My computer currently has an internal DVD-Rom drive and an internal CD-RW drive. I've been thinking about swapping one out for an internal DVD+RW/DVD-RW drive.
Which old drive should I leave in and which one should I toss?
Or am I better off leaving both optical drives in and getting an external DVD+RW/DVD-RW drive?
What brand/model recommendations do people have for internal and external DVD+RW/DVD-RW drives? I'm inclined to pay more and get better rather than look for a bargain (i.e., if there are performance trade-offs in less expensive units).
A. How comfortable are you in changing out drives internally?
B. What are you using your current drives for? Ripping, 1 to 1 copy, backups etc.
C. If you are going external, what interface? USB 2.0 or firewire.
Currently my box has two internal, Sony DRU-800A (OEM lite-on 1693S), Sony DRU-820A Multi-format (OEM BenQ DW1670). And two external both w/lightscribe and USB 2.0, HP DVD740E (OEM LG 4166B), LG GSA-2166B Multi-format.
The only problems I've run into is for some reason my pressed copy of Sin City Recut, Unrated, Extended overwrites the first half of the firmware in my DRU-800, and the HP's USB chipset is conflicting with my X-FI Fatality soundcard (EAX module) when I go to shutdown.
I'd keep the DVD-ROM drive. Your new DVD burner will be able to burn CD's, so you don't need the CD burner anymore.
Just yesterday, I ordered a [invalid URL removed]BenQ DW-1670 DVD burner. It will burn virtually every format and will burn DVD+R's so that they look like DVD ROM's which creates better compatibility with older DVD players.
The 1670 is an upgrade of the 1650, which is an upgrade of the 1640. There are a bunch of reviews of the two older models as well as a few of the current one online.
Don't worry about price. Online, DVD burners are really inexpensive. I got the BenQ for $38 with free shipping.
Armed with the how-to article that Oatmeal kindly linked, I'm definitely going to tackle the installation myself rather than pay BestBuy's Geek Squad $39 to do the job!
justalurker wrote:What's the difference, if any, between what I'd get if I bought the Sony DRU-820A that justaluker has rather than [just?] the BenQ DW1670 that Bill ordered?
Is the Sony bundled with special software [Nero?] that doesn't come with the BenQ? Or is it just two different brand names on the same piece of hardware?
#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03
Posted - Aug 26 2006 : 3:27AM
Dunno about the Sony. Probably you're just paying extra to have the drive door say "Sony" instead of "Benq."
Be aware that the Nero that is bundled with these drives is generally *not* the full version of Nero, but rather some kind of cheapie cut-down version. IMHO, if you don't already have Nero, and want it, you're better off buying it separately, and just getting a bare drive.
Same exact drive, was released months before the 1670 too. BenQ used to make really good drives, Lite-on bought them earlier in the year though. So you might want to keep that in mind.
That's pretty much it. BenQ makes the drive and sells it to other companies who rebadge it. [invalid URL removed]Based on the price of the Sony (between $84 & $123), I wouldn't be surprised if BenQ was selling this drive to Sony for nearly the same price that they are selling it to retailers. The Sony is probably sold only as the retail version, in a nice box with the well known (translation: expensive) Sony name on it.
The BenQ will likely be shipped wrapped in bubble wrap.
The $38 version of the drive that I linked to, comes with an OEM verison of Nero (it appears to be Nero 6, Nero has recently released version 7).
If you don't want Nero, the same site is selling the [invalid URL removed]DW-1670 for $35.99 bundled with some DVD labeling software instead of Nero.
Nero is really good software. I've never used the OEM version, but my guess is that after using it for a while, you might end up wanting to buy the full version.
Bill wrote:How does the novice determine who the oringinal equipment manufacturer is for a particular piece of hardware?It's just a sub-assembly so why not, right?I have Roxio Media Creator. Do I need the Nero software in addition?
The same way that everyone else does it. Search the Internet for reviews.Since it only costs a couple of dollars, I would definitely give Nero a shot. It's a powerful piece of software.
You're welcome Bob. It's an easy install, the only things to watch for are the Master/Slave/Cable select on the back and (if applicable) to keep it on a different ide cable from the hard drives.
I have the full version of nero and it's really good. But I also have an older version of Roxio (on a different computer) and it's good as well. The "express" version of Nero does a lot of the basics in a pinch.
If you didn't have any burner software I'd suggest you avoid the Sony drive since it would come with proprietary software... perhaps even a root-kit.
I'm sure Sony is trying to figure out how they can incorporate a Memory Stick or a Mini Disc to screw us over.
I suggest CDRinfo at http://www.cdrinfo.com/Home.aspx under Reviews -> Optical Storage. They generally have the audacity to actually *test* drives by burning disks of many types and then measuring the read-back quality of those discs.
Lite-On drives have a "disc quality" measurement capability Nero knows how to read. This means you can tell how good a disk burn really is rather than just a yes/no on whether or not a particular read-back succeeds. Not all drives do this.
My personal opinion is that most of the drives are OK now - most manufacturers are on their 5th or 6th generation and they've got the basics down. It's not like the old days when there was Plextor and a bunch of garbage.
Much more important is the choice of discs you burn. If you want to read it in five years or your job or business depend on it then take this seriously. Taiyo-Yuden is generally the best media, together with Mitsui (MAM-A) in CDR, and quality falls off rapidly from there.
One thing that the link that Oatmeal provided didn't include is the last step that you should perform. Go to [invalid URL removed]The Firmware Page, click on "download firmware" in the Navigate box on the left, find your brand DVD recorder, then find your model and download the most current firmware. Then run the program that you downloaded. It will update your drive with the most current firmware. As new blank DVD's come out with faster speeds, both in single & dual layers, updated firmware allows you to write as well as possible.
Please note, if your PC shuts down while updating firmware, it's possible that your DVD drive will stop working. So, if you're not connected to a UPS, make sure that you update your firmware on a nice day where the likelyhood of losing electricity, even for a few minutes is low. Updating firmware only takes 2 or 3 minutes.
After mulling things over and reading more reviews, I ordered the BenQ DW1670 over the weekend. The high-end Plextor was tempting -- but at $100 more than the BenQ, I decided to pass on it.
Go to BenQ's website and download the Qsuite DVD Re-Writing Toolkit. It contains a tool that will allow you to write to DVD+R's with a booktype of DVD-ROM. Some older DVD players have problems playing recordable DVD's. By writing with a booktype of DVD-ROM, the disc will trick the DVD player into thinking that it's playing back a pre-recorded disc rather than a +R.
Benq's website doesn't have all of the support info up for the 1670 yet. But the same software works across the different drives. So you can download it from the [invalid URL removed]1650 page.
On Friday, Benq released a new version of the firmware for the 1670. It's not on the "firmware page" that I linked to earlier in this thread. It's on [invalid URL removed]Benq's support website. I would upgrade the firmware once th drive is installed.
