POLL: Which single optical drive would you get?

[Gerbil333]

I'm going to upgrade to a DVD burner, but I only want a single optical drive, and I'll still want to burn CD-R's quickly.

NEC ND-3500A -- The specs meet all my needs, but doesn't seem to write as cleanly as the Pioneer.

Pioneer DVR-108 -- It seems to be the best 16X DVD burner, but it can only do 32X CD-R's...

Plextor PX-712A -- It can do 48X CD-R's, but it's the slowest of the 3, and I don't think it can do DL.

 

[kyparrish]

the NEC

I had the 2500A for a while, and it was the best optical drive i've ever owned

 

[Corporate Thug]

NEC ND-3500A

 

[Budman]

Pioneer DVR-108:thumbsup:

 

[Feldenak]

Right now I'm leaning toward the Lite-On 1213S

I'm in the market for one as well so I'll be keeping an eye on your thread.

 

[Gerbil333]

Originally posted by: Feldenak
Right now I'm leaning toward the Lite-On 1213S

I'm in the market for one as well so I'll be keeping an eye on your thread.

I would consider Lite-On, but their drives aren't as nice as NEC/Plextor/Pioneer. I've used about 4 Lite-On 52x burners and a combo drive, and they're all noisier. I've only had problems with one. It melted discs. Newegg RMA'ed it.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: Gerbil333

Originally posted by: Feldenak
Right now I'm leaning toward the Lite-On 1213S

I'm in the market for one as well so I'll be keeping an eye on your thread.

I would consider Lite-On, but their drives aren't as nice as NEC/Plextor/Pioneer. I've used about 4 Lite-On 52x burners and a combo drive, and they're all noisier. I've only had problems with one. It melted discs. Newegg RMA'ed it.

Yeah, I've got a Lite-On CD burner and it can get noisy. The noise doesn't bother me too much because I can close the front "door" on my case and it reduces the noise enough.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

still using DW800A drives

 

[Gerbil333]

Originally posted by: Feldenak

Yeah, I've got a Lite-On CD burner and it can get noisy. The noise doesn't bother me too much because I can close the front "door" on my case and it reduces the noise enough.

Same here. I have a Lite-On 48x24x48x16 combo drive in an aluminum Chieftec dragon tower, and a Lite-On 40x12x48x CD-RW drive in an identical case (but a different color). Shutting the door does help.

However, I built a A64 3000+ rig for a friend several weeks ago with two optical drives; a NEC and a Lite-On. At the time, the NEC ND-2500A was the best DVD burner. I didn't want to limit him to burning CD-R's at 32x, so I also put a Lite-On 52x drive in the system. The NEC was much quieter. It looked, felt, and sounded to be of much higher quality than the Lite-On.

 

[guptasa1]

I went with the Plextor 712-A recently. Very happy overall.

You're right, and it doesn't do DL. Unfortunately, I looked only at Plextor drives and didn't really realize this was out there yet. Had I done more research with other manufacturers, I might have reconsidered a DL model.

BUT, that said, this is my first writable DVD drive, and I think I'll enjoy it. Plextor's are GREAT quality, it's fast and quiet, and it works very well so far (haven't burned a DVD yet, but I have done CD's). I certainly wouldn't say it's a bad choice.

 

[Gerbil333]

Originally posted by: guptasa1
BUT, that said, this is my first writable DVD drive, and I think I'll enjoy it. Plextor's are GREAT quality, it's fast and quiet, and it works very well so far (haven't burned a DVD yet, but I have done CD's). I certainly wouldn't say it's a bad choice.

Post here when you get the chance to burn a DVD. I'd like to know how it performs. I've heard that there's little speed difference between 12x and 16x drives, especially when drives use different methods of writing. So, the Plextor may actually be able to write as quickly as the other two burners.

 

[CraigRT]

I'd get the Pioneer... they make excellent optical drives!!!

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: Gerbil333

Originally posted by: Feldenak

Yeah, I've got a Lite-On CD burner and it can get noisy. The noise doesn't bother me too much because I can close the front "door" on my case and it reduces the noise enough.

Same here. I have a Lite-On 48x24x48x16 combo drive in an aluminum Chieftec dragon tower, and a Lite-On 40x12x48x CD-RW drive in an identical case (but a different color). Shutting the door does help.

However, I built a A64 3000+ rig for a friend several weeks ago with two optical drives; a NEC and a Lite-On. At the time, the NEC ND-2500A was the best DVD burner. I didn't want to limit him to burning CD-R's at 32x, so I also put a Lite-On 52x drive in the system. The NEC was much quieter. It looked, felt, and sounded to be of much higher quality than the Lite-On.

Keep talking....you're slowly convincing me to take a harder look at the NEC drive.

 

[Gerbil333]

The only reason I'm not considering a Lite-On this time is because I've heard a few bad stories from users of their DVD burners. Customer reviews at Newegg show similar results...of course, there are plenty of 5 star reviews too

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: Gerbil333
The only reason I'm not considering a Lite-On this time is because I've heard a few bad stories from users of their DVD burners. Customer reviews at Newegg show similar results...of course, there are plenty of 5 star reviews too

Yeah, I love upgrading and putting new components in my rig but this research all starts to run together after awihle.

 

[Gerbil333]

Research is half the fun! I remember most of it.

 

[EGGO]

The NEC one looks pretty nice. I'll get that as my second drive.

Have you looked at the Optical Drives in the Buyer's Guide that's stickied here?

 

[Gerbil333]

Yes, I have looked at that. Notice my needs don't match that though...the Pioneer can only do 32x CD-R's. I'd only put up with that if it could make up for it by being significantly better at burning DVD's (by being quicker and writing fewer coasters).

So far the NEC seems to be the best choice.

 

[Lyfer]

I plan on getting the NEC3500A during payday, will it be able to burn 16x with Ritek 8x DVD+R media? What are some good media to use with this try that will be trouble-free?

 

[Gerbil333]

Good question since I've decided to go with the NEC for sure

Another thing I'm wondering is why only 30 people voted, but there were over 250 views...