Reaserching CD Burner's

[opiate]

I looked over at anandtech.com and did not find a single thing.
[*]I know Plextor is and probably will always be #1 but who are their top competitors?[*]What are some key features to look for besides speed and compatablility? Like Burn Proof, what is it and where can I find more information on it?[*]What CDRW brands have good driver and update support?[*]IDE, SCSI, Firewire (best to wost by price?

Cheers

[MacGyver]

I would say the most important thing is to make sure you're getting some decent burning software with it. Just ask the hundreds of angry people in the company forums who thought they were getting a bargain on a barebones CD writer...

You can find lots of info at <a href="http://www.cdrfaq.org" target="_blank">www.cdrfaq.org</a>. Go here for loads of reviews: <a href="http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=cd+writer+review&spell=1" target="_blank">http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=cd+writer+review&spell=1</a>

Yamaha is another brand name to consider. But honestly, I think the technology behind CD writers has progressed to the point where manufacturer is less of an issue than it once was. One person (can't remember who, forgive me!) posted in the forums that they only use LiteOn CD burners for their customers and they haven't had a complaint or problem yet. Obviously some may disagree as they worship whatever brand turns their crank, but that's my worthless Canadian two cents.

[opiate]

[quote]Originally posted by MacGyver:
<strong>...but that's my worthless Canadian two cents.</strong><hr></blockquote>

here here now....there will be none of that! Don't forget that we'er connected to the same piece of earth, brother...

...and oh ya, thanks for the info

[Cobra]

To be honest, I've got a HP 9300i 10x4x32, and I'm happy with it. Read: I'm happy with THE DRIVE ITSELF. HP can take their crappy customized version of Easy CD Creator that came with it and stick it up....yeah....

Mac's probably right, tho, about manufacturers being less and less of an issue. Granted, I haven't really worked with a wide range of CD-RWs lately, but I've found no serious detriments to say LiteOns or Aopens compared to say a Plextor or a Yamaha....

[confus-ed]

1. Yamaha, Sony, Ricoh, Panasonic, Pioneer, Mitsumi, Samsung, Toshiba.....(enough? Lite-on is worth a look!)

2. EFM (That thing which gets round safedisk-2 copy protection) and some hardware not software burn proofing.

3. A big list like 1! But you need to know where to look(Your $59.99 or whatever won't buy you zip here unless someone helps you out - spot the firmware updates on driver search!)

4. SCSI for reliability and better extraction but some newer IDE DVD roms are excellent.

Plextor all in all aren't always best, some-most models are very good but they make crap too!

You pays for the name!

[Chipzilla]

Depends on what you're doing with it. If you want to do some mastering you're better off loking at something bundled with Nero or Easy CD Creator (This is a whole other kettle of fish, I know!). If you are making one-to-one "backups" of your software, you'll probably want to use CloneCD, so bundled software isn't a problem. Plextor are probably reknowned to be the best, but a lot of manufacturers rebadge Plextor drives as their own (Stand up TDK, Iomega and Creative), and consequently sell for less than the identical Plextor. The best drives I've found to use with CloneCD are the Lite-On LTR-24102B, the Plextor PX-W2410A, and the TEAC CD-W524. Do a search on Goole or Altavista for reviews of these drives - nobody has had a bad word to say about any of these...

[O.G. Lycia]

I have had two Mitsumi burners, the first was a 4x4x24, which never failed. I sold that to a freind then bought a Mitsumi 16x8x40 that is pretty damn good, I burned only one frizzbe so far...and I use ECDCreator5 platinum...

[Garak]

I have a NEC7700a (revision 1.03 after firmware update) no problems apart it started running slow when i installed XP (untill i upgraded the firmware) and now it runs a treat 3mins on a 12x burner, im not sure how long its supposed to take, but that is more than acceptable for me anyhow, i've fitted quite a few liton drives and have had no problems nor complaints, about the drives, well actually i have but it was down to user stupidity.... IE, burning a CD and thinking they could reuse it later... (CDR and not CDRW).... dumba$$es