What DVD Burner To get ?

Raider1 · Mar 22, 2004, 07:32 AM

Ive been looking for a good DVD Burner for under $125, i have found the MSI DR8-A but after reading there forum im having second thoughs. I also seem to like the NEC ND-2500A, Both are 8X DVD+R / DVD-R the MSI Burns CD's @ 40x & the NEC is @ 32X but thats not a big deal to me cuss i can just leave my 48x burner in. What im worried about is getteing a usless burner that can only read the disc it makes. Do you guys have any suggestions on drive that are 8X under $125 and come in black " has to match my case of course " ?

**Roadee** · Mar 22, 2004, 08:22 AM

The NEC 4x burners are pretty nice when it comes to media selection, they seem to be compatable with most media. I have been buying the LiteOn 8x burners for systems that I build for other people. I haven't gotten any complaints back on the few that I have put in systems, so that is always good news. Zardon and Veridian3 seem to have used a few different burners, I am sure that they will give a little help on this. But the best thing that you can do is check the different sites for there reviews of the different burners. There are several sites that cater to copying DVD's, and will give list's of the burner's that work best and with what media. Also I have seen some mention of 12x burners coming out in the near future, you might want to consider waiting a bit so the prices of the better made units will come down in price. This is a funky time of year to buy hardware......prices are low....but hardware is being introduced almost everyday.....then the prices go back up for summer.

Dom · Mar 22, 2004, 08:26 AM

I have the NEC ND-1100A DVD+RW (4x+R/2.4X+RW), burns great, all the DVDs I've made work in my DVD player, and the drive has read every disc I've thrown at it The NEC you're looking at is much better, obviously, and NEC typically makes excellent drives - I highly recommend you get the NEC ND-2500A, you will not be disappointed in its performance, quality, and value.

WildChild · Mar 22, 2004, 08:25 PM

I personally went with the TDK Indigo Burner...8X really isnt a big deal as not much medium if any is available to burn at that speed as of yet.The NEC's aren't a bad device...I guess it will just depend on what you wanna spend and the quality you wanna pay for.But if I HAD to buy one of the 2, I would go with the NEC model.

Raider1 · Mar 23, 2004, 01:45 AM

Geez Now im starting to think i should wait to get a DVD Burner now that the DUal layer burners are coming out soon and 12X.

Dyre Straits · Mar 23, 2004, 01:49 AM

I have been extremely happy with my I/O Magic DVD burner. I've had it for about 5 months now and it's done quite a bit of burning in that time.

EDIT: Oh, BTW, I got mine for $89 during a CompUSA special buy.

Dom · Mar 23, 2004, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Raider1
Geez Now im starting to think i should wait to get a DVD Burner now that the DUal layer burners are coming out soon and 12X.

Raider, I would most definately hold out on buying a burner until the dual-layer ones come out. They'll be more than $125, but if you saved a little until they are released you should be able to afford one.

tastyweat · Mar 23, 2004, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Raider1
Ive been looking for a good DVD Burner for under $125, i have found the MSI DR8-A but after reading there forum im having second thoughs. I also seem to like the NEC ND-2500A, Both are 8X DVD+R / DVD-R the MSI Burns CD's @ 40x & the NEC is @ 32X but thats not a big deal to me cuss i can just leave my 48x burner in. What im worried about is getteing a usless burner that can only read the disc it makes. Do you guys have any suggestions on drive that are 8X under $125 and come in black " has to match my case of course " ?

I have the NEC ND2500A - get it! It's a brilliantly burner and really well priced... I haven't had a coaster yet using mirror disks.

Plus the MSI only does one or the other (+ or -) at 8x - the other one only burns at 4x

swimtech · Mar 23, 2004, 06:10 PM

I like the Lite-On drives just fine. They are in my home unit (DVD Rom, CDRW drive) and I buy them as replacements for units here at work. No problems...

Bicka · Mar 23, 2004, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tastyweat
I have the NEC ND2500A - get it! It's a brilliantly burner and really well priced... I haven't had a coaster yet using mirror disks.

Plus the MSI only does one or the other (+ or -) at 8x - the other one only burns at 4x

Aah but the MSI drives come with high-density burning allowing you to burn double the amount to a cd. So a 700 cd becomes a 1.4gig cd!
Very handy when you don't want to waste a dvd.

Look for other dvd burners that come with hd-burn technology is my advice.

tastyweat · Mar 23, 2004, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bicka
Aah but the MSI drives come with high-density burning allowing you to burn double the amount to a cd. So a 700 cd becomes a 1.4gig cd!
Very handy when you don't want to waste a dvd.

Look for other dvd burners that come with hd-burn technology is my advice.

yeah - but HD cds can only be read by other hd cd drives - so it's a bit of a bugger if you want to take information from one computer to another

nheimler · Mar 23, 2004, 08:32 PM

I recently went through the process of ordering a new DVD burner about two months ago. I got from newegg two Lite-On 811 drives (one for me and one for my boss) and man...I'm never buying Lite-On drives again. Both drives made about $30 in coasters it sucked. Both drives were tested and both did the same thing with two different types of machines. Newegg was real nice about the whole thing and let me get replacements of another brand. My previous burner was the NEC 1100A model, so at that time the NEC 2500A were just added to the site when I was having the problem. So...having good luck with my old NEC drive I got the new 2500A model. Awesome drive; however, some players don't play the DVDs due to the bitsetting issue with these drives and older DVD players for +R DVDs. The -R DVDs on the other hand worked perfectly on all my DVD players except my Sony laptop's QSI drive. My laptop plays the +Rs just fine but about half of the -Rs didn't work. Weird, but yeah. Hopefully they will be putting out some fireware to fix the bitsetting for the +Rs. If anyone knows of any fireware that I might have missed (I've looked everywhere) let me know. Thanks!

tastyweat · Mar 23, 2004, 09:09 PM

I nearly always use -Rs on mine - i've burnt 2 dvd movies on +Rs and that's all the +s I've used - both worked perfectly well though for me - so no quibbles from my end

Raider1 · Mar 24, 2004, 05:41 PM

Well my B-day is coming up in AUgest hope dual layer burners hit retail befor then

KiwiRack · Mar 25, 2004, 03:07 AM

I'm with swimtech -Did a LOT of research before buying a DVD burner and the Lite-On 811S can burn on a quick PC in 18" flat. The trick is not the burner, but the software. Bought a 50 pack of RiTek and burned around 20 so far..even two of the so called hard to burn DVD's.

I registered {Cheap} or you can get it for nothing~ CopyToDVD (Does both DVD & CD's) and DVDshrink (free)...That's it! The MyDVD that comes stock actually corrupted the OS kernal. Obviously not recommended and why a LOT of people had issues even if it didn't crash, though I do use PowerDVD to play and it's good. I have DVDdecrypter on standby

Most people that are having problems, is in fact due to the software used (as above). I would buy another in a heart beat at $94, free shipping and no tax!

I looked very hard at the Nec, but it has a flaw with one writing technique that I can't remember now.

Cheers
PS~BTW Raider, good move away from the SIS chipset

Necrosis · Mar 25, 2004, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by nheimler
I recently went through the process of ordering a new DVD burner about two months ago. I got from newegg two Lite-On 811 drives (one for me and one for my boss) and man...I'm never buying Lite-On drives again. Both drives made about $30 in coasters it sucked. Both drives were tested and both did the same thing with two different types of machines. Newegg was real nice about the whole thing and let me get replacements of another brand. My previous burner was the NEC 1100A model, so at that time the NEC 2500A were just added to the site when I was having the problem. So...having good luck with my old NEC drive I got the new 2500A model. Awesome drive; however, some players don't play the DVDs due to the bitsetting issue with these drives and older DVD players for +R DVDs. The -R DVDs on the other hand worked perfectly on all my DVD players except my Sony laptop's QSI drive. My laptop plays the +Rs just fine but about half of the -Rs didn't work. Weird, but yeah. Hopefully they will be putting out some fireware to fix the bitsetting for the +Rs. If anyone knows of any fireware that I might have missed (I've looked everywhere) let me know. Thanks!

http://forum.rpc1.org/portal.php

peterosesbookie · Apr 1, 2004, 05:36 AM

I am sticking with my trusting sony dru-500a.

KiwiRack · Apr 3, 2004, 05:30 AM

I'll stick with Lite-On and that thread necrosis offered sorta sums it up!

SOFTWARE, is the key to success, not a high $ burner!

Cheers

Mar 22, 2004, 07:32 AM	#1
Raider1 There is always next year Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Oregon Posts: 601 Rep Power: 0	What DVD Burner To get ? Ive been looking for a good DVD Burner for under $125, i have found the MSI DR8-A but after reading there forum im having second thoughs. I also seem to like the NEC ND-2500A, Both are 8X DVD+R / DVD-R the MSI Burns CD's @ 40x & the NEC is @ 32X but thats not a big deal to me cuss i can just leave my 48x burner in. What im worried about is getteing a usless burner that can only read the disc it makes. Do you guys have any suggestions on drive that are 8X under $125 and come in black " has to match my case of course " ? __________________ The Autumn Wind is a pirate. Blustering in from sea With a rollicking song he sweeps along swaggering boisterously. His face is weather beaten. He wears a hooded sash. With his silver hat about his head And a bristly black moustache. He growls as he storms the country. A villain big and bold. And the trees all shake and quiver and quake. As he robs them of their gold. The Autumn wind is a Raider. Pillaging just for fun. He'll knock you 'round and upside down. And laugh when he's conquered and won. My Rig

Mar 22, 2004, 08:22 AM	#2
Roadee Never forgotten Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Rest In peace, Joe. Posts: 2,198 Rep Power: 69	The NEC 4x burners are pretty nice when it comes to media selection, they seem to be compatable with most media. I have been buying the LiteOn 8x burners for systems that I build for other people. I haven't gotten any complaints back on the few that I have put in systems, so that is always good news. Zardon and Veridian3 seem to have used a few different burners, I am sure that they will give a little help on this. But the best thing that you can do is check the different sites for there reviews of the different burners. There are several sites that cater to copying DVD's, and will give list's of the burner's that work best and with what media. Also I have seen some mention of 12x burners coming out in the near future, you might want to consider waiting a bit so the prices of the better made units will come down in price. This is a funky time of year to buy hardware......prices are low....but hardware is being introduced almost everyday.....then the prices go back up for summer. __________________ We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then things get worse.

Mar 22, 2004, 08:25 PM	#4
WildChild I'm Still Watching Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: New Jersey,U.S.A. Posts: 1,068 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I personally went with the TDK Indigo Burner...8X really isnt a big deal as not much medium if any is available to burn at that speed as of yet.The NEC's aren't a bad device...I guess it will just depend on what you wanna spend and the quality you wanna pay for.But if I HAD to buy one of the 2, I would go with the NEC model. __________________ Knowledge is SCARY,Stupidity is REALLY frightening

Mar 23, 2004, 01:45 AM	Thread Starter #5
Raider1 There is always next year Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Oregon Posts: 601 Rep Power: 0	Geez Now im starting to think i should wait to get a DVD Burner now that the DUal layer burners are coming out soon and 12X. __________________ The Autumn Wind is a pirate. Blustering in from sea With a rollicking song he sweeps along swaggering boisterously. His face is weather beaten. He wears a hooded sash. With his silver hat about his head And a bristly black moustache. He growls as he storms the country. A villain big and bold. And the trees all shake and quiver and quake. As he robs them of their gold. The Autumn wind is a Raider. Pillaging just for fun. He'll knock you 'round and upside down. And laugh when he's conquered and won. My Rig

Mar 23, 2004, 06:10 PM	#9
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	I like the Lite-On drives just fine. They are in my home unit (DVD Rom, CDRW drive) and I buy them as replacements for units here at work. No problems... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Mar 22, 2004, 08:26 AM	#3
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,940 Rep Power: 0	I have the NEC ND-1100A DVD+RW (4x+R/2.4X+RW), burns great, all the DVDs I've made work in my DVD player, and the drive has read every disc I've thrown at it The NEC you're looking at is much better, obviously, and NEC typically makes excellent drives - I highly recommend you get the NEC ND-2500A, you will not be disappointed in its performance, quality, and value.

Mar 23, 2004, 08:32 PM	#12
nheimler DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 201 Rep Power: 0	I recently went through the process of ordering a new DVD burner about two months ago. I got from newegg two Lite-On 811 drives (one for me and one for my boss) and man...I'm never buying Lite-On drives again. Both drives made about $30 in coasters it sucked. Both drives were tested and both did the same thing with two different types of machines. Newegg was real nice about the whole thing and let me get replacements of another brand. My previous burner was the NEC 1100A model, so at that time the NEC 2500A were just added to the site when I was having the problem. So...having good luck with my old NEC drive I got the new 2500A model. Awesome drive; however, some players don't play the DVDs due to the bitsetting issue with these drives and older DVD players for +R DVDs. The -R DVDs on the other hand worked perfectly on all my DVD players except my Sony laptop's QSI drive. My laptop plays the +Rs just fine but about half of the -Rs didn't work. Weird, but yeah. Hopefully they will be putting out some fireware to fix the bitsetting for the +Rs. If anyone knows of any fireware that I might have missed (I've looked everywhere) let me know. Thanks!

Mar 23, 2004, 09:09 PM	#13
tastyweat Lurking Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The void Posts: 4,794 Rep Power: 75 System Specs	I nearly always use -Rs on mine - i've burnt 2 dvd movies on +Rs and that's all the +s I've used - both worked perfectly well though for me - so no quibbles from my end __________________

Mar 24, 2004, 05:41 PM	Thread Starter #14
Raider1 There is always next year Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Oregon Posts: 601 Rep Power: 0	Well my B-day is coming up in AUgest hope dual layer burners hit retail befor then __________________ The Autumn Wind is a pirate. Blustering in from sea With a rollicking song he sweeps along swaggering boisterously. His face is weather beaten. He wears a hooded sash. With his silver hat about his head And a bristly black moustache. He growls as he storms the country. A villain big and bold. And the trees all shake and quiver and quake. As he robs them of their gold. The Autumn wind is a Raider. Pillaging just for fun. He'll knock you 'round and upside down. And laugh when he's conquered and won. My Rig

Mar 25, 2004, 03:07 AM	#15
KiwiRack DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: USA~Import Posts: 97 Rep Power: 0	Lite-On I'm with swimtech -Did a LOT of research before buying a DVD burner and the Lite-On 811S can burn on a quick PC in 18" flat. The trick is not the burner, but the software. Bought a 50 pack of RiTek and burned around 20 so far..even two of the so called hard to burn DVD's. I registered {Cheap} or you can get it for nothing~ CopyToDVD (Does both DVD & CD's) and DVDshrink (free)...That's it! The MyDVD that comes stock actually corrupted the OS kernal. Obviously not recommended and why a LOT of people had issues even if it didn't crash, though I do use PowerDVD to play and it's good. I have DVDdecrypter on standby Most people that are having problems, is in fact due to the software used (as above). I would buy another in a heart beat at $94, free shipping and no tax! I looked very hard at the Nec, but it has a flaw with one writing technique that I can't remember now. Cheers PS~BTW Raider, good move away from the SIS chipset __________________ Older fart, than you may think... Last project ~a screwed up mobo that now runs 2.66g@4.13g. ATI 9500 Pro@ 9700 Pro, Win2k Pro.

Apr 1, 2004, 05:36 AM	#17
peterosesbookie HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: OHIO Posts: 556 Rep Power: 0	I am sticking with my trusting sony dru-500a. __________________ A Cat almost always blinks when hit in the head with a ball peen hammer!

Apr 3, 2004, 05:30 AM	#18
KiwiRack DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: USA~Import Posts: 97 Rep Power: 0	Lol I'll stick with Lite-On and that thread necrosis offered sorta sums it up! SOFTWARE, is the key to success, not a high $ burner! Cheers __________________ Older fart, than you may think... Last project ~a screwed up mobo that now runs 2.66g@4.13g. ATI 9500 Pro@ 9700 Pro, Win2k Pro.