Which DVD Writer to buy?

quazi · Jul 19, 2004, 07:43 PM

here are 3 DVD Burners I am considering purchasing. The first is a Plextor.

Normally they have insane prices, but with a 30$ rebate it comes to an almost comprehensible level.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-131-311&depa=0
The raw numbers are no better than a Liteon, but it does have other features such as 1GB overburn on CDs and supposedly "better quality." If anyone could provide input as to how much better the quality really is I would appreciate it.

The second is the Liteon SOHW-812S. Speed and formatwise it is identical to the Plextor, but comes in an astounding 37$ cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-106-936&depa=0

The final drive is a Liteon SOHW-832S. It has the same speed as all of the previous drives, but can also burn dual layered media. It still costs 20$ cheaper then the Plextor drive.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-106-952&depa=0

My two questions are:
A. How much better quality are Plextor drives?
and
B. How important will it be to have a dual side DVD burner?

Dom · Jul 19, 2004, 11:54 PM

Read my reviews of the Lite-On SOHW-832S/1213S and 812S and of the Plextor PX-712A. Get a Lite-On 832S, Lite-On makes the best drives, bar-none. Plextors are overpriced. Trust me, I've had a lot of experience with both company's drives.

Plextor is no better than Lite-On. And their GigaRec feature only works with their software and can only be read by their drives - useless.

Double (dual) layer capability isn't terrible important right now, but it will be soon. Keep in mine it's new technology (for the users, at least) and faster speeds are coming soon. BTW, Dual layer discs are about $18USD each.

Judas · Jul 20, 2004, 01:10 AM

also take a gander at this thread.. as alot of people have gave some possibly helpful suggestions (even some that i couldn't jump on even if i tired)

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/showthre...threadid=50446

quazi · Jul 20, 2004, 01:14 AM

Right now I'm leaning towards the DVD burner with dual burning capability because even though it only burns at 2.4x, it still is capable of burning them and doing it well. It is only an extra 17$ or so for compability with future media. I didn't really expect to end up buying the Plextor drive because every CD-ROM drive I have purchased in awhile has been Lite-on. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on some ultra super dooper performace.

Lchevy79 · Jul 20, 2004, 05:26 AM

if it ain't a lite-on i wont put it in my rig. priced rite and works gr8

Dom · Jul 20, 2004, 06:08 AM

Lite-On is also a fantastic company with equally as great customer support. Working with them was a pleasure -- nice people. I will never stray from their optical drives.

dipstick · Jul 20, 2004, 05:09 PM

Another vote for the LiteOn here. My 812s has been great to me(so has my LiteOn 166s dvd which rips dvds at over 15x speeds). I even flashed my 812 to an 832 and saved myself a few $$. Very fast and reliable. Did I mention its tiny?

pr0digal jenius · Jul 20, 2004, 10:38 PM

i swear by plexwriters....and one thing to look at here(your linsk are dead, i can;t check for myself) is write buffer....the LiteOn my friend has is a 2MB buffer, whiel my plextor is an 8MB buffer...while 2 is usually OK, if you wanna multitask....i highly reccomend the 8MB Buffer(i have gone through 3-4 spindles of discs and am yet to mess up on a disc)

dipstick · Jul 21, 2004, 04:20 AM

The 8mb buffer is good to have but its pretty useless on todays computers. Don't get me wrong I think all drives should have it but I have not had a single coaster and I do some serious multitasking while burning dvds

CDsDontBurn · Jul 21, 2004, 04:35 AM

LiteOn 4 life here!

Judas · Jul 21, 2004, 06:17 AM

they would need a 256mb buffer to really do anything... as 8mb buffer is what? 1 to 1/2 single write second on a DVD (hell, worse then that as some CD-RW's do 8mb/s)

edperks · Jul 21, 2004, 10:45 PM

I have had BENQ (4x4x12) for almost a year and It been the best drive I have had to date. Model DW400A

quazi · Jul 22, 2004, 02:30 AM

Thanks for all the help. I'm about 99% sure I'm going to buy the SOHW-832S. The half-minute difference in DVD burning times is made up for by the ability to do 1 to 1 copies with DVDs. I'll finally be able to replace this white CD writer that is horribly out of place in my black case

technonerd · Jul 22, 2004, 02:52 AM

Should check out BENQ DW822A , it's very cheap and you can upgrade firewire later on. should be coming around sept

WallyG · Jul 22, 2004, 03:57 AM

I wanted to upgrade to an 8x Burner from my old Pioneer A04. Went to Newegg, after a buddy recommended LiteOn. I budgeted $100 for the drive and he said I should be able to get the 812S. To my surprise, I got the 832S for $97 (shipped).

A few things to know. If you can save money and get LiteOn's 812S/851S (8x), you can firmware upgrade it to have dual layer burning. It has similiar hardware inside. The only difference is you can't get 8x DVD-R burning with the new firmware, only 4x.

Also the Liteon 832S seems to have a 1-2 second spin-up on Audio CD's. It doesn't affect anything else. Just noticed it ripping some new CD's.

I would greatly recommend the 832S. It's shorter than the Plextor--just a little difference that comes into play in my Shuttle box.

W

Judas · Jul 22, 2004, 07:09 AM

thanks guys.... BenQ seems to be top choice....

dipstick · Jul 22, 2004, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by WallyG
A few things to know. If you can save money and get LiteOn's 812S/851S (8x), you can firmware upgrade it to have dual layer burning. It has similiar hardware inside. The only difference is you can't get 8x DVD-R burning with the new firmware, only 4x.
W

I did the flash update and it works fine at 8x for both +/- disks, 2.4x for DL disks, and 40x on cdr. Maybe you read about someone that had a bad flash?

Whobetta · Jul 23, 2004, 07:43 AM

Anyone have thoughts/reviews on this LG: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...%20ELECTRONICS

It supports everything including dual-layer and dvd-ram

Jul 19, 2004, 07:43 PM	#1
quazi DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 66 Rep Power: 0	Which DVD Writer to buy? here are 3 DVD Burners I am considering purchasing. The first is a Plextor. Normally they have insane prices, but with a 30$ rebate it comes to an almost comprehensible level. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-131-311&depa=0 The raw numbers are no better than a Liteon, but it does have other features such as 1GB overburn on CDs and supposedly "better quality." If anyone could provide input as to how much better the quality really is I would appreciate it. The second is the Liteon SOHW-812S. Speed and formatwise it is identical to the Plextor, but comes in an astounding 37$ cheaper. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-106-936&depa=0 The final drive is a Liteon SOHW-832S. It has the same speed as all of the previous drives, but can also burn dual layered media. It still costs 20$ cheaper then the Plextor drive. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-106-952&depa=0 My two questions are: A. How much better quality are Plextor drives? and B. How important will it be to have a dual side DVD burner?

Jul 20, 2004, 05:26 AM	#5
Lchevy79 -=[DHzer0point Team]=- Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 725 Rep Power: 0	if it ain't a lite-on i wont put it in my rig. priced rite and works gr8 __________________ msi K7N2 delta2-AMD 2800xp@2083-1gig of pc2700ram -ati x850xt 256mb -Audigy mp3+ - 1 80gig maxtor 8mb and 1 250gig 16mb maxtor -48x24x48 buslink burner-and a lite on 4x +/- dvd burner xp home samsung lcd (19") 930b monitor

Jul 21, 2004, 04:35 AM	#10
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	LiteOn 4 life here! __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Jul 22, 2004, 03:57 AM	#15
WallyG DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Omaha,NE Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	another vote for the SOHW-832S I wanted to upgrade to an 8x Burner from my old Pioneer A04. Went to Newegg, after a buddy recommended LiteOn. I budgeted $100 for the drive and he said I should be able to get the 812S. To my surprise, I got the 832S for $97 (shipped). A few things to know. If you can save money and get LiteOn's 812S/851S (8x), you can firmware upgrade it to have dual layer burning. It has similiar hardware inside. The only difference is you can't get 8x DVD-R burning with the new firmware, only 4x. Also the Liteon 832S seems to have a 1-2 second spin-up on Audio CD's. It doesn't affect anything else. Just noticed it ripping some new CD's. I would greatly recommend the 832S. It's shorter than the Plextor--just a little difference that comes into play in my Shuttle box. W

Jul 23, 2004, 07:43 AM	#18
Whobetta DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 30 Rep Power: 0	Anyone have thoughts/reviews on this LG: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...%20ELECTRONICS It supports everything including dual-layer and dvd-ram __________________ Asus P4S8X, 512MB DDR Ram, Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB, Maxtor 40gb 7200rpm, MSI dragonwriter 48X16X48, LG 4163B 16x DVD-RW, SB LIVE 5.1, Canoscan 320p, LG Studioworks 17' Monitor, Windows XP SP1

Jul 19, 2004, 11:54 PM	#2
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,940 Rep Power: 0	Read my reviews of the Lite-On SOHW-832S/1213S and 812S and of the Plextor PX-712A. Get a Lite-On 832S, Lite-On makes the best drives, bar-none. Plextors are overpriced. Trust me, I've had a lot of experience with both company's drives. Plextor is no better than Lite-On. And their GigaRec feature only works with their software and can only be read by their drives - useless. Double (dual) layer capability isn't terrible important right now, but it will be soon. Keep in mine it's new technology (for the users, at least) and faster speeds are coming soon. BTW, Dual layer discs are about $18USD each.

Jul 20, 2004, 01:14 AM	Thread Starter #4
quazi DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 66 Rep Power: 0	Right now I'm leaning towards the DVD burner with dual burning capability because even though it only burns at 2.4x, it still is capable of burning them and doing it well. It is only an extra 17$ or so for compability with future media. I didn't really expect to end up buying the Plextor drive because every CD-ROM drive I have purchased in awhile has been Lite-on. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on some ultra super dooper performace.

Jul 20, 2004, 06:08 AM	#6
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,940 Rep Power: 0	Lite-On is also a fantastic company with equally as great customer support. Working with them was a pleasure -- nice people. I will never stray from their optical drives.

Jul 20, 2004, 05:09 PM	#7
dipstick HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: USA Posts: 3,609 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	Another vote for the LiteOn here. My 812s has been great to me(so has my LiteOn 166s dvd which rips dvds at over 15x speeds). I even flashed my 812 to an 832 and saved myself a few $$. Very fast and reliable. Did I mention its tiny?

Jul 20, 2004, 10:38 PM	#8
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	i swear by plexwriters....and one thing to look at here(your linsk are dead, i can;t check for myself) is write buffer....the LiteOn my friend has is a 2MB buffer, whiel my plextor is an 8MB buffer...while 2 is usually OK, if you wanna multitask....i highly reccomend the 8MB Buffer(i have gone through 3-4 spindles of discs and am yet to mess up on a disc)

Jul 21, 2004, 04:20 AM	#9
dipstick HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: USA Posts: 3,609 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	The 8mb buffer is good to have but its pretty useless on todays computers. Don't get me wrong I think all drives should have it but I have not had a single coaster and I do some serious multitasking while burning dvds

Jul 21, 2004, 10:45 PM	#12
edperks HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 780 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I have had BENQ (4x4x12) for almost a year and It been the best drive I have had to date. Model DW400A

Jul 22, 2004, 02:30 AM	Thread Starter #13
quazi DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 66 Rep Power: 0	Thanks for all the help. I'm about 99% sure I'm going to buy the SOHW-832S. The half-minute difference in DVD burning times is made up for by the ability to do 1 to 1 copies with DVDs. I'll finally be able to replace this white CD writer that is horribly out of place in my black case

Jul 22, 2004, 02:52 AM	#14
technonerd DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 594 Rep Power: 0	Should check out BENQ DW822A , it's very cheap and you can upgrade firewire later on. should be coming around sept