Best DVD-ROM ?

[ZL1]

Hi

well I didnt have the money and bought an Artec dvd, man oh man I want to kill myself, wont even read cds right, dvds at 1x and I still have time-outs at times

so I decided to starve for a week or so and get a good one


what would you guys recommend as the best dvd ? they are most under 50 so I will stretch for the best one


all feedback will be really appreciated



Thanks
Dan

[goldenbuddha]

For that money, I would strongly recommend the Lite-Ons, I have setup many systems with them (and its twin the CDRW) and together they have provided my clients with great performance and they really like the fact that for both items, it was only about 100 bucks.

I have not had any of them come back to me and complain about the drive at all. The relatively cheap price of the drive just doesn't do it any justice.

But if you have money to burn, I use a Pioneer Slot in DVD drive. They are more money, but way cool and I haven't had any problems with them for years.

Good Luck!

[cbuddha42]

another vote for lite-ons, haven't heard of one breaking yet

[consumertalks]

I found a 16X Lite-On for $38 here:

http://www.caplinktech.com/ListItems.asp?catNum=5

I don't know if it comes with PowerDVD though.. it just says "Retail Box". I might pick one up if I can find it in black.

[EndobioticChaos]

Best DVD-Rom under $50 is definitely Pioneer.

You can get a 16x slot load at NewEgg for $43 shipped.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...tby=14&order=1

I have this drive, and I really like it. I've also had a LiteOn DVD drive in the past, and it worked okay for the most part. There were a few DVDs though that for some reason it just couldn't run. It just locked up.

Nothing like that with a Pioneer.

[consumertalks]

Hey, thanks for the link to the Lite-On. I've been looking on eBay, some are packaged with Power DVD for a few bucks more. <<<<backspace! Just looked at the "See It!" pictures on newegg, and there's a shot of the Power DVD disc! Woohoo, looks like I've got damn near every upgrade for my Dell 2350 after this!

Thanks, endobiotic.

*edit. I guess that was a random "NewEgg Special" Banner that happened to appear above the Pioneer specs. Lucky me.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=27-131-603

[jerrygarcia]

Lite-on for both CD-RW and DVD-rom. I've researched the DVD-rom issue and came to the conclusion of the Lite-on, hands down.

[EndobioticChaos]

I don't get it. You're going to pay $39 when four bucks more gets you a damn good slot load drive? You're crazy.

Don't get me wrong, I like LiteOn okay, but their stuff is DEFINITELY not made for durability. Their stuff is made to be almost disposable. I seriously doubt any great percentage of their CD burners will last more than 5 years, at least if they get any kind of real use. But that doesn't matter, because in 5 years the CD burner you bought today will be worth about 2 cents, and you'll probably have upgrade at least once or twice.

But when a poor quality DVD drive means it won't work with all DVDs, well, that's another matter. Even so, the slot-load feature itself is worth well more than $4 in my opinion. Heck I'd pay at least $15 more for that feature, even over another drive of the same brand. You don't know how sweet it is until you've tried it.

[consumertalks]

Find me one in black and I'll consider switching.

[EndobioticChaos]

Intersting how you neglected to mention that little detail. I doubt they make them in black. They're rare enough in Beige. But if it were me, I'd still get the slot-load and buy some vinal dye. You don't have to worry about the tray fouling things up. Just pop off the faceplace and do it.

But suit yourself.