What's the verdict on the Samsung Drive w/8mb buffer?

[Wedge Maniac]

I saw this drive in Wal-Mart today for only $60, yet I have read no reveiws on the drive. Is the 8mb buffer a real selling point? Does it let you burn safely while doing other (moderate) tasks? Like web surfing?

[blakerwry]

The CD drive or the hard drive?

More buffer can't hurt. But if you're not having problems with the standard size buffer then the difference is not going to be a mind boggling difference.. likely just a little bit more performance.

With the invention of BURN PROOF you shouldn't be getting coasters anyway... no matter what you're doing short of unplugging the PC mid burn.

[Wedge Maniac]

I was referring to the CDRW drive.

I'm not getting coasters. Just wondering if this 8m buffer is something dramatic enough to justify getting a cdrw drive that I don't need.

[cfitz]

No, but it might be enough to justify getting a drive you want...

I have a LiteOn LTR48246S 48x burner with a 2 MiByte buffer and a Yamaha CRW-3200EZ 24x burner with an 8 MiByte buffer, and the size of the buffer hasn't made a whit of difference in my experience, even though the LiteOn is faster with a slower buffer. When I burn, neither drive's buffer drops below 90%. Typically they stay around 97-99%. And, as blakewry said, the buffer underrun prevention technologies protect you even if something does go wrong.

cfitz

[Wedge Maniac]

Thanks for that cfitz

I have the same Liteon as you. The only thing I ever want to do while burning is surf, but I am so paranoid of getting a coaster that way. Perhaps I'll give it a try. I don't think going from one web page to another (average pages, nothing complex) would cause problems.

As for the Samsung drive, I don't particularly need or want it. It was the 8mb that caught my attention. Apparently, it's nothing to get too excited about -- almost sounds a bit gimmicky even.

[cfitz]

You're welcome.

cfitz

[blakerwry]

Thanks for that cfitz

I have the same Liteon as you. The only thing I ever want to do while burning is surf, but I am so paranoid of getting a coaster that way. Perhaps I'll give it a try. I don't think going from one web page to another (average pages, nothing complex) would cause problems.

As for the Samsung drive, I don't particularly need or want it. It was the 8mb that caught my attention. Apparently, it's nothing to get too excited about -- almost sounds a bit gimmicky even.

don't get us wrong, drives 8x and faster almost NEEDed 8MB buffers, that is until BURN proof... 4 or 8MB used to be the standard for these burners, but when BURN proof caught on as an effective anti-coaster measure buffers went down to 2MB again.

[Wedge Maniac]

don't get us wrong, drives 8x and faster almost NEEDed 8MB buffers, that is until BURN proof... 4 or 8MB used to be the standard for these burners, but when BURN proof caught on as an effective anti-coaster measure buffers went down to 2MB again.

Ah cool. Thanks for that added bit of info, blakerwry. I was always a little behind on the burning scene until I found this site