Which DVD Burner company is the best?

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macrospect

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 22, 2004
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Alright, I am probably asking the easiest question that has been asked alot of times in this forum (yes I used the search) I can find any strait answer.

Lately my TDK 840G DVD burner has been generating ALOT of coasters. I mean there is 3 for like 1 good cd/dvd. Tried cleaning it, upgraded its firmware. Isnt the disks either, tried them in another burner and they work fine. So with this think being out of warranty and all I am on a quest for a new one. I think I sadly lost my trust in TDK drives. Its pretty bad when this burner writes to Sony and Memorex disks but wont write to TDK ones (I dont think even think TDK could figure that one out)!!!!

So with them out of the list, who is left that makes a really quality dvd drive? I am willing to spend the cash, just as long as its the drive is efficent and doesnt generate many coasters. I have been HIGHLY considering Sony's DVD drives (too bad their newest model isnt black-faced), but at the same time I have been reading NEC makes a fairly kick-ass drive (the ND-3500A). Ive never considered NEC to be a great company, but maybe I have the wrong impression.

So which is the best manufacturer to go with Sony, NEC, someone else? I dont have any experience with any other manufacturers, other than TDK.

Thanks for any help/suggestions!
DaRkF0g
 
My personal opinion is that Plextor is the best. They've consistently had the best burners since the cd-burning days.

However, I'm a little thrifty, so I bought a NEC-2510. It's been rock solid. I don't know about the new 3500 series though, maybe someone else can chime in.

What kind of discs are you using? When buying, look for "Made in Japan" on the label; that means it's most likely made by Taiyo Yuden, the company that originated the formula for recordable cds and dvds. They're consistently top-notch. I've also found prodisc (rebadged as fujifilm) excellent as well.
 
the NEC ND-3520A is probably the best DL DVD burner on the market for the price (currently less than 60 bucks at most online retailers)

I haven't had a coaster yet, and I own and use several.
 
Price no matter= Plextor

Price matter= Lite-on/NEC/BenQ.
 
Tiny said:
Price no matter= Plextor

Price matter= Lite-on/NEC/BenQ.
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QFT. The sexy Plexy would be in my box if I had the sexy cash. MaxPC just did a review on it, rated perfect 10, fastest drive, etc etc etc. Having said that, ~$125 is a bit much to shell out for a drive when I can buy two 3500's for the same price.

 
Well, I found a deal I couldnt resist tonight. I went out and picked myself up a Sony DRU-720A. Has dual layer capibilities and seemed like a reasonable price for the features, as well as speeds it had. Ill have to see how well it preforms, I think it should work just peachy. Sony has a good reputation for their drives too. :)

Thanks for the feedback all, if I dont like this drive for whatever reason ill return it and buy a Plextor :)
 
The plextor sa716 (pata) version has a $30 rebate. Its almost at the end of the rebate cycle, but I think the best price on it is from Chiefvalue.com for $116 minus $30 rebate placing it at $86.

This gives you a retail package (pretty weak package IMO) but AR its $86. Its still $20 more than the NEC's but its not _that_ much more.

I'm sure people will comment about NEC being more of a value, and I can see what they are saying. However, I wanted a Plexwriter as my drive so I bought the 712 and paid $79 AR last October.

Realistically, the only poor thing I have heard about the NEC is its slow ripping speed. For $62 its a fantastic burner.

For $86 the plexwriter would be my next drive.

C'mon, remember when 8x CD writers were $200???? What about $300 for a 4x DVD burner 2 years ago? We're quibbling over $20 that blows the prices and quality of yesteryear out of the water.

However, its your money, spend it however you see fit, thats the IMPORTANT thing. :)
 
Plextor SATA drives, Then the NEC's, then LiteOn.

I have a BenQ DW1620 drive which is really nice, and an NEC 8x. Can't remember the specific model number, it's picky with media. I've also owned a Sony DRU-510A. For the money, NEC is unbeatable though.
 
I just got a plextor PX-716a about a week ago, it's been a very good drive. My speeds on it have been very awesome. I have some friends that have the NEC burners and are really a bargan at the price they sell for. the only bad I have seen about the NECs are the slow rip speeds, but at 50 to 60 bucks it's a bargan. I got my Plextor for 99 bucks after rebate.
 
The top level Pioneet DL DVD burner is pretty damn nice, mainly cause its friggin silent and still burns at the higher speeds :) Plus it has a really shiny button on it haha
 
Heh you guys are really making me think again about my purchase. I also read a few reviews, and discovered on some burns the Sony drive I have makes quite a few P/O errors. The plextor on the other hand I found, makes very few, well at least in acceptable limits.

Heh flashed the firmware in the sony last night, but I dont think I will have a problem returning it!

:sigh: off to more research, the plextor keeps sounding better and better!
 
Bullitt said:
C'mon, remember when 8x CD writers were $200???? What about $300 for a 4x DVD burner 2 years ago? We're quibbling over $20 that blows the prices and quality of yesteryear out of the water.
Click to expand...

Not only do I remember paying $200 for my 8x HP CDR (non-CDRW) it's still in my machine and works as well today as it did five years ago.


 
has anyone tried the Plextor PX-716AL Drive? I have been dieing to get another slot load since my last pioneer bit the dust.. it's expensive but I am jamming it into an older plextor external cdrw usb.2 case and I hate trays.

http://www.plextor.com/english/products/716AL.htm

716al.gif
 
arkamw said:
Not only do I remember paying $200 for my 8x HP CDR (non-CDRW) it's still in my machine and works as well today as it did five years ago.


Click to expand...
Lol I too am one of those people, I have a old hp 9500i drive I use in another computer :)

Alright did some research and user reviews on the plextor PX 716A drives, and found they wrote great but for some they were hard to get to work. For one thing I read MANY people couldnt get this drive to write at all. Theres alot of new technology in it that matches the burn speed with the media speed and such. Im not too fond of things like that. Some say that a better firmware could fix some of these problems. But for now it looks like my Sony drive is for the most part a decent drive. You just have to make sure you dont buy generic media (already knew that :p ) for it.

Oh and for those who are curious I spent $119 on it, and it has a $30 rebate that I have to mail in. I just dont think I can go wrong with sony, they are a well known company who has been around for quite a few years.

As with any drive it has its up's and downs. :)

At this point I dont know, I mean I COULD return it and buy the one from chieftechvalue or newegg for $90 with the rebates. Im stuck at this point!

opinions? comments?
 
magnetik said:
I wonder if he means a Panasonic.
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Panasonic is a brand of Matsushita. However, the drive I am referring to is the SuperDrive found on the 20" iMac I use at work. ;) Rock solid drive; no coasters yet.
 
DaRkF0g said:
Lol I too am one of those people, I have a old hp 9500i drive I use in another computer :)

Alright did some research and user reviews on the plextor PX 716A drives, and found they wrote great but for some they were hard to get to work. For one thing I read MANY people couldnt get this drive to write at all.
Click to expand...


I'm not sure what issues people are having with not getting it to burn at all, I know the SATA models are kinda picky as to which motherboard controllers it will work with. Keeping that in mind, I went with the PATA version because only my opticals are on the PATA interfaces, my hdd's are on SATA. The 712 has been good as gold to me thusfar. The media compatibility is excellent.

If price is a factor, go with the cheaper one (sony, liteon, NEC, pioneer), but price wasnt that big a factor in my decision and I am thouroughly pleased with the performance, speed, acoustic level with my plextor. I'll be picking up a 716 for another build while the rebate is still good.

Speaking objectively, All the burners you are looking at are excellent, I went with Plextor because from the reviews I read, they are more compatible with the various media out there and I wasnt sure what I could get my hands on. If you are going to burn with TY stuff, any writer will suit your needs perfectly.
 
Well no going back now. I cut the UPC off the box. At any matter I burned 4 dvd's today. Each wrote flawlessly. 2 of the 4 disks were generic white-label ones off of ebay and I had no problems with them.

Turns out this is a really nice burner. Now to try some dual layer disks :) Oh and to get rid on all these 1X DVD+/-RW's :p
 
magnetik said:
has anyone tried the Plextor PX-716AL Drive? I have been dieing to get another slot load since my last pioneer bit the dust.. it's expensive but I am jamming it into an older plextor external cdrw usb.2 case and I hate trays.

http://www.plextor.com/english/products/716AL.htm

http://www.thunderpimp.com/pics/716al.gif
Click to expand...

No, but I would love to. Slot would go perfect in the custom case I am planning. Makes the vertical mounting easy. But I may just try and sweet talk my aunt out of her 716A, it has been sitting, unopened, in her window sill for about a month and a half now.
 
would you guys go with the sata drive or pata drive if going with the plextor and having a mb that supports both?
 
t. shuffle said:
I had no idea that Plextor made any slot load drives. That is just dead sexy. :eek:
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Yeah.. I think they just came out recently.. I always loved slot load.. I had a pioneer dvd and pioneer cd that I loved. This is the best of both worlds x 10. I am so sick of trays.
 
Jared701 said:
would you guys go with the sata drive or pata drive if going with the plextor and having a mb that supports both?
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If I had the cash I would go with SATA (Not that much more) Its easier to hide the cable in the back ;)
 
Yeah, for this generation of burners there is no realworld benefit to SATA over IDE other than cable management. However, since Plextor's last forever and a day, if you have future upgrades planned then I would go with the SATA. The price difference isn't really that much when you add in the fact that it is a safe bet that the SATA device is more future proof than IDE.

The slot load from Plextor is now at the top of my list. Just waiting for BF2 to come out and see what prices are then for a complete new system.
 
Plextor is arguably the best but personally i'd take a NEC or Benq myself.

The NEC 3520A and Benq DW1620 offer about the best performance for the price.
 
Sony just Blows chunks, i will never buy a sony product ever again after using their crappy 4x CDRW drive

IMO plextor is not as good as it was before and for the price it is probably the worst, i dont see spending that much when you can get a drive that burns just as good for less than ½ the price

my rating goes out to the

#1 Pioneer DVR-109, its one of the fastest @ 6x±DL also its only $89CDN or less at some stores
#2 NEC3520 does 4x±DL slower but the burn quality is just as good

those are the only 2 i would get

what sucks is Sony, Benq, liteon, LG
why? they are all around $80CDN and none of the ones at the store i looked at can do 4x±DL

SOHW-1673S
GSA-4163
BDW1620
DW-D22A
any toshiba drive

the benq spits out coasters like theres no tomorrow

ive burned over 400 DVD±R's on my pioneer DVR-108 reflashed to piodata with ALL kinds of media both Expensive and cheap garbage. they ALL work amazingly. not one coaster. the peice of garbage Toshiba 4x DVDRW in my dads laptop can't even recognize some AML DVDr media yet my pioneer burns it flawlessly. the DVD doesn't even skip in the cheapest DVD standalone player i could find (some crap $40 citizen DVD player)
 
I found a new pic of the new Plextor PX-716AL slot loaded dvd player... I can't find anyone that has it in stock tho. I know it's expensive since ur paying "early adopter" prices.. but this totally will fit my needs... and I don't give a damn if I can get 3 nec's for that price! ;) gotta pay to play.

Death to trays!!!

716al2.gif
 
magnetik said:
I found a new pic of the new Plextor PX-716AL slot loaded dvd player... I can't find anyone that has it in stock tho. I know it's expensive since ur paying "early adopter" prices.. but this totally will fit my needs... and I don't give a damn if I can get 3 nec's for that price! ;) gotta pay to play.

Death to trays!!!

716al2.gif
Click to expand...


i'll never give up my coffee holder!
 
Im still a bit questionable about the front loader. I dont know how fast the wear out, and when they stop (grabbing) cd's. (Its probably nothing to worry about)

As for my Sony, not a single coaster yet :)

NO complaints here! Lets hope it stays that way :p
 
my favorites are LiteOn, NEC, Plextor. I'm not a richboy so i buy the cheaper LiteOn's and NEC's
 
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