anything...
66mb/s vs 33mb/s.... do you actually think that realistically any optical device residing on the PATA bus can even approach the theoretical 33MB/S transfer rate? Its not even close..
This is like saying an UATA 133 drive is 33% faster than a UATA 100 drive.

and Plextor does manufacture the PX-740A.. you are referring to the fact it uses a 3rd party chipset... so no, its not a rebadged drive, as everyone claims

 

[LED]

I agree with Wofsnaze, however , Plextor has changed production from Japan to China and there is/was a QC problem with the 1st couple of batches of the 716A (ie. up to batches of the TLA#0203)...I'm an avid user of Plextor and they have recently released the 750A which has the TEAC mark on it and does write DVDRAM as will the Pioneer if the firmware is changed to the 110/A10XLA

 

[jlbenedict]

Originally posted by: LED
I agree with Wofsnaze, however , Plextor has changed production from Japan to China and there is/was a QC problem with the 1st couple of batches of the 716A (ie. up to batches of the TLA#0203)...I'm an avid user of Plextor and they have recently released the 750A which has the TEAC mark on it and does write DVDRAM as will the Pioneer if the firmware is changed to the 110/A10XLA

Wonder why the support for dvdram? I thought that was pretty much dead...

 

[LED]

DVDRAM will not die and it is very important to me...You can use Discs just like HD's and add to it whenever plus it can be rewritten many a times and for Music or backing up I prefer it.
I also have DVDRAM capabilities on my Home Unit

 

[jlbenedict]

Originally posted by: LED
DVDRAM will not die and it is very important to me...You can use Discs just like HD's and add to it whenever plus it can be rewritten many a times and for Music or backing up I prefer it.
I also have DVDRAM capabilities on my Home Unit

well... it looks like the PX-750A will have everyones needs covered :thumbsup:

 

[LED]

Yeppers and with the new Plexy not getting high praises as of yet, I would expect a new firmware for it soon as it actually is the Teac OEM with the Panasonic chipset...

The only Optical Drives in the past that came close to equally Plextors quality/QC/support was produced by the now no longer Yamahas IMO...