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your COMBO drive choice

PostPosted: Wed Mar 17, 2004 11:12 pm
by IceX
Hello everyone.
J have been reading reviews and forum opinions for COMBO drives (CDRW/DVD-ROM) these days but still don't know what to buy.

Nobody sells Liteon drives here and personally j would buy the TEAC DW-548D (48X24X48X16) drive, but they are ALL SOLD OUT so j'm limited to these drives:

SAMSUNG SM-352B (52X24X52X16)

SONY CRX300E (48X24X48X16)

LG 4480B (48X24X48X16)

LG 4520B (52X24X52X16)

Short list, j know but HELP ME CHOOSE. :roll: :roll: :roll:

PostPosted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 1:53 am
by TheWizard
Interestingly enough, the Sony CRX300E may, in fact, be a Lite-On drive. Don't quote me on that, but if Sony's choice for CD-RW burners is any indication, then the CRX300E will definitely be a Lite-On. To put it another way, all Sony CD-RW burners have been rebadged Lite-On burners. So, it's possible that the Sony combo drive is also a Lite-On.

As for the other choices, I've always been an LG fan. Neither the GCC-4480B nor GCC-4520B will let you down; both are good drives. And as for the Samsung SM-352B, well, Samsung combos have been touted as some of the best in the business. You won't be disappointed with the SM-352B. Heck, even if you get a slightly older Samsung combo, like the SM-348B, you won't be disappointed either.

If I was in your shoes, I would weigh the other factors; price being an important factor for me. Since I know I can't go wrong with either drive, I would go for the least expensive one. But that's just me, perhaps price is not important to you. :) If price was not a concern, I would get the Samsung. Why? Because their combo drives are very cool, and because I never owned a Samsung drive before. But that's just me. :P

PostPosted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 3:11 am
by dolphinius_rex
It's inconclusive so far as to whether the Sony CRX300a is a LiteON or not, but they look exactly the same, weigh exactly the same, and have exactly the same dimensions....

PostPosted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 4:13 am
by Bhairav
They ARE the same!
:wink:

Fit your needs

PostPosted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 10:05 am
by steelly
I purchased the Samsung 352B retail package. It came with a 8MB buffer and Nero 5.5 burning software. I also got Power DVD (Version 4) bundled with the drive. I use this combo drive in conjuction with my Plextor 708A and they are a great team. Samsung 352B also supports Mt. Rainer in CD-R and reads DVD Ram. There is a great review of this drive here on CDR-Labs and also at CD Freaks. I found several recommendations at this site and bought the drive for $55 bucks, so price is of little concern.
Samsung 352B is a great product! :lol:

OK

PostPosted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 8:37 pm
by IceX
The Samsung is 60$ and the LG is 63$, the price isn't a problem at all.
J will consult the dealers if they are bulk or retail and choose one that will do the job.

BTW if j buy the LG 52x24x52x16 j will do a home review and post it to see how it compares to other drives.

Thank you guys for your posts. :lol: :lol:

PostPosted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 9:01 pm
by dodecahedron
the Lite-On LTC-48161H goes for about $55.
the Lite-On SOHC-5232K goes for about $60.

PostPosted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 10:25 pm
by vsekh
Your going to have a hard time burning CDs at 52x with the samsung combo. I would recommend one of the Liteon combo drives in dodecahedron's post.

PostPosted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 6:38 pm
by wicked1
vsekh wrote:Your going to have a hard time burning CDs at 52x with the samsung combo. I would recommend one of the Liteon combo drives in dodecahedron's post.


I have a samsung 352B and hes right. Most discs top out at 48X instead of 52X but it is an excellent drive all around other that that. Reads all dvd formats well.

PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 12:22 am
by CDRecorder
I recommend the Sony combo drive, too.

PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 10:29 am
by vsekh
Question on the Sony combo.

Do you have to turn on Turbo mode by pressing the eject button for about 3 seconds before the door opens everytime to burn at 52x speed or is this used only to read at 52x speed?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 10:32 am
by cfitz
Only for reading. Discs to be written are assumed to be brand new and free of any damage, and thus safe to spin at top speed.

cfitz

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:15 pm
by wicked1
if the Sony is a Liteon you can flash it with liteons firmare and rid yourself of this nusance.