What's a good 16X DVD ROM Drive to get?

[Earwax]

So I'm upgrading my Sony 5x DVD-ROM that I've had for the last 3 years in order to do some DVD ripping. This has been a good drive, except for the fact that it is incredibly slow when reading CDs. Can anyone recommend a fast 16X DVDROM that will get at least 20X on CDs? I'm looking to spend around $40.

 

[cchen]

You could get a Liteon, which is pretty cheap and very fast. I myself have a Pioneer slot load which isn't as fast but looks a lot cooler 😉

 

[bacillus]

another vote for the liteon!

 

[Earwax]

Ok, liteon it is. I've never dealt with them before, but I've read a lot of favorable reviews for their 16X drive so I'll give them a try. Plus, it's hard to beat $40 shipped.

 

[Adul]

i like my toshiba, tips dvd ok, and is quiet.

 

[mrbios]

I have a LG 16x DVD, and it FAST. It's dirt cheap nowadays as well. I've never owned the Liteon one myself, but a friend does, and frankly, it just "feels" cheaper than LG. Both are good speed and cheap though, so just get whatever.

Russell "Mr.Bios" Sampson

 

[Judgement]

My Toshiba 16x drive is the loudest drive I've ever heard... I bought it because it was supposed to be quiet and I was pretty disappointed the first time I heard it when I started to install a game.

Most people have said there Toshiba was quiet though, so maybe I got a crappy one :\

 

[Earwax]

Well the Sony drive I have now sounds like a japanese motorcycle engine every time it tries to read a CD. Then it frequently starts shaking and it sounds like a buzzsaw, so anything will be an improvement.

 

[hoodwink]

I got the Lite-On 16X recently... it's not the quietest dvd-rom but performance (ripping, reading) is very satisfactory... can't go wrong for under 40 bucks...