Quiet DVD-Rom? Good for ripping/reading CDs/DVDs a MUST

[MichaelD]

I've got a 16x LiteOn DVD-Rom from a ways back; got to be 5-6 years old. 168S or something like that is the model #. LiteOn never released any new firmware for this model, so its a bit behind the times.

I bought it b/c of it's ripping capabilities. It still does very well at ripping DVDs and CDs; the problem is that it sounds like a hair dryer on steroids.

I haven't shopped for a READER in years. Back then, sound (the noise the drive makes while in use) didn't matter to me. Now it does.

So, what's the "gold standard" these days for ripping capability while being quiet?

Thanks.

ps
I'm all for "New firmware from the Manufacturer" but please no suggestions for any drive with some dude's hacked firmware. That always leads to trouble <--been there, done that

 

[MichaelD]

I've got those, middle of the day, nobody answering my posts, what the heck, blues...

 

[Operandi]

My Plextor is quietest DVD burner I've ever heard, they are also very good about firmware updates. Second best is Samsung so if you don't want to pay the "Plextor premium" I wuld go that way.

I've used NEC, Samsung, LG, Lite On, and Sony Drives within the last few years, and yes Lite-ons are ridiculously loud.

 

[oynaz]

My NEC is quite quiet.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The NEC 3550A burner in my gaming PC ( is quiet and ) does a good job of ripping CDs with Exact Audio Copy, but I haven't tried DVDs with it.

I just use Netflix and rent again if I want to watch again, especially now that the HD formats exist. Unless I was travelling or converting to a portable for commuting, why build a library of overcompressed 480i when I can rent a high-bitrate 1080p version of the movie next year instead?