Recommendations on CD-Writers?

[mordeth]

Looking to buy a CD-Writer and had the Samsung SW252BRNS in mind. The 8mb Buffer is what caught my eye. For $50 I think I can't go wrong. Does the 8mb Buffer over the other 2mb buffers really make a difference? What Brands and Models do you guys recommend? Should I stick with an IDE CD-Writer or do you think I should switch to FireWire or USB? Will there be a speed increase? Portability is not an issue, the drive will stay in my computer. Thanks all.

 

[Budman]

Lite-On

 

[Fallen Kell]

Another Lite-On recommendation here as well.

 

[Ime]

Lite-On all the way.

 

[magomago]

liteon


As for the buffer I doubt ti really matters though I wonder how i can at 48x which is 7.2megs a second with a 2meg buffer but with burn proof its a moot point anyway

 

[newbiepcuser]

Lite-on or the new 52x Plextor coming out.

 

[lenjack]

Lite-on....

 

[Auric]

A larger buffer should enable to continue writing at top speed rather than pausing which is essentially what happens when "burn proof" kicks in. Beware that only retail drives outside of Asia may have the 8MB buffer while OEM will have 2MB. Samsung drives are reportedly very quiet also which cannot be said for lower-tier manufacturers. LG is the other top manufacturer to look at. Although Lite-On has made good and cheap drives I don't think they can compare on quality and features -particularly quiet. Stick with IDE for non-portable.

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: Budman
Lite-On

 

[boi]

Originally posted by: Budman
Lite-On

 

[Windogg]

Lite-On or any rebadged Lite-On (Sony, Cendyne, Verbatim, etc.)

8MB buffer is less of an issue since the Burn-Proof technology will stop the laser. The big buffer was good in the old days when a laser could not stop once it started writing. Any loss in the data stream would lead to a coaster. Many Yamaha chipset based drives use a 16MB buffer AKA Waste-Proof. This is because those drive cannot stop the laser and hope 16MB is enough to hold the drive until more data can be pumped to the burner.

Windogg

 

[Jeff7181]

I really wish Nero would allow me to use more than 80 MB of RAM as a cache. I have 512 now, and soon I'll have 1 GB (waiting for the mail to come). I could practically cache the entire CD in RAM... then I could probably burn at 1,000X without any trouble =)

 

[TheCorm]

Originally posted by: lenjack
Lite-on....

OR

If you have money to burn...Plextor
If you want something a bit quieter...LG

Samsung are OK too but I didn't find them to be as good as the above drives.

Jamie

 

[DaFinn]

I have the Samsung 248B at home, and I am very happy with it! It's quiet, fast and reliable. I also have an LG at work, and that is prolly the quietest drive out there. And works fine too!

After my brother had some bad experiences with Lite-On (2 drives died within a week...) I decided not to touch any Lite-on based writer.



-DaFinn

 

[WTT0001]

I have the Samsung 348B Combo Drive and I like it as it is quiet and is much faster than the TDK it replaced.

Most will recommend Plextor if you can afford it or Lite-on if you are looking for a decent cheap burner.

Good Luck,

WTT

 

[lenjack]

Lite-on not only because it is cheap...it is also an excellent product.

 

[arcenite]

Lite-On for price
LG for quietness
Plextor for the top of the line mess in your pants quality.

Bill

 

[DieHardware]

Originally posted by: Budman
Lite-On

 

[Auric]

WTT0001, Does the Samsung combo drive have disc retainers on the tray for vertical operation?

 

[alkemyst]

for SCSI plextor is the shiznit, I want to up to their newest SCSI burner even though my 12/10/32S is fast enough for my usage

 

[arcenite]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
I really wish Nero would allow me to use more than 80 MB of RAM as a cache. I have 512 now, and soon I'll have 1 GB (waiting for the mail to come). I could practically cache the entire CD in RAM... then I could probably burn at 1,000X without any trouble =)

It would take a few mins to write all that data into the memory..

Bill

 

[SLCentral]

I also have to say Lite-On, whether you're looking for a IDE drive or external. I did a roundup of a internal 52x Liteon and two external Lite-On's, and maybe that can help your decision. Here.

Lite-On offers excellent performance for a low price, so that's why I think thats the best pick.

 

[Challenger]

Another Lite-On vote