What's currently the best DVD-ROM drive? (must be quiet!)

[beefkake]

I just bought my new system, and I bought a Toshiba 1612 (16X) DVD-ROM drive, because I have a Toshiba cd-rom drive that's 8 years old and still runs great. I like that kind of reliability. However, I got the drive in and it is LOUD AS HELL! Running the Windows XP installation, I couldn't believe my ears.

So anyway, can someone recommend a DVD-ROM drive that is very high quality, reads most of the new formats, and won't break my eardrums (I know these drives are quieter when playing DVDs and doing stuff at low rpms, but I want something that's reasonably quiet at all speeds)? Something sold by Newegg.com would be nice, but not needed.

Thanks!

 

[bacillus]

liteon x16 dvd!

 

[beefkake]

I noticed that the Toshiba plays DVD-RAM, and most the others don't. Is this a big deal? Is DVD-RAM going to be a dominant standard?

 

[neuralfx]

ya the liteon LTD-163 is the current leader at storagereview .. i would buy it ..
-neural

 

[LostHiWay]

All 16x DVD drives are gonna be loud. Toshiba is actually one of the quietest.

 

[Duvie]

DVD-ram??? To early to tell...There are a couple of different formats available at the time being. I think the lite-on will play dvd-r and dvd-rw's...not 100 percent on that as I have never tried it.

Also I believe unless they fixed it from the toshiba 12x the drive is limited in dvd ripping speed...

 

[erikiksaz]

I doubt you would want a Pioneer Slot Load, that sucker is pretty loud as well.

 

[rpeAMP]

Yeah I have the Pioneer slot-load drive and it is great, but it can get pretty loud. I love the slot-loading feature though.

 

[bluesky]

It seems DVD-RW+ or DVD-R will come out as the winner, not DVD-RAM.

 

[beefkake]

I noticed that part of my problem was the mounting of the drive in the case. I tightened the screws, and it helped a bit. It's still loud at full RPMs, but it's more tolerable. Also, it supports DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and DVD-R, so I'm real safe with it no matter what wins out. I guess I'll just keep it until something (noticeably) better comes a long. They quieted down hard drives a great deal over the past couple years, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they do the same with DVD drives. I'll just wait until that happens I guess.

 

[zsouthboy]

You could probably quiet it down your self, use some rubber washers, some insulation, etc. Just don't void the warranty!

zs

 

[BlitzRommel]

Shameless plug for Pioneer. The slot-loading 16x really works for me, and is rather quiet (or seems so with my frickin Delta fans)

 

[MWink]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, go get Nero DriveSpeed! It lets you set the speed of your CD-ROM. It does not work on all drives but I think it will work with Toshiba drives. I recommend 8X as it is quiet yet fast enough for almost anything.