Internal DVD/CD Burner Recommendations

Early B.

Since I'm having problems with my external burner, I wanted to get some suggestions on purchasing an internal DVD/CD burner. I'm assuming the internal burners are more reliable.

I have no idea what to look for. I checked out www.newegg.com and there are numerous options available, but I'm not sure which features are best. My main interest is in CD burning. With a budget of $40, I'm obviously not looking for the best of the best.

Also, are they very simple to install? And does OEM mean that the unit comes with all of the accessories except the fancy retail box?

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

bobman1235

OEM usually means it's the drive and that's IT. No cables, instruction manuals, NOTHING. You'll get a drive in a static bag.

As for which one to buy - look for one with good reviews. Newegg has a good review system. I guarantee you're going to get 15 responses saying "so and so is the best, I've never had aproblem", and they'll all be different.

Willow

I am no puter pro what so ever. But I bought an internal DVD/cd burner along with an external housing. I had more trouble putting thr housing together then installing the burner. Ther burner is only 2-3 plugs and you can't screw it up.
As for recoomendations I can't I bought one that my bro suggested, he kows puters. But FWIW I bought a pioneer dual layer burner.

I think OEM is original equipement from manufacturer. I could be way off.

steveinaz

Bob's right about OEM---it's a "barebones" edition of the item. Just like OEM CPU's; they have no fan, no retial box, etc. Just a CPU in a static bag. If you know what you're doing, OEM parts can save you a bundle of money.

CrBoy

Look for Lite-On burners... the best "bang for the buck" brand as far as I can tell... very very reliable and durable...

Schris22

everyone will say that Plextor is the best but....for me i LOVE my HP burner. The only place it laggs behind my plextor is in cd read.

Lite on burners aren't too shabby either. Just HP burner working wonders for me!

Chris

faster100

I have a pioneer and they were the first to make the dvd burner i think and it works fine,mine is like a year old... Lite-on is another good cheap brand... Honestly computer parts are throw aways with some exceptions, high end video cards and motherboards aside.. any one will work and do what it needs to do.

The question is, dual layer or single.. dual layer burners will backward compat with single layer blanks..

CrBoy

Plextor is excellent but VERY expensive...

HP is good but too pricey as well... not worth it for me

AsSiMiLaTeD

If you're talking about getting a DVD burner, put me down for Pioneer. I build PCs and have used dozens of these with no issues...and you can get a dual layer easily for under a Franklin...

Demiurge

CrBoy wrote:

Plextor is excellent but VERY expensive...

HP is good but too pricey as well... not worth it for me

Plextor is the best CD Burner company, but they're lacking in DVD Burners with price/value. NEC has taken the crown there for DVD giving you the most for the money.

Here is a link to something in the OPs price range:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152060

Although...the Plextor PlexWriter PX-716A DVD Burner is arguably the best DVD burner on the market.

Did I just contradict myself? lol... It's just too expensive. Guess that was my point. Because NEC still kicks some serious **** with their price points.

faster100

Ive heard for years that plextor was thee best..

I just wonder why its the best, its a cd rom.. Ive never had one die that i bought new... I usually upgrade to stay with the times somewhat.. Their way to exspensive and your not gonna keep it for 5 years.. for 40 -60 bucks get a typical burner enjoy it for a few years.. manufacture covers it for a year.. new faster speeds come out and you get a new one in 1 - 2 years ..

Ive also heard pioneer was one of the best burners, and have a reasonable price.. id look at best buy's ad for the rebate deal of the day or newegg i heard was good..

Early B.

Thanks, fellas. Based on some of the feedback here, I just purchased a Lite-On DVD/CD burner for $39.88 from newegg.

nadams

faster- put simply... plextor drives get the best speed and have the best build quality. And you pay out the **** for it. They don't buzz and humm like many cheaper drives, and they're just faster!

Now, my personal favorite is Lite-on... I just bought one of these for my sister for Christmas- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106990

faster100

I could agree on build quality, But its a computer and mine has like 4 or 5 fans anyways so its noisey already

I have used LITE-ON cd drives and cd burners for years and they work really well, Good luck with the LITE-ON burner i'm sure it will work great!!

billbillw

Check out this website:
CDRInfo.com

They have reviews of all the major burners and list pros and cons. Pretty much every one listed is a decent burner. Also, many brands you see in Compusa, OfficeMax or other big box stores are just rebadged LiteOn, NEC, or BenQ. Internally they are the same. My advice, get the cheapest one you can find. Install it, check the manufacture website for firmware updates. Update it if neccessary and I'm sure it will do a good job, as long as there isn't a problem with your computer OS or motherboard.

Regarding the best brands, Plextor used to be on top, but they have fallen far from what they used to be. They are now overpriced and really don't perform any better than the others. If anybody is on top now, its NEC or LG.

EDIT: I guess I'm too late to advise Early because I now see that he purchased one already. Oh well.

jcaut

That Plextor 716A is made by Ben-Q. My father-in-law just bought one. The DW1640 is the same drive with different firmware, for quite a bit less money. I've got one of those (DW1640) and I've also got a NEC 3540. Both were OEM drives from Newegg. They come in a static bag with maybe a CD (both mine came with OEM Nero), but no cables, screws, etc. If you're replacing a drive, then most likely all you need is the drive. These replaced a LiteOn burner AND a LiteOn DVD ROM that I liked, but BOTH failed after about 14 months. Well, technically the burner was still burning, but it quit reading DVD's. Gave me an unfavorable view of Lite-On. The DW1640 is the best burner of the bunch, IMO.

Jason

Willow

This is the one I have:

http://www.oemexpress.com/Itemdesc.asp?CartId={E26A7028-945E-4E7F-B8AB-DAD2026FA1EF}&ic=OPTPIO-DVR110DB&Tp=