Which DVD Drive to choose?

[SilverEye]

I am trying to decide between two Internal drives and looking for people who has had experience with either brand/ and or model.

ARTEC DVDROM 16X IDE DHM-G48 Price $40



LITE-ON XJ-HD166S 16X DVD ROM Price 41 (note same model as LTD-166S16X , just Lite-On doesnt Manufacture their DVD anymore and outsources it to JVC)


Both include PowerDVD
the Artec using a slim amount more power on the 12v side (0.2A at max)
Seeks times appear little faster <115ms(Artec) compared to 120ms typical(lite-on)
Cant find what Lite-oN drives buffer at, but Artec is 512KB


What I am looking for
Quiet
Startup or content loading(want to avoid hyper loads, and the big swoosh)
Customer Service
Ease of Installation
Durability

 

[Whitecloak]

i have the lite-on 166s drive. Its pretty good

 

[DusterAZ]

I have that same LiteOn DVD drive also, works great. I use it with my LiteOn 48x burner and have not burned any coasters yet.

 

[bacillus]

liteon!

 

[Topher]

I'd tell you my preference, but I don't want to sound like a copycat.

 

[mroptimistic]

im running a dual lite on setup, 16x dvd and 48x24x48 burner and i coulnd't be happier with either of them. They are great, i have a lot of confidence in any lite-on purchase.

 

[ericboo]

I have the Artec and it is a noisy ah heck. Loud when it spins but quiet when not in use.

I don't use it much because my Memorex DVD+RW drive is much quieter.

 

[psianime]

Thumbs up on the lite-on.

-psianime

 

[eLinux]

bump

I'm still kinda nervous about buying the 16x DVD drive from LiteOn (although I'm really tempted to do it). I've been doing lots of shopping recently, and I've looked through MANY different DVD-ROMs. It seems so strange that a company can sell a drive like the LiteOns for so cheap, yet the product be so great. Even Sony, Samsung, Pioneers, and others are more expensive -- and they've been around a lot longer, so I figure they should be able to drop prices, too.

I'm simply nervous in buying something "cheap" in fear of getting junk. Then again everywhere I read, everybody is happy with their LiteOns. What do y'all have to say about this?

How truly loud is the LiteOn? I hear it's very very loud while reading CDs or something (although quiet while watching a DVD). Anybody have input?

 

[GizmoFreak]

Another vote for the Lite-On. I have a dual Lite-On setup as well.

 

[fishingeek]

I have both a Liteon and a Toshiba 1702. Both drives are great and no problems with either. I like the Toshiba better because it is not as loud on spin up but other than that they are the same.

 

[eLinux]

So I guess price doesn't make that huge of a difference. That's really ...weird. lol



Normally I associate higher prices with better products. I guess that's a bad generalization.

 

[Pauli]

If "quiet" is your main criteria, then Toshiba is the best. I can hardly hear my 1502 (16x) when ripping audio CDs. It isn't a very fast ripper, but it is quiet.