If you are going IDE, my suggestion is Toshiba for CD-ROM or DVD. For SCSI CD-ROM, Plextor is the way to go. Toshiba is also my choice for SCSI DVD. As far as a CDRW, I'd go with a Plextor (or one of the rebranded derivatives), or Yamaha. Plextor's IDE CDRW's with Burnproof are very nice and are probably the best choice there as well. I have a HP 9350i which is 10x4x32. That would be a solid choice as well. I haven't made a coaster yet, and I've burned everything so far at 10X (on 8x media no less) except for some audio that I burned at 2x.
Ideally, the best way to go is to have a DVD drive and a CDRW. That way you can copy disc-to-disc as well as have complete CD-ROM and DVD capability.