Which DVD Burner to Buy?

[LNahid2000]

I'm thinking about getting a new DVD burner. My 4X is becoming too slow for me. I've heard about some people burning 8X TY discs at 16X. Which burners do that? I'd like one of those since I have 100 8X TY discs here. Also, what burner is the best overall? I was going to get the Benq 1620 but I've heard some bad things lately. All help is greatly appreciated.

[Kwirky]

If you want the best DVD burners, go for Plextor PX-716A, or if you want to spend a little less, a Pioneer DVR-109. In my opinion, these are the best drives out there right now...

[mlc2000]

I bought the LG 4163, no issues. It can be had in a few places for about $70, no MIR

[pandaharo]

I have 2 LG dvd burners and both are still burning strong after 300+ DVDs.

[Timbit]

I have pioneers 105 & 106. Both of them are still working well. I recommend the Pioneers DVD drive.

[remmuh]

I'm thinking about getting a new DVD burner. My 4X is becoming too slow for me. I've heard about some people burning 8X TY discs at 16X. Which burners do that? I'd like one of those since I have 100 8X TY discs here. Also, what burner is the best overall? I was going to get the Benq 1620 but I've heard some bad things lately. All help is greatly appreciated.

The Benq is great!
NCIX has it on sale.
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=12651&promoid=1026

you can read the reviews on it there too.

[duckdown]

DO NOT BUY THE BENQ.

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=155308

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=153226

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

Get the PLEXTOR or the PIONEER.

Maybe the old BenQ models were good, but they switched something in these drives with the new manufacturers date. They are horrid now.

[cil254]

I have the LG4163B, no complaints.

[felix]

Are you sure it's not the nVidia IDE drivers that are causing this problem? That's what I read just now on the NCIX forums ..

http://forum.ncix.com/forums/index.php?mode=showthread&msg_id=818176&threadid=818176&forum=103&product_id=12651&msgcount=4&overclockid=0#msg818176

[felix]

My BenQ is fine. It's an October 2004 batch I think.

Edit: oops, it's an August 2004 one.

[LNahid2000]

wow, different opinions from everyone. i was thinking about getting the benq on sale at ncix since it would come to $75 shipped to the GTA. the threads about the benq on here and the threads on ncix were steering me away though. but i love my benq cd burner so i would think their dvd burners would be good too. i dunno... maybe ill just wait since i can get it from canada computers for $2 more.

[duckdown]

wow, different opinions from everyone. i was thinking about getting the benq on sale at ncix since it would come to $75 shipped to the GTA. the threads about the benq on here and the threads on ncix were steering me away though. but i love my benq cd burner so i would think their dvd burners would be good too. i dunno... maybe ill just wait since i can get it from canada computers for $2 more.

i would SERIOUSLY advise against the benq

the happy campers with this drive bought them a while ago, they have drastically changed from what i can gather lately.

the RMA's are through the roof at BenQ for the drives.

[NG]

If you want to burn dvd-ram or save a couple bucks and still get a decent drive look for an LG (although some models are better than others). If you wanna play it safe get a Pioneer (tho there is no dvd-ram in them).

Another vote against BenQ here. Too many horror stories about these drives keep showing up as of late.

[talktwo]

Plextor is easily the Cadillac of optical drives. I can also recommend the Sony's and Pioneer as I have a couple of them scattered across my machines.

I would steer clear of benq though, their quality control doesn't seem to be as high as when they were aopen. Though they are improving, most notably their latest 8ms LCD's

[LNahid2000]

ill probably wait till an LG or Pioneer goes on sale then. I've heard very good things about pioneer in the past and my current burner is an LG which is excellent but 4X. i heard the plextor dvd burners are not as good as their cd burners were and theyre past my budget. and ive also heard that sony is liteon.

[porphyra]

I quite like NEC burners. They have excellent write quality.

[Riflem@n]

If you want to burn dvd-ram or save a couple bucks and still get a decent drive look for an LG (although some models are better than others). If you wanna play it safe get a Pioneer (tho there is no dvd-ram in them).

Another vote against BenQ here. Too many horror stories about these drives keep showing up as of late.

how many horror stories is that exactly? 2?

my Benq 1620 is fine too, just make sure you get the latest firmware, not sure if the people having problems with it did that.

[JoKeRr]

I quite like NEC burners. They have excellent write quality.

NEC and Pioneer is basically the same with different firmware, but NEC is wayy cheaper and actually faster. LG is the only burner that supports DVD-RAM at the moment.

I'd go with NEC 3520A

[talktwo]

NEC and Pioneer is basically the same with different firmware, but NEC is wayy cheaper and actually faster. LG is the only burner that supports DVD-RAM at the moment.

I'd go with NEC 3520A

I've tested some NEC burners in the past, some of them have issues burning "cheaper" media and required a hacked firmware to write properly. I don't know if that is the case with the latest ones coming out.

[duckdown]

how many horror stories is that exactly? 2?

my Benq 1620 is fine too, just make sure you get the latest firmware, not sure if the people having problems with it did that.

2 horror stories?
theres alot more than that, sadly

[burnaby]

Went with LG GSA-4163B as it was the cheapest drive with the least reported headaches (actually can't think of any). Ain't the fastest nor the cheapest but so far no coasters on first 50 TY and 50 OPTO DVD movie "backups", no problem even playing on an old DVD player. A little speed improvement is never made up for if a product ever needs RMA (never mind the frustration and down time.)

[audit13]

Hey Burnaby, cool looking cat.

I was using the Benq 1620 (actually, it was the HP 630i) with no problems.

I'm presently using an Nec 3520a with no problems except for Imation cdrw discs which the burner cannot erase.

[duckdown]

benq used to be aopen?

aopen's website is still there and doesnt mention benq affiliations at all

[NG]

2 horror stories?
theres alot more than that, sadly

Word. It always seems to be this burner whenever someone has a problem with dvdrws (ok an exaggeration but there still are so many users asking for help here and even on Goldfishlegs where computer discussions almost *never* happen).

[duckdown]

Word. It always seems to be this burner whenever someone has a problem with dvdrws (ok an exaggeration but there still are so many users asking for help here and even on Goldfishlegs where computer discussions almost *never* happen).


ya mon

even on IRC, i stick around in alot of the linux channels (debian 4 life baby), and its always full of people cursing the benq

not to mention like any other dvd authoring site on the net.. afterdawn; doom9....

[duckdown]

maybe thats why they've dropped the price to $59 bucks as of today it appears

[donaldtin]

feel bad for u dude... i got the benq 1620 from ncix.. got no problem.. and digital dolphin also recommended benq too.... better lukc next time~

[Hippak]

Decided to buy two BenQ's today.

They both seem to be working great. I backed up a few of my dvds with some really crappy media (i'm assuming its crappy since it was purchased by my brother at Factory Direct for 10 dollars) and everything works great.

I even used some really crappy CDRs to test the burners out and I haven't had any problems at all.

[duckdown]

Decided to buy two BenQ's today.

They both seem to be working great. I backed up a few of my dvds with some really crappy media (i'm assuming its crappy since it was purchased by my brother at Factory Direct for 10 dollars) and everything works great.

I even used some really crappy CDRs to test the burners out and I haven't had any problems at all.

lol TWO?

good luck on that endeveour :]

[divx]

i'm using the benq and no problem

[Riflem@n]

Decided to buy two BenQ's today.

They both seem to be working great. I backed up a few of my dvds with some really crappy media (i'm assuming its crappy since it was purchased by my brother at Factory Direct for 10 dollars) and everything works great.

I even used some really crappy CDRs to test the burners out and I haven't had any problems at all.

get the latest firmware for it

[fitbrit]

Another vote for the Benq 1620. I've used and bought for my friends at elast 5 of these. All are using it with no problems whatsoever. I love mine.

[Hippak]

get the latest firmware for it

Should I get the firmware now or wait until I encounter a problem? I'm worried that an update with mess up what is working now :)

[Hippak]

lol TWO?

good luck on that endeveour :]

They're both working fine. So I dont need the luck. That being said I"m not doubting that you've had a problem but I dont think a few bad drives should stop anyone from purchasing a Benq drive...

I'm sure that for the 100s of drives RFDers have purchased there might be a user with a bad drive, its just the nature of electronics... And for that matter people are going to be vocal if they had a bad experience. So you're more likely to find posts complaining about Benq's then anything. When was the last time you saw anyone post a thread about how they love the fact that they're drive is working as expected?

And comparing the amount Benq problem related posts relative to other dvd drives posts doesn't really make sense either. Which is the cheapest drive on the market? I can bet you that since its the Benq alot more people on here are buying the BENQ and as a result you see alot more Benq related posts.

If there really was a wide spread problems with benq dvd drives why would any company even bother to sell them? So that they have to deal with the costs of taking in returns and RMA'in the drive? It just doesn't make sense.

[duckdown]

they're just learning about all the problems now, it wasn't something they were able to predict before they started selling them

[7-Endless]

they're just learning about all the problems now, it wasn't something they were able to predict before they started selling them

But this drive has been selling for quite a while now so I would think that we would have heard problems much earlier. It may be possible that the recently manufactured drives might have a problem but there are still quite a few people who are buying these drives and not experiencing any issues with them.

[7-Endless]

Should I get the firmware now or wait until I encounter a problem? I'm worried that an update with mess up what is working now :)

Which firmware does your drive currently have? If it has B7P9 or later I would just stick with it if you are not having any problems with the media you are using :)

[divx]

i vote for B7P9 firmware, never tried B7T9 but the B7P9 is very stable

[The Digital Dolphin]

Although I'm not sure it's still a better drive then the Plextor PX-716a, the BenQ DW1620 is still my number 1 favourite drive. In another 2 or 3 weeks I'll be getting my DW1640 (don't bother looking, it's not out yet :P) and I'm hoping to see that my (very high) expectations will be fulfilled :)

[Madcatmk2]

I'm sure that for the 100s of drives RFDers have purchased there might be a user with a bad drive, its just the nature of electronics... And for that matter people are going to be vocal if they had a bad experience. So you're more likely to find posts complaining about Benq's then anything. When was the last time you saw anyone post a thread about how they love the fact that they're drive is working as expected?


At cdfreaks in all of the drives subforums there is always posts about "1111 xyz burning problems" etc.


...why would any company even bother to sell them? So that they have to deal with the costs of taking in returns and RMA'in the drive? It just doesn't make sense.

Goldstar (LG) did exactly that in the 80's and 90's, the horror.... Its like rebates, not everyone have the guts to pay for shipping and wait 4 hours on the phone.

[7-Endless]

Although I'm not sure it's still a better drive then the Plextor PX-716a, the BenQ DW1620 is still my number 1 favourite drive. In another 2 or 3 weeks I'll be getting my DW1640 (don't bother looking, it's not out yet :P) and I'm hoping to see that my (very high) expectations will be fulfilled :)

Oooh...the DW1640...stop teasing ;)

Can't wait for the review!

BTW, I'm also curious to hear your thoughts on the 109 once you have had a chance to try it out :D

[Warlock]

benq used to be aopen?

aopen's website is still there and doesnt mention benq affiliations at all


Actually,
benq was technically acer before.
and from what I remember,
AOpen was/is? part of acer.
They split a number of computer peripheral divisions out of acer into benq.

acer did have a quite a number of negative feedbacks with their CDROM/CDR/CDRW drives in the past. At one point It was so bad that all moderators at another computer hardware (HWC) site, basically blacklisted the acer brand.
The weird thing was, in terms of feedbacks, the AOpen drives were nowhere near as bad.
Perhaps different manufacturing plants or such... Figure that one out. *shrug*

[The Digital Dolphin]

Oooh...the DW1640...stop teasing ;)

Can't wait for the review!

BTW, I'm also curious to hear your thoughts on the 109 once you have had a chance to try it out :D

Well, so far I'm VERY dissapointed in the Pioneer DVR-109. It has *NO* firmware support for any Optodisc products, with the possible exception of Optodisc's 16x DVD+Rs (at 12x in the previous firmware). I tried burning the OPTODISCR008 8x DVD-Rs in it, and it was recognized at 4x (which means no firmware writing strategy for it) and the burn was unreadable.

There is no excuse for this :evil:

It burns crappy Prodisc made FUJIFILM03 better, but still with problems at the end of the disc. So out of 2 burns, I haven't seen a good burn yet. And that's still at 8x, not at 12x or 16x! But that's also only 2 media types (and that's actually the second best burn I've seen for Prodisc made FUJIFILM03 media... sadly!).

I'll be doing more testing later.

[bfurtado]

Anyone have an opinion on the samsung drives:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=14281&vpn=TS-H552U/BEBN&manufacture=Samsung

I think I want to buy a drive and put it in firewire enclosure. The Samsung has a slightly nicer front plate. But I won't buy it just because of that.

Brian

[talktwo]

Actually,
benq was technically acer before.
and from what I remember,
AOpen was/is? part of acer.
They split a number of computer peripheral divisions out of acer into benq.

acer did have a quite a number of negative feedbacks with their CDROM/CDR/CDRW drives in the past. At one point It was so bad that all moderators at another computer hardware (HWC) site, basically blacklisted the acer brand.
The weird thing was, in terms of feedbacks, the AOpen drives were nowhere near as bad.
Perhaps different manufacturing plants or such... Figure that one out. *shrug*

Right, sorry ... thanks for the correction Warlock :cheesygri Benq was formerly Acer, not Aopen as I incorrectly pointed out.

http://taiwanhightech.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0248-184_ITM

[7-Endless]

Anyone have an opinion on the samsung drives:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=14281&vpn=TS-H552U/BEBN&manufacture=Samsung

I think I want to buy a drive and put it in firewire enclosure. The Samsung has a slightly nicer front plate. But I won't buy it just because of that.

Brian


It's performance didn't score too well at CDRLabs:

http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/index.php?reviewid=259&page=Performance

I would recommend going with either the Plextor, NEC or the Benq. The Pioneer looks good too but I'll wait to hear DD's final verdict on it...

[reflex]

I would go with the NEC burner, i currently use a LG one, its not bad, got it last year for 79 bucks..pretty good price for 8x. i wish i had gotten a NEC one, my friends says its better, and i just don't like BENQ stuff lol.

[The Digital Dolphin]

Well, if you get the Pioneer DVR-109, you can forget about using any Optodisc code media, unless it's their 16x DVD+Rs (which burn VERY well!). Even the generally well accepted Acro Circle 8x DVD-Rs only burn at 4x, and can't even be played back properly (meaning there is likely no writing strategy for the media in the drive).

So if you're sticking to higher end media (think Maxell, Taiyo Yuden, and other's), then you'll be fine I think... but I've got some more testing to do first.

My HDD in one of my PC's just died... well, it's been dying for some time, and it's screwed up again, so I'm going to be busy fixing that now. So testing will be limited for the next little bit.

From what I've seen of the new BenQ DW1640 (as posted on CDFreaks's pre-review) it looks to be head and shoulders about the Pioneer DVR-109, and even the LG 4163B. It may even be superior to the PX-716a. But we'll have to see how good it is over a range of other discs, especially when the testing is more thorough. :cheesygri

[HammerJoe]

Don't tell me that DD.

I just ordered the Pioneer and the optodiscs dvd-r 8x at ncix... :(

[Razor Leaf]

I wonder how well the BenQ DW1640 will burn CD-Rs and CD-RWs?

[The Digital Dolphin]

Don't tell me that DD.

I just ordered the Pioneer and the optodiscs dvd-r 8x at ncix... :(

Sorry! But you're better off giving those discs to a friend, or waiting to see if Pioneer will bring out a newer firmware that will solve this issue. I'm going to try to contact Pioneer myself and see if something is in the works, but from what I'm told, they are notorious for being a pain in the ass for getting answers.

[josipm]

got 2 of them as well and no problems here.

[etcbq]

I also have some issues with the Benq. I bought it even knowing DD's warning about shortcomings for CD writing. What I didn't allow for is my 1620 not writing to Kodak 4X and Maxell 4X DVD-R discs. I have gone from the original firmware to G7P9 and then now G7V9. I haven't gone to the retail firmwares yet for fear of voiding the warranty. Fortunately I've used up all my Maxells, but still have some Kodaks left. I must say though, that I've had no problems so far with the various DVD+Rs discs that I have. Perhaps I should just stick to DVD+Rs.

[duckdown]

I also have some issues with the Benq. I bought it even knowing DD's warning about shortcomings for CD writing. What I didn't allow for is my 1620 not writing to Kodak 4X and Maxell 4X DVD-R discs. I have gone from the original firmware to G7P9 and then now G7V9. I haven't gone to the retail firmwares yet for fear of voiding the warranty. Fortunately I've used up all my Maxells, but still have some Kodaks left. I must say though, that I've had no problems so far with the various DVD+Rs discs that I have. Perhaps I should just stick to DVD+Rs.


kind of a big sacrifice to make though, considering the drive is supposedly CD/DVD+-R

[The Digital Dolphin]

I also have some issues with the Benq. I bought it even knowing DD's warning about shortcomings for CD writing. What I didn't allow for is my 1620 not writing to Kodak 4X and Maxell 4X DVD-R discs. I have gone from the original firmware to G7P9 and then now G7V9. I haven't gone to the retail firmwares yet for fear of voiding the warranty. Fortunately I've used up all my Maxells, but still have some Kodaks left. I must say though, that I've had no problems so far with the various DVD+Rs discs that I have. Perhaps I should just stick to DVD+Rs.

Well, if you read my review on CDRlabs.com then you'd have known both of those media types are not good for your drive....

Stick with Acro Circle or even Generic Optodisc media, and you'll be fine. But for the Generic Optodisc 8x DVD-Rs, the best firmware is B7S9 I think (although I haven't tried B7V9 on them).

BTW: Your G7V9 *should* be roughly the same as B7V9, so don't worry :cheesygri

[burnaby]

Thus the reason my recommendation is the LG4163 for non-geek friends who just wants a DVD burner without reading stacks of reviews, compatibility lists and other burner taboos. Seems the LG has few issues.

My 4163 burned a copy of WinXP on a 2x Maxell CD that was purchased when 2X CD burners were king! Installed fine!
Well, if you read my review on CDRlabs.com then you'd have known both of those media types are not good for your drive....

Stick with Acro Circle or even Generic Optodisc media, and you'll be fine. But for the Generic Optodisc 8x DVD-Rs, the best firmware is B7S9 I think (although I haven't tried B7V9 on them).

BTW: Your G7V9 *should* be roughly the same as B7V9, so don't worry :cheesygri

[porphyra]

Well, if you read my review on CDRlabs.com then you'd have known both of those media types are not good for your drive....

Stick with Acro Circle or even Generic Optodisc media, and you'll be fine. But for the Generic Optodisc 8x DVD-Rs, the best firmware is B7S9 I think (although I haven't tried B7V9 on them).

BTW: Your G7V9 *should* be roughly the same as B7V9, so don't worry :cheesygri

Well, then honestly DD, can you say that this drive is that good? Sure, it burns well what it can, but such a large and glaring lack of support for good and popular media, does not qualify as a good drive in my books.

And I can attest to the the fact that 1620 has issues with both MXLRG02 and TYG01. My friend's 1620 will lock up quite often reading these two DVD-R. And burning is another story. Mostly coasters.

It likes DVD+R media. But then, its not doing what it is advertised to do.

I will still stick to my NEC 2500A. Sure its only 8X, but it burns all - and + media I have thrown at it, beautifully. So far no coasters on Prodisc S03 and R03, MXL RG02/RG03, TYG01/G02, RitekG03/G04, Yuden..., RicohJPNR01, CMC MAGF01 (it loves this media), MAGE01, Princo something (loved it too), MCC for DVD+RW and Optodisc for -RW. It only burns the Daxon AZ02 at 4x due to lack for 8X writing strategy in the firmware, but burns well at 4x.

I have not burnt as extensively on the Benq, but it has yet to impress me (in terms of DVD writing) as NEC has.

Benq is a good reader though, and I will give it that. My NEC blows at reading, but I bought the drive to write and write well. I have a separate DVD-ROM for reading..so no issues for me.

[7-Endless]

Well, then honestly DD, can you say that this drive is that good? Sure, it burns well what it can, but such a large and glaring lack of support for good and popular media, does not qualify as a good drive in my books.

And I can attest to the the fact that 1620 has issues with both MXLRG02 and TYG01. My friend's 1620 will lock up quite often reading these two DVD-R. And burning is another story. Mostly coasters.

It likes DVD+R media. But then, its not doing what it is advertised to do.

I will still stick to my NEC 2500A. Sure its only 8X, but it burns all - and + media I have thrown at it, beautifully. So far no coasters on Prodisc S03 and R03, MXL RG02/RG03, TYG01/G02, RitekG03/G04, Yuden..., RicohJPNR01, CMC MAGF01 (it loves this media), MAGE01, Princo something (loved it too), MCC for DVD+RW and Optodisc for -RW. It only burns the Daxon AZ02 at 4x due to lack for 8X writing strategy in the firmware, but burns well at 4x.

I have not burnt as extensively on the Benq, but it has yet to impress me (in terms of DVD writing) as NEC has.

Benq is a good reader though, and I will give it that. My NEC blows at reading, but I bought the drive to write and write well. I have a separate DVD-ROM for reading..so no issues for me.

I haven't had any problems with TYG01 media (havent' tried the MXLRG02's), are you sure your friend does not have a defective drive?

I also haven't had any problems with media except for Princo discs and the newer Prodisc media which DD already has mentioned several times.

Right now I mainly use Ritek/Ridata's and MXLGR03's and they work wonderfully with my 1620.

[The Digital Dolphin]

I haven't had any problems with TYG01 media (havent' tried the MXLRG02's), are you sure your friend does not have a defective drive?

I also haven't had any problems with media except for Princo discs and the newer Prodisc media which DD already has mentioned several times.

Right now I mainly use Ritek/Ridata's and MXLGR03's and they work wonderfully with my 1620.

Yup, you've got it!

Older Maxell 4x DVD-Rs, which aren't even available anymore, Kodak brand DVD-Rs, which don't work on most drives anyways, and Prodisc 8x DVD-Rs. I haven't tried Princo, but you may be right. But that's not really that bad. I've had no problem with the TYG01 media at all.

[etcbq]

Well, if you read my review on CDRlabs.com then you'd have known both of those media types are not good for your drive....

Stick with Acro Circle or even Generic Optodisc media, and you'll be fine. But for the Generic Optodisc 8x DVD-Rs, the best firmware is B7S9 I think (although I haven't tried B7V9 on them).

BTW: Your G7V9 *should* be roughly the same as B7V9, so don't worry :cheesygri
Thanks for the reminder, DD. I forgot!

[Cafe_333]

Stick with what people favor, not what people did or did not have problems with. Alot of people seem to have good things to say about the Pioneer, Plextor, and NEC, so stick with those. Albeit some people have had horror stories with the benq and some didn't, it sounds to me that it's prone to being problematic due to poor QC in manufacturing. I am sure some of you who own benq's have no problems and love their drives, but there are those who have had problems. This is just like the whole debate over which quality of harddrive is better than the other. So go with the one that's less prone to giving you problems.

[toyfountain]

I purchased an LG 4163D, updated to firmware A104. It will not write the BenQ DVD+Rs I purchased from Futureshop for my Sanyo DVR-500. I think the problem is an incompatibility with this media. The LG wrote to a DVD+RW I had fine.

The BenQ DVD+Rs will not play directly from the Sanyo recorder to the TSSt DVD rom player in the Dell Latitude 110L, but will play if burned from my neighbours DVD burner. Dell's DVD rom player worked fine with the DVD+RW I had.

Since I have 250 BenQ DVD+R media I ordered a BenQ 1620 DVD+RW burner. I'm hoping BenQ will be compatible with it's own media. The LG burner did not want
it at all.

[Primetyme]

according to this article. NEC is the most popular, but who knows how accurate this information could be. Personally, I had good things with my NEC and so-so things with my benq.


http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/11709

[The Digital Dolphin]

according to this article. NEC is the most popular, but who knows how accurate this information could be. Personally, I had good things with my NEC and so-so things with my benq.


http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/11709

My only issue with NEC is that their firmware support sucks. Without Herrie making their hacked firmwares, they would NOT have the popularity that they do. Also, they bring out newer drives very quickly, and drop their previous models too fast. The NEC 3500a was barely out when the NEC 3520 was released... and then the NEC 3530 was announced, but it was actually replaced by the NEC 3540 before it even had a chance to be released!....

annoying company :confused:

[ZeeTX]

My only issue with NEC is that their firmware support sucks. Without Herrie making their hacked firmwares, they would NOT have the popularity that they do. Also, they bring out newer drives very quickly, and drop their previous models too fast. The NEC 3500a was barely out when the NEC 3520 was released... and then the NEC 3530 was announced, but it was actually replaced by the NEC 3540 before it even had a chance to be released!....

annoying company :confused:
I agree with you DD. But even BenQ has a few drives that have almost the same functionality but different names and prices.. :!: (1620, 1620Pro, 1625-lightscribe)

Though BenQ have better firmware support than NEC, their original released firmware versions AS-IS sucks and is no good without modifications.

[7-Endless]

Well, I think I may have accidentally toasted my Benq by trying to backflash to B7L9 (was gonna flash to B7P9 afterwards). :(

So now, I may need to get a new drive and I would like to try something different besides the Benq. I mainly have MXLRG03's and some RitekG04's so which drive would work best with these media?

[sleepyguy]

Can't you do a blind flash/forced flash?

I just burnt a BenQ DVD+R 8X @ 16X ($60 for 200 pieces on boxing day)yesterday on my BenQ 1620... pleased with the results (ie, played on the DVD player fine).

Well, I think I may have accidentally toasted my Benq by trying to backflash to B7L9 (was gonna flash to B7P9 afterwards). :(

So now, I may need to get a new drive and I would like to try something different besides the Benq. I mainly have MXLRG03's and some RitekG04's so which drive would work best with these media?

[Riflem@n]

I agree with you DD. But even BenQ has a few drives that have almost the same functionality but different names and prices.. :!: (1620, 1620Pro, 1625-lightscribe)

Though BenQ have better firmware support than NEC, their original released firmware versions AS-IS sucks and is no good without modifications.

Actually the 1620 and 1620Pro are the same thing. What original released firmware are you talking about? Benq?

[7-Endless]

Can't you do a blind flash/forced flash?

I just burnt a BenQ DVD+R 8X @ 16X ($60 for 200 pieces on boxing day)yesterday on my BenQ 1620... pleased with the results (ie, played on the DVD player fine).


Problem is that my system will not boot if the Benq is attached to the system. If I power cycle my machine, I can get to the login but as soon as XP detects the drive the system hangs.

I'm gonna try one last ditch effort by using the DOS flash utility from the Unofficial Benq Firmware site...

BTW, which firmware are you currently using sleepyguy?

[sleepyguy]

G7P9 I think... I only did one flash update when I first got the drive. Seems to be working well so I'm gonna leave it.

Problem is that my system will not boot if the Benq is attached to the system. If I power cycle my machine, I can get to the login but as soon as XP detects the drive the system hangs.

I'm gonna try one last ditch effort by using the DOS flash utility from the Unofficial Benq Firmware site...

BTW, which firmware are you currently using sleepyguy?

[sleepyguy]

Another option 7end is to attach the drive to another pc running another OS... win9x/nt4/2000 etc. Probably runs less hardware diagnostics scans at boot time and you can force flash it. I hate for you to waste a perfectly good drive :)

[7-Endless]

Another option 7end is to attach the drive to another pc running another OS... win9x/nt4/2000 etc. Probably runs less hardware diagnostics scans at boot time and you can force flash it. I hate for you to waste a perfectly good drive :)


Thanks...I was thinking of doing this too but all my systems at home are running XP. I guess I could bring it into work, but hopefully flashing it from DOS will do the trick!

[burnaby]

If the Flash program will run in DOS any chance you can boot with DOS disk like the good old days and run it from the command line prompt.
Thanks...I was thinking of doing this too but all my systems at home are running XP. I guess I could bring it into work, but hopefully flashing it from DOS will do the trick!

[7-Endless]

If the Flash program will run in DOS any chance you can boot with DOS disk like the good old days and run it from the command line prompt.


Bad news...the flash program ran but when it tried to write to the drive I got a CDR101 error. So it looks like the drive was messed up pretty good :(

[LNahid2000]

well, i went ahead and bought the benq since it was the last day at ncix for the sale and since DD recommended it. hopefully the drives that people were having problems with were just a bad batch. i needed a drive anyway since i just finished using my 4X media so i want to use my faster media on a faster burner. should be getting it in a couple days!

[The Digital Dolphin]

well, i went ahead and bought the benq since it was the last day at ncix for the sale and since DD recommended it. hopefully the drives that people were having problems with were just a bad batch. i needed a drive anyway since i just finished using my 4X media so i want to use my faster media on a faster burner. should be getting it in a couple days!

What type of media is your "faster media" ??

[burnaby]

Can you RMA a drive that's fried from running official driver updates?
I'm still running A02 on my LG4163, would like to upgrade to A04 but since it ain't broke!
Bad news...the flash program ran but when it tried to write to the drive I got a CDR101 error. So it looks like the drive was messed up pretty good :(

[The Digital Dolphin]

Can you RMA a drive that's fried from running official driver updates?
I'm still running A02 on my LG4163, would like to upgrade to A04 but since it ain't broke!

Officially LG does not support RMA'ing drives that are damaged by their official firmware updates. And since I've actually fried an LG drive before doing that (a CD burner) I don't like to buy LG's anymore... but my own LG 4163B had no problems updating various firmwares. Just make sure it *IS* the master on the secondary controller, and follow all the other directions given no matter how unimportant they may sound, and you should be fine.

[LNahid2000]

What type of media is your "faster media" ??
TYG02 and YUDEN000T02

[7-Endless]

Can you RMA a drive that's fried from running official driver updates?
I'm still running A02 on my LG4163, would like to upgrade to A04 but since it ain't broke!

Well, I'll email Benq and see what they say. In the meantime, I ran out and bought an LG4163. Mine had A102 as well and I ran the firmware update even though my drive was the master on the Primary channel and it went through without any problems. However, after reading DD's comments I probably won't chance it again and will move it to the secondary channel...

[akito925]

best to pick..


#1 Pioneer a09
#2 Plextor I"d say this because of its higher price, and it uses pioneer's parts.
#3 Nec


Benq's are garbage.. I bought two, installed them in two different machines both didn't work.. I wonder why. returned them both.

my firend also had the same problem too. and other friend

[7-Endless]

best to pick..


#1 Pioneer a09
#2 Plextor I"d say this because of its higher price, and it uses pioneer's parts.
#3 Nec


Benq's are garbage.. I bought two, installed them in two different machines both didn't work.. I wonder why. returned them both.

my firend also had the same problem too. and other friend

I disagree with the Benq's are garbage statement. Although you, your friends and a few other people on this forum have had problems, I know almost twice as many who do not...and as DD said the RMA rate appears to be pretty low for these drives.

I did consider the 3 drives you mentioned but the bitsetting support on all those drives is not very good. Since I've had really bad luck with Plextor, there was no way I was going to purchase another one.

NEC was the other drive I was mainly considering but since I have a lot of MXLRG03 media, I decided to pass on it and went with the LG.

[The Digital Dolphin]

best to pick..

#1 Pioneer a09


You will likely eat these words... The Pioneer DVR-109 is a big disapointment, it can barely burn at 16x, and it's a second generation 16x burner! The DVR-108 is FAR superior in media support and equivilant or superior in burn quality.


#2 Plextor I"d say this because of its higher price, and it uses pioneer's parts.


I agree it's a good drive, but last I checked it was mainly based on SANYO hardware. Technically speaking, the Pioneer mostly uses NEC made technology anyways (which doesn't mean much in the long run).


#3 Nec


If you don't mind the fact that NEC drops their drives faster them most other companies, and their firmware support is so horrible that most people need to hack their drives. Some people don't mind this fact... but others do.


Benq's are garbage.. I bought two, installed them in two different machines both didn't work.. I wonder why. returned them both.
my firend also had the same problem too. and other friend

I'm not sure why you had problems. My 2 work great :cheesygri

[LNahid2000]

okay, my drive should be arriving tomorrow and im wondering, should i upgrade the firmware on the drive? if so, what should i upgrade it to? this is for the 1620 btw.

[The Digital Dolphin]

okay, my drive should be arriving tomorrow and im wondering, should i upgrade the firmware on the drive? if so, what should i upgrade it to? this is for the 1620 btw.

I'm told that B7V9 (or G7V9) gives the best results on Taiyo Yuden 8x DVD-Rs. I haven't tried it myself though.... yet.

[LNahid2000]

I'm told that B7V9 (or G7V9) gives the best results on Taiyo Yuden 8x DVD-Rs. I haven't tried it myself though.... yet.
thanks! already got those downloaded. hehe i cant wait to get my drive tomorrow. i cant believe ive been burning at 4X for the last 2 years.

[LNahid2000]

got the burner. seems pretty good! it burns my TY +R's at 16X. one problem. why do discs only read at 8X?

[[buck]]

got the burner. seems pretty good! it burns my TY +R's at 16X. one problem. why do discs only read at 8X?

The DW1620 is riplocked to 8X. To remove the riplock, you'll need to get MediaCodeSpeedEdit (MCSE) (http://ala42.cdfreaks.com/MCSE/MediaCodeSpeedEdit.zip).

Open MCSE, load the firmware you want to unlock, and check the "increase read speed" box in the bottom right hand corner. Now save the edited firmware to wherever you like and flash your drive. You should now have an awesome reader. :)

This tool also lets you swap write strategies for different media codes, which can be very useful for Optodisc TYG02. If you swap the TYG02 write strategy for for the Optodisc 8X DVD-R strategy, you get much better results. :cheesygri

[etcbq]

']The DW1620 is riplocked to 8X. Do remove the riplock, you'll need to get MediaCodeSpeedEdit (MCSE) (http://ala42.cdfreaks.com/MCSE/MediaCodeSpeedEdit.zip).

Open MCSE, load the firmware you want to unlock, and check the "increase read speed" box in the bottom right hand corner. Now save the edited firmware to wherever you like and flash your drive. You should now have an awesome reader. :)

This tool also lets you swap write strategies for different media codes, which can be very useful for Optodisc TYG02. If you swap the TYG02 write strategy for for the Optodisc 8X DVD-R strategy, you get much better results. :cheesygri
Interesting, thanks. What if I've already updated my firmware?

[LNahid2000]

']The DW1620 is riplocked to 8X. Do remove the riplock, you'll need to get MediaCodeSpeedEdit (MCSE) (http://ala42.cdfreaks.com/MCSE/MediaCodeSpeedEdit.zip).

Open MCSE, load the firmware you want to unlock, and check the "increase read speed" box in the bottom right hand corner. Now save the edited firmware to wherever you like and flash your drive. You should now have an awesome reader. :)

This tool also lets you swap write strategies for different media codes, which can be very useful for Optodisc TYG02. If you swap the TYG02 write strategy for for the Optodisc 8X DVD-R strategy, you get much better results. :cheesygri
thanks very much! i did not know that. i dont have to worry about the writing stratagies thing though since i have actual TYs. wow! ill be able to copy a dual layer dvd to single layer in 15 minutes now. one of my friends wants me to burn her a bunch of DVDs so this will be great.

[[buck]]

Interesting, thanks. What if I've already updated my firmware?

What do you mean? You can reflash with the riplock free one... :confused:

[LNahid2000]

okay, this burner is simply awesome. i just applied the new firmware and now it reads and writes perfectly at 16X using my 8X TY discs. im seeing how long it takes to get a dvd through dvd shrink right now and the 3GHz CPU is having trouble keeping up with the reading speed of the burner lol. its been processing at 10 000kb/s sustained. anyway, im glad i bought this burner. thanks DD for the recommendation. i guess it was just some that had the problems since my 1620 is working perfectly.

[The Digital Dolphin]

okay, this burner is simply awesome. i just applied the new firmware and now it reads and writes perfectly at 16X using my 8X TY discs. im seeing how long it takes to get a dvd through dvd shrink right now and the 3GHz CPU is having trouble keeping up with the reading speed of the burner lol. its been processing at 10 000kb/s sustained. anyway, im glad i bought this burner. thanks DD for the recommendation. i guess it was just some that had the problems since my 1620 is working perfectly.

Glad you're enjoying it! I think 95%+ of people who bought that burner (who aren't using Prodisc or Smartbuy brand media) really enjoy it :cheesygri

[burnaby]

Any downsides to unlocking from 8X to 16X. I see my LG4163 is on the list, just need to upgrade firmware from A02 to A04.
']The DW1620 is riplocked to 8X. To remove the riplock, you'll need to get MediaCodeSpeedEdit (MCSE) (http://ala42.cdfreaks.com/MCSE/MediaCodeSpeedEdit.zip).

Open MCSE, load the firmware you want to unlock, and check the "increase read speed" box in the bottom right hand corner. Now save the edited firmware to wherever you like and flash your drive. You should now have an awesome reader. :)

[[buck]]

Any downsides to unlocking from 8X to 16X. I see my LG4163 is on the list, just need to upgrade firmware from A02 to A04.

Not to my knowledge, other than a voided warranty. Is the LG4163 even riplocked? Its support might only be referring to the media code editing. I really dont know, worth a try though.

[The Digital Dolphin]

Any downsides to unlocking from 8X to 16X. I see my LG4163 is on the list, just need to upgrade firmware from A02 to A04.

Yeah there is...

#1: Your drive is noiser when playing movies and such... some people are sensitive to this

#2: Some discs stop working properly because when read back at 16x they have too many problems
#2.5: Any discs with weird top layers, like Verbatim's film reels will likely fall into the "has problems at 16x playback" group.

#3: Voids the drive's warranty

None of these are SERIOUS issues, but are good to keep in mind BEFORE making the choice I think :)

[etcbq]

#3: Voids the drive's warranty

Thanks DD. Good to know. I was about to reflash and now changed my mind! I can live with the slower read.

[burnaby]

Thnks for the info and base on it I won't patch the firmware. Reading speed is around 8-9 minutes for full disk, around the same as for burning 8x disc. Works out to around average 6x. I'm assuming that's normal as friend with same drive gets similar results.
Yeah there is...

#1: Your drive is noiser when playing movies and such... some people are sensitive to this

#2: Some discs stop working properly because when read back at 16x they have too many problems
#2.5: Any discs with weird top layers, like Verbatim's film reels will likely fall into the "has problems at 16x playback" group.

#3: Voids the drive's warranty

None of these are SERIOUS issues, but are good to keep in mind BEFORE making the choice I think :)

[The Digital Dolphin]

Thnks for the info and base on it I won't patch the firmware. Reading speed is around 8-9 minutes for full disk, around the same as for burning 8x disc. Works out to around average 6x. I'm assuming that's normal as friend with same drive gets similar results.

Yup, pretty normal and not that bad either. The best you'll get at 16x is maybe ~6min read time, and I'm not sure voiding the warranty is really worth 2min.

I find in people's rush to get better and faster and cheaper, they often forget to remember how good they have things already ;) Actually, this webpage has really taught me a lot about how I don't really care THAT much about saving $2 here and there, for a little extra convenience. It's kinda against the reason for the site, but unlike some of the more passionate deal hunters here, I don't want to spend an extra hour or two saving a couple of dollars only. I guess you could say that this webpage taught me how to appreciate the value of my own free time :cheesygri

[callous]

I have deemed the 1620 unacceptable becaues I must burn cdrs well, and propertly.

Which is the 2nd best for both dvd and cdr burning in your opinion DD? And are you still confident the 1640 coming whenever will fix the cdr burning issues of the 1620?

[7-Endless]

I have deemed the 1620 unacceptable becaues I must burn cdrs well, and propertly.

Which is the 2nd best for both dvd and cdr burning in your opinion DD? And are you still confident the 1640 coming whenever will fix the cdr burning issues of the 1620?

Why not use a separate cd burner? I've never used a dvd burner to do my cd burns. One main reason is that I haven't found any dvd burner that can do proper Safedisc 2.x and Securom backups.

[etcbq]

Why not use a separate cd burner? I've never used a dvd burner to do my cd burns. One main reason is that I haven't found any dvd burner that can do proper Safedisc 2.x and Securom backups.
I have a hard time grappling with this sort of reasoning, since it would mean 4 optical drives installed: 1 CD ROM, 1 CD Writer, 1 DVD ROM and 1 DVD Writer.

[burnaby]

Exactly my sentiments. Bigger and Faster is not always better. A HOT DEAL is not based on price alone but must include efforts exerted and any subsequent cost (ie refund/exchange/RMA policies). Effectively paying yourself several bucks an hours to run around umteen stores to get a PM may invigorate the "primal instincts" but does nothing toward achieving a true HOT DEAL. Having said that I suspect many like myself cruise these sites purely for the entertainment of getting a deal and not for the financial gains.

To be back on topic that's why I got the LG burner and good quality media (TY, Maxell for myself and OPTO for giveaways). The benQ seems to be better for those who do their homework (which firmware version, UH!) but given one's limited spare time I rather spend it reading all the hilarious thread.
Yup, pretty normal and not that bad either. The best you'll get at 16x is maybe ~6min read time, and I'm not sure voiding the warranty is really worth 2min.

I find in people's rush to get better and faster and cheaper, they often forget to remember how good they have things already ;) Actually, this webpage has really taught me a lot about how I don't really care THAT much about saving $2 here and there, for a little extra convenience. It's kinda against the reason for the site, but unlike some of the more passionate deal hunters here, I don't want to spend an extra hour or two saving a couple of dollars only. I guess you could say that this webpage taught me how to appreciate the value of my own free time :cheesygri

[The Digital Dolphin]

I have a hard time grappling with this sort of reasoning, since it would mean 4 optical drives installed: 1 CD ROM, 1 CD Writer, 1 DVD ROM and 1 DVD Writer.

That's why I have one CD-Writer (Plextor Premium, for cutting through copy protection and good quality burning), and then my 3 DVD burners (Currently DVR-109, BenQ DW1620, LiteON SOHW-832s). My goal is to have 7 DVD burners between both PC's and one CD-Writer.

No one EVER needs a DVD-ROM anymore. They are not as error tolerant as an RW drive, and are not cost effective given what they can and can NOT do. Maybe if CD-ROM's were $10 and DVD-ROM's were $15.... but even still you can pick up used burners for that price which would be better.

As for my SECOND favourite drive, I'm thinking the LG 4163B when you stick with 8x recording. 12x and 16x still need some fine tuning, but will probably get there.

The DVR-109 is my biggest let done in a long time! Not since LiteON first entered the DVD burner market have I been THIS disappointed. Although it seems to be able to burn TY ok, that's about it.

I will make no claims about the BenQ DW1640 until I've begun testing it... especially about CD-R/RW recording, since I have *NO* idea. I *CAN* say I've seen some initial results of 8x DVD+R9 recording done on a Verbatim 2.4x DVD+R9, and the results looked very good.... but that's all I can really say at this time. Hopefully I'll have one in the next week or two :cheesygri

[hot_potato]

Hey guys, I'm going to pick up a dvd burner, but need some help as to which one is better:

Nec 3520a ($66)
Pioneer 109 ($71)

I currently have a nec 1100a which I'm happy with but need something faster (at least 8x since my new spindle is that speed). Which of the two would be better? I also like my drive to be quiet.. thanks!

[breathe]

I find in people's rush to get better and faster and cheaper, they often forget to remember how good they have things already ;) Actually, this webpage has really taught me a lot about how I don't really care THAT much about saving $2 here and there, for a little extra convenience. It's kinda against the reason for the site, but unlike some of the more passionate deal hunters here, I don't want to spend an extra hour or two saving a couple of dollars only. I guess you could say that this webpage taught me how to appreciate the value of my own free time :cheesygri

very well said... :cheesygri

[[buck]]

Hey guys, I'm going to pick up a dvd burner, but need some help as to which one is better:

Nec 3520a ($66)
Pioneer 109 ($71)

I currently have a nec 1100a which I'm happy with but need something faster (at least 8x since my new spindle is that speed). Which of the two would be better? I also like my drive to be quiet.. thanks!


Of those two, I would definately take the NEC. Pioneer drives are in gerernal a little overpriced, and the DVR-109 is pretty much a failure (DD, feel free to correct me.)

If I were buying a drive right now, I would get a NEC ND-3520, a BenQ DW1620 or maybe one of those LGs.

What are your requirements/priorities for the drive? Good reading/fast ripper? Best burn quality? Good compatibility with cheap media?

If I were you though, I would probably wait for the BenQ DW1640, which will *probably* hit retail within a month. Look for reviews in the coming days/weeks.

buck

[hot_potato]

']Of those two, I would definately take the NEC. Pioneer drives are in gerernal a little overpriced, and the DVR-109 is pretty much a failure (DD, feel free to correct me.)

If I were buying a drive right now, I would get a NEC ND-3520, a BenQ DW1620 or maybe one of those LGs.

What are your requirements/priorities for the drive? Good reading/fast ripper? Best burn quality? Good compatibility with cheap media?

If I were you though, I would probably wait for the BenQ DW1640, which will *probably* hit retail within a month. Look for reviews in the coming days/weeks.

buck

Thanks for your opinion.. I would say archiving data is my biggest task, I will be using 8x dvd+r maxell's that are made in Japan. I want it quiet, and ripping doesn't really matter since I already have a pioneer 120 slot dvd drive for that purpose. I guess I'll go with the nec since I don't want to wait another month before the new benq comes out. So, NEC it is.. thanks again!

[7-Endless]

Thanks for your opinion.. I would say archiving data is my biggest task, I will be using 8x dvd+r maxell's that are made in Japan. I want it quiet, and ripping doesn't really matter since I already have a pioneer 120 slot dvd drive for that purpose. I guess I'll go with the nec since I don't want to wait another month before the new benq comes out. So, NEC it is.. thanks again!

The NEC is a good choice but you may need to apply modified firmware if you need bitsetting support. When my 1620 went down, I was looking to get either the NEC or the LG but went with the LG since it had better bitsetting support and it's better compatibility with the Maxell 8x -R's MXLRG03's...

[[buck]]

Thanks for your opinion.. I would say archiving data is my biggest task, I will be using 8x dvd+r maxell's that are made in Japan. I want it quiet, and ripping doesn't really matter since I already have a pioneer 120 slot dvd drive for that purpose. I guess I'll go with the nec since I don't want to wait another month before the new benq comes out. So, NEC it is.. thanks again!

Hold on... just because I said to wait for the DW1640 does, in no way mean the DW1620 is bad.

The benefits and weaknesses of the 1620 are:
-fast ripper
-excellent burn quality on high quality media
-excellent dvd+r burner
-a little weak with some DVD-R (i think DD would like to add ALL Prodisc media :razz: )
-excellent firmware support from BenQ
-excellent PI scanning
-problems with quality control (this may have been fixed by now, though)
-very good official overspeeding support (burning media faster than the rated speed)
-oh yeah, as DD just added, awful cd burner, hehe (edit)

and for the NEC:
-8X DVD+R DL and 8X DVD+RW (I think DVD-R DL too)
-good with DVD+R AND DVD-R
-very bad official firmware support (although there is some very good unofficial stuff)
-fairly slow/weak reader

I don't know which burner likes MAXELL 002 better, but I know my BenQ handles them fairly well. Anyone know?

Good luck with whatever you choose...

[The Digital Dolphin]

']Hold on... just because I said to wait for the DW1640 does, in no way mean the DW1620 is bad.

The benefits and weaknesses of the 1620 are:
-fast ripper
-excellent burn quality on high quality media
-excellent dvd+r burner
-a little weak with some DVD-R (i think DD would like to add ALL Prodisc media :razz: )
-excellent firmware support from BenQ
-excellent PI scanning
-problems with quality control (this may have been fixed by now, though)
-very good official overspeeding support (burning media faster than the rated speed)

and for the NEC:
-8X DVD+R DL and 8X DVD+RW (I think DVD-R DL too)
-good with DVD+R AND DVD-R
-very bad official firmware support (although there is some very good unofficial stuff)
-fairly slow/weak reader

I don't know which burner likes MAXELL 002 better, but I know my BenQ handles them fairly well. Anyone know?

Good luck with whatever you choose...

For the BenQ DW1620, you forgot to mention it's a horrible CD burner. It's a pretty serious issue for some people, and worth noting ;)

[Kevinck]

Does anyone have an opinion on the Aopen 1608/ARR? I was just reading all the reviews on cdrlabs and the general concensus is that the Aopen, Benq 1620 and LG 4163 are all about evenly matched with each having slight pros/cons. I'm more interested in ability to burn and read disks (both DVD and CD) properly than speed.

So the comments about the new batch of Benq 1620 drives not being as good as the first batch and how it is an unreliable CD burner rules that out. But the LG and Aopen both seem fine and are the same price locally.

I ask because my dad has an extra Aopen 1608 and wonders if i'm interested in buying it. If i say no he has to pay a 15% restocking fee to return it. Is there any reason I might be unhappy with the Aopen vs the LG? I was thinking of picking up the LG before this came about.

Any thoughts appreciated

[newatthis]

one vote for benq 1620, had it for a few month now, works great, price is great too

[hot_potato]

Hey guys, thanks again for the input - hmmm... I think I'll have to reconsider the benq drive.. does anyone know if this drive is noisy when you're reading a disc/writing a disc? I remember I had a creative cd-rom drive back in the day that used to scream like a hair dryer. I've had a phobia of noisy drives ever since.

[porphyra]

I wouldnt rule out NEC. Excellent burn quality, especially on those Maxells. And NEC has 1 up on Benq 1620, since I have found the latter to be rather lacking on DVD-R discs.

However do so if you are not squeamish about 3rd party firmware. The NEC drives work like champs when using Herrie's or Liggy's firmwares. The official support does suck, but the community for NEC is perhaps the strongest, a reflection of the Lite-on community when their CD-writers were champs..

Oh yes, the NEC is one of the quietest drives out there...You wont hear a thing..

[LNahid2000]

Hey guys, thanks again for the input - hmmm... I think I'll have to reconsider the benq drive.. does anyone know if this drive is noisy when you're reading a disc/writing a disc? I remember I had a creative cd-rom drive back in the day that used to scream like a hair dryer. I've had a phobia of noisy drives ever since.
yeah, its quite noisy if youre writing/reading at 16X but i cant hear it at all when im watching a movie so i dont mind.

[notoriousformula]

Lg 4163

[7-Endless]

Does anyone have an opinion on the Aopen 1608/ARR? I was just reading all the reviews on cdrlabs and the general concensus is that the Aopen, Benq 1620 and LG 4163 are all about evenly matched with each having slight pros/cons. I'm more interested in ability to burn and read disks (both DVD and CD) properly than speed.

So the comments about the new batch of Benq 1620 drives not being as good as the first batch and how it is an unreliable CD burner rules that out. But the LG and Aopen both seem fine and are the same price locally.

I ask because my dad has an extra Aopen 1608 and wonders if i'm interested in buying it. If i say no he has to pay a 15% restocking fee to return it. Is there any reason I might be unhappy with the Aopen vs the LG? I was thinking of picking up the LG before this came about.

Any thoughts appreciated

Check out the review at CDRLabs:

http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/index.php?reviewid=253&page=Conclusion

I'm not sure how good they are with firmware releases but it doesn't look like too bad of a drive except for some of the DVD media issues.

I looked at this drive too but decided to go with the LG. I miss my Benq though...have to RMA it soon.

[Barton03]

I bought teh LG 4163 today for 64$ at logic computer house

[apvm]

wow, different opinions from everyone. i was thinking about getting the benq on sale at ncix since it would come to $75 shipped to the GTA. the threads about the benq on here and the threads on ncix were steering me away though. but i love my benq cd burner so i would think their dvd burners would be good too. i dunno... maybe ill just wait since i can get it from canada computers for $2 more.

I wouldn't take some of these comments seriously except from guys like DD and right now according to DD the 1640 is the drive that he recommend and that's enough for me. http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1405843&postcount=1510

Guys who had bad experience with the drive may bash it to the death, some don't own it but another brand may make up stories to bash it just to prove their own purchasing decision too, remember this is only a discussion forum.

The 1620 did has problem with Nvidia IDE drivers but was fixed with newer firmware and it is a horrible CD writer according to DD but I have a Liteon cd writer for that purpose so my main concern is its DVD writing quality so if you want a writer for both DVD/CD the 1620 may not be a good choice over LG, Pioneer or NEC, the 1640 also has problem with Nvidia IDE drivers other than this it is a very good drive IMO. I just sold my 1620 for the 1640 a few days ago, bear in mind I don't use either of them for CD writing and I have no idea if the 1640 has improved its CD writing quality.

I had LG4040 and 4081 and both failed after 3 months (the 4081 was retail version which LG sent me as a RMA replacement) I finally sold the third 4081 which LG sent me for Benq.

Do I consider LG bad drives? No...it's only bad luck on my part as I know some people who're still using the 4040 without problem, will I buy LG drives again, possible if guys who're in the know like DD over at Hardware/Software forum recommend it.

[WiZZLa]

Anyone hear anything about the new Pioneer DVR-110 /110D / A10? I've only seen previews & a review that wasn't in English.

[kogepan]

went through the whole thread alot of pple mention Nec is good and lots of bashin against benq but there're few post that saids BenQ DW1640 is not bad? so my choices r between

1)benq DW 1640
2)NEC ND-3540A

from these 2 which one is a better choice?
thanks

[WiZZLa]

3540 got a bad review from Anandtech and a few other places, the 1640 got a top spot at Anandtech. http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=2470&p=13

We were really dissapointed in the NEC ND-3540A's performance when compared to drives like the BenQ DW1640, but hopefully their performance will improve as their BIOS matures. ... The only drive we saw that could write to the majority of discs and quickly at that was BenQ's DW1640. ... Over these 6 DVDR units, we recommend the BenQ DW1640 for its performance and reliability in writing to various types of media. Expect this drive to start showing up on retail store shelves very soon.

My personal experiences (hundreds) with previous Benq DVD/CD products makes me stay away from them. It seems they may have improved their QC.


edit: The new Plextor PX-740A is really tamed down compared to the previous versions (2mb buffer vs 8mb, no varirec, no gigarec, etc.) That's probably why it's a *little* cheaper.

[ProfessorChaos]

edit: The new Plextor PX-740A is really tamed down compared to the previous versions (2mb buffer vs 8mb, no varirec, no gigarec, etc.) That's probably why it's a *little* cheaper.

The BenQ 1640 uses the same Philips chipset as the Plextor PX-740A so they have very similar results...except the BenQ is much cheaper...$52.99 @ CC...I'm picking mine up in a few days probably.

[[buck]]

The BenQ 1640 uses the same Philips chipset as the Plextor PX-740A so they have very similar results...except the BenQ is much cheaper...$52.99 @ CC...I'm picking mine up in a few days probably.

not only do they use the same chipset... they are physically identical! The Plextor PX-740A is nothing more than a rebadged 1640 with a different firmware. I don't know if there's a .cvt out for the Plextor firmware, but if there is i'm sure you could turn a 1640 into a 740, and vice versa.

[kogepan]

The BenQ 1640 uses the same Philips chipset as the Plextor PX-740A so they have very similar results...except the BenQ is much cheaper...$52.99 @ CC...I'm picking mine up in a few days probably.
welp i think DW1640 it is!

[7-Endless]

welp i think DW1640 it is!

Just picked one up yesterday from CC...so far so good. The new SolidBurn and Overspeed features with the BSKB firmware are pretty cool...

[duckdown]

Plextor! PX-716

[WiZZLa]

The BenQ 1640 uses the same Philips chipset as the Plextor PX-740A so they have very similar results...except the BenQ is much cheaper...$52.99 @ CC...I'm picking mine up in a few days probably.

I noticed that. It doesn't seem like Plextor wants to be considered the "premium" brand of optical drives anymore, PlexTools Pro isn't even included, nor securerec or q-check. The PX-740A is definitely a cash grab in terms of using the Plextor brand name for sales & increased profit.
$120 for the PX-740 or the same drive without "Plextor" on it for $53? hard choice. :|
I'm hoping the Pioneer will be a good drive.

[[buck]]

I noticed that. It doesn't seem like Plextor wants to be considered the "premium" brand of optical drives anymore, PlexTools Pro isn't even included, nor securerec or q-check. The PX-740A is definitely a cash grab in terms of using the Plextor brand name for sales & increased profit.
$120 for the PX-740 or the same drive without "Plextor" on it for $53? hard choice. :|
I'm hoping the Pioneer will be a good drive.

I would take a 1640 over any of Plextor's "premium" optical drives (ie 716), regardless of price. I think Plextor made a wise choice, they simply can't provide something of similar quality at that price point.

But yeah, it is a cash grab.

[7-Endless]

I noticed that. It doesn't seem like Plextor wants to be considered the "premium" brand of optical drives anymore, PlexTools Pro isn't even included, nor securerec or q-check. The PX-740A is definitely a cash grab in terms of using the Plextor brand name for sales & increased profit.
$120 for the PX-740 or the same drive without "Plextor" on it for $53? hard choice. :|
I'm hoping the Pioneer will be a good drive.


I agree...back when Plextor strictly produced SCSI drives. the extra coin that you had to dish out was justified by the performance difference. Now, I don't think the premium paid is worth it anymore...

[ProfessorChaos]

']not only do they use the same chipset... they are physically identical! The Plextor PX-740A is nothing more than a rebadged 1640 with a different firmware. I don't know if there's a .cvt out for the Plextor firmware, but if there is i'm sure you could turn a 1640 into a 740, and vice versa.

but why would u want to turn the better one(1640) into a PX-740A...the BenQ has a more stable firmware and more frequent releases.

and with SolidBurn and Overspeed added to Q Suite 2.0....not really a hard choice....that the BenQ is 52.99..

can't wait for cc to get some stock, i think i'll pick mine up this weekend.

[7-Endless]

but why would u want to turn the better one(1640) into a PX-740A...the BenQ has a more stable firmware and more frequent releases.

and with SolidBurn and Overspeed added to Q Suite 2.0....not really a hard choice....that the BenQ is 52.99..

can't wait for cc to get some stock, i think i'll pick mine up this weekend.


Are they all out already? The Pac Mall location had 1 Black unit left and about 4 beige units in stock around 7:30pm Wed night...

[[buck]]

but why would u want to turn the better one(1640) into a PX-740A...the BenQ has a more stable firmware and more frequent releases.

and with SolidBurn and Overspeed added to Q Suite 2.0....not really a hard choice....that the BenQ is 52.99..

can't wait for cc to get some stock, i think i'll pick mine up this weekend.

i never said I would want to.. just that it is possible.

[etcbq]

Are they all out already? The Pac Mall location had 1 Black unit left and about 4 beige units in stock around 7:30pm Wed night...
Check out NCIX back-to-school price via RFD link - it's $52.57. Don't know if this is going to turn out to be cheaper, but you can use your cc without surcharge.

[Emancipated]

Just picked one up yesterday from CC...so far so good. The new SolidBurn and Overspeed features with the BSKB firmware are pretty cool...


Can you explain what those acronyms are and what they do that's so cool?

I'm thinking of ditching my Pioneer 107 for something DL.

[ProfessorChaos]

Can you explain what those acronyms are and what they do that's so cool?

I'm thinking of ditching my Pioneer 107 for something DL.

BenQ QSuite 2.0 – Optimize DVD ReWriter Control
QSuite is an innovative application suite that compliments and enhances the convenience of DVD recording technology. Through the use of four built-in functions: Book Type Management, QScan, Test Write, WOPC enable / disable; you can easily adjust drive settings to gain greater control. Click here to learn more about BenQ QSuite.

BenQ SolidBurn -- Intelligent Self-Learning Writing Technology
Tired of the frequent firmware updates required to maintain your drive's support of blank DVD media? With SolidBurn, the EW164B is able to apply its own Self-Learning. Writing Strategy algorithm to allow unknown DVD±R media to be written with increased quality. So there is no need for users to update the media support list in their DVD drive as the drive keeps itself up-to-date and ensures best writing quality on all DVD±R media. Better yet, SolidBurn supports the Over-Speed Burning that allows you to burn a 4x or 8x DVD±R disc at 8x or higher speeds. Click here to learn more about BenQ SolidBurn Technology.

Also,FYI,

According to a story at DigiTimes, BenQ currently has plans to ship Blu-ray based products during the first half of next year.

BenQ plans to offer blue-laser format DVD-ROMs drives based on the Blu-ray platform in the first or second quarter of 2006, according to associate vice president Alpha Tsai for the company’s Storage Business Unit.

Although the result of the competition between Blu-ray and HD DVD to set the industry standard for next generation optical drives has yet to be decided, BenQ is wagering on Blu-ray for the time being, Tsai indicated.

So first half of 2006 is when blu-ray dvd-roms arrive...

I'll get my 1640 soon enough.

[2000fordfocus]

Avoid LG! thatz my opinion!

I like pioneer and HP

[Takada]

I was looking to buy a LG 4163 or a Benq 1620 a month ago, but I wanted to wait thinking prices would drop and new models would come out. Good thing I waited, since the Benq 1640 is being praised in Anandtech, CDFreaks, and CDRinfo

[[H]ackerK]

Ah I am a bit late to this thread... But personally I will avoid BenQ at all cost. If you said BenQ is a great drive, so be it, maybe I just have really bad luck and should get myself a 649. I RMA'd 4 DW1620 w/ various problems (plus tested 2 more DW1620 from FS when my friend purchased brand new, they returned the drives as well afterward...) from trouble seeing blank media (some blames I use Sony DVD-R & DVD+R even tho it is listed as 'approved' media on BenQ site and I updated the firmware) to disc tray stuck (will not eject).

Now I am on my 5th DW1620, it seems to be better than my pervious DW1620. Atleast I was able to burn a DVD-RW finally and able to detect all my blank Sony DVD-R & DVD+R so far. Yet to try buring a actual DVD.

So YMMY. Either I have the luck of getting all crappy drives, or they do have a problem w/ the batch... is your call.

p.s. my mobos are i865 chipset, not nvidia....

[gordholio]

NEC ND-3540A Review (http://cdfreaks.com/article/214)

[Takada]

Meh, I don't care if someone else has had a lot of bad experience needing to RMA Benq drives. People say that stuff about every company, regardless of how good their QC really is, Sony, LG, NEC, whatever. I just look at how well the drives test for people that buy drives that are not DOA. The rest doesn't matter to me. I'm going to buy a 1640 right now, and test it out.

[Takada]

Burned on a Fujifilm branded Ritek R03 DVD+R 8X at 16X. Works perfectly fine with a quality score of 95 :cheesygri

[tmpz]

I bought the new Pioneer DVR-110D for $60 and its pretty good compared to my old DVR-107D. It's claimed to be the fastest DL DVD burning @12x I think. I was able to burn @12x with fake TY02, still pretty good.

[7-Endless]

I bought the new Pioneer DVR-110D for $60 and its pretty good compared to my old DVR-107D. It's claimed to be the fastest DL DVD burning @12x I think. I was able to burn @12x with fake TY02, still pretty good.


Nice...did it actually burn at 12x speed (i.e. how long did it take)? For example, Nero says my Benq 1640 burns Fake TY02's at 16x with Overspeed enabled but it actually took about 30 mins (2.4-4x) to actually burn...

[LNahid2000]

ackerK']Ah I am a bit late to this thread... But personally I will avoid BenQ at all cost. If you said BenQ is a great drive, so be it, maybe I just have really bad luck and should get myself a 649. I RMA'd 4 DW1620 w/ various problems (plus tested 2 more DW1620 from FS when my friend purchased brand new, they returned the drives as well afterward...) from trouble seeing blank media (some blames I use Sony DVD-R & DVD+R even tho it is listed as 'approved' media on BenQ site and I updated the firmware) to disc tray stuck (will not eject).

Now I am on my 5th DW1620, it seems to be better than my pervious DW1620. Atleast I was able to burn a DVD-RW finally and able to detect all my blank Sony DVD-R & DVD+R so far. Yet to try buring a actual DVD.

So YMMY. Either I have the luck of getting all crappy drives, or they do have a problem w/ the batch... is your call.

p.s. my mobos are i865 chipset, not nvidia....
Thats really odd. I've had the drive since a week after I made this thread and it has always worked perfectly. I'm running the 865 chipset as well.

[tmpz]

My nero is kinda weird or my comp is. The timer shows like 2-3 mins til complete, but the bar doesnt match it. So my burn @12x or MAX with fake TY02 took like 4-5mins, which seems kinda like 8x. But on the window it says 12x (16,xxx kb/s or something like that)

[WiZZLa]

Anyone actually use DVD-RAM?

Nice...did it actually burn at 12x speed (i.e. how long did it take)? For example, Nero says my Benq 1640 burns Fake TY02's at 16x with Overspeed enabled but it actually took about 30 mins (2.4-4x) to actually burn...

You may need to fix that in the registry.


Start-> Run-> type Regedit
Go to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ahead\Nero - Burning Rom\Recorder"
Go to Edit-> New -> DWORD Value
Rename "New Value #1" to "ShowSingleRecorderSpeed"
Click on it and select "Modify"
Now set the value 0 to 1

[[H]ackerK]

Meh, I don't care if someone else has had a lot of bad experience needing to RMA Benq drives. People say that stuff about every company, regardless of how good their QC really is, Sony, LG, NEC, whatever. I just look at how well the drives test for people that buy drives that are not DOA. The rest doesn't matter to me. I'm going to buy a 1640 right now, and test it out.

Yes, YMMV. But from I have experienced, what kind of odd chance is that? Go ahead w/ your 1640, some people stand by their BenQ drive (like DD) which if it works, they are great.

When I was trying to pick LG or BenQ at the time I have read DD's review and BenQ seems better and that's why I picked BenQ. So, as I said, it is only as good as if the drive work as spec'd.

[dens]

I just love my DW1620. :cheesygri
It burns many 4x DVDs @8x and 8x DVDs @12x.
The DW1640 should be similar, especially with future firmware updates.

[ProfessorChaos]

Too bad Canada Computers was sold out of 1640's yesterday....

[Takada]

Yeah, they are selling really fast. I just picked up the last one at the local CC yesterday. They didn't even have any black ones left :(

[7-Endless]

Anyone actually use DVD-RAM?



You may need to fix that in the registry.


Start-> Run-> type Regedit
Go to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ahead\Nero - Burning Rom\Recorder"
Go to Edit-> New -> DWORD Value
Rename "New Value #1" to "ShowSingleRecorderSpeed"
Click on it and select "Modify"
Now set the value 0 to 1


Thanks for the tip, I may try it out but from the posts at CDRLabs, this appears to be a solidburn bug with -R media. Other than this one issue, the drive is great!

[ProfessorChaos]

Yeah, they are selling really fast. I just picked up the last one at the local CC yesterday. They didn't even have any black ones left :(

called local cc and they said new stock should be coming on thursday afternoon....so we'll see.

and is there any other stores other than CC that sell the 1640 in black in the GTA....

no other places in pmall carry it...all 4 other places...sunny, ming tech, pc gate, fans pc....only cc has it and its OOS...not even the beige there.