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which optical?!

oops* edited links should work now.

If i don't have dvd burning software do you think its worth it to spring for the BenQ (which has lightscribe as well)?
 
The BenQ 1640 was a great drive, and if the latest models are based off it, I would go for the BenQ. I have a Lite-On and a NEC and neither are as smooth or quiet as the BenQ. The 1640 also seems to be less picky with respect to media.

CDfreaks is the place to go for optical drive advice.
 
Originally posted by: Bobthelost
BenQ 1640, i say this as someone who's got several NECs.

1640 is no longer available through BenQ but Plextor and Sony variants may still be found.
The 1st BenQ drive listed (with the LS) is a newer model of the 1640 and it seems to be getting good reviews as well. I think any 165X or higher should be fine.

The 2nd BenQ drive is not considered a good optical option (DQ60) so avoid that drive.

 
Originally posted by: evilsaint
I have to recommend Lite-on, as they're basically just Plextor drives, IIRC.

Where did you get that idea? I've never seen anybody recommend Lite-on for anything but CD-RWs.

 
Probably gonna go with the BenQ after some reading. Last question - I was always confused by ATA/IDE - are they the same interface? Just wanted to make sure i could plug my ide cable into this benq without needing some kind of converter or anything.

Thanks for all your help!
 
Originally posted by: purpleparalyzer
Probably gonna go with the BenQ after some reading. Last question - I was always confused by ATA/IDE - are they the same interface? Just wanted to make sure i could plug my ide cable into this benq without needing some kind of converter or anything.

Thanks for all your help!

What makes you think the BenQ is better? Just wondering. Kinda seems like a waste of $11 when you compare it to the NEC... unless you really want LightScribe. But LightScribe needs special media and takes 30 min to burn the label. In the older stuff I looked at on cdrlabs.com, I think Plextor, Pioneer and NEC drives always had better burn quality than BenQ.

 
The 109 was ******, the 110 was alright but nothing special.

The 3550 was an ok one sheep burner, but didn't support bitsetting out of the box, and according to NEC never will.

The 1640 was a two sheep burner, good burn quality, feature set and price range. Check out cdfreaks for reviews on it, and look at thier recomended drive section, BenQ is best.
 
Why does anybody think bitsetting matters? All it does is make really old DVD players want to play the DVD, but that's usually irrelevant, because if your DVD player is that old, it usually doesn't like DVD-R media, anyway. So now instead of refusing to play the disc altogether, it plays it and skips.

Personally, I have a 1st gen Sony and a 1st gen Panasonic player both from 1997 which both play DVD-Rs fine unless it's generic media. I just can't imagine what use anybody would have for bitsetting a DVD+R. If you're concerned about compatability, getting a burner that actually has better burn quality and using -R is more likely to help you with compatability than using +R and bitsetting it.

Besides, you can flash the NEC to enable bitsetting, right?

And what's this talk about burning sheep?
 
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