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Comparisons

PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 9:19 pm
by BeetleBailey
I appreciate sites that have reviews for the different hardware that is available, but what I want to see are Comparison Charts or Top 10 Ratings.

I'm in the market for a DVD/CD Burner and would like to know which is the Best for a REASONABLE Price.

I'm new to this website and would appreciate any info or links to such either on this site or elsewhere.

Thanx

Re: Comparisons

PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 9:31 pm
by dhc014
BeetleBailey wrote:Top 10 Ratings.

Pick up last month's PC World.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 10:36 am
by shaun
While it is a good place to start, beware of that list. PCWorld derives its ranking from a number of what I like to call "fluffy" factors (quality of the free burning software included, how good the instructions are etc etc).

Your best bet right now would be:

Benq 1620 (1)
NEC 3500
Pionner A08 (or 108)

The Benq is selling in Canada for $65Cdn...I don't think you can beat that price/performance.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 12:40 pm
by Ian
Top 10 lists are great.. if you trust some wanker with half a clue to tell you what drive to buy. Your best bet is to read some reviews and/or the comments in this forum, see what drives fit your needs and then choose from them.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 6:38 am
by alexnoe
If PC-World is as bad as our PC-Welt, then the best you can use it for is transporting some old fish

So, which one?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 11:49 am
by Alexo
shaun wrote:Your best bet right now would be:

Benq 1620 (1)
NEC 3500
Pionner A08 (or 108)

What I will like to see is a comparison between these three (four?) drives, detailing the stronger and weaker points of each drive vs. the others.
Does such a "shootout" exist?

Also, what are the practical differences between the Pioneer 108 and the A08?

Finally, what about the new and upcoming batch of writers - NEC 3520A, BenQ DW1620A Pro and Pioneer 109/A09?

Re: So, which one?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 11:58 am
by Ian
Alexo wrote:Does such a "shootout" exist?


Performance comparison (A08 vs ND-3500A and MSI DR16-B (OEM DW1620):

http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/index.ph ... erformance

Also, what are the practical differences between the Pioneer 108 and the A08?


The 108 is the OEM version of the A08. The differences? THe A08 is better looking, has noise reducing technologies and faster DVD-Video ripping speeds (which doesn't really matter if you use hacked firmware).

Finally, what about the new and upcoming batch of writers - NEC 3520A, BenQ DW1620A Pro and Pioneer 109/A09?


The 3520A is starting to show up now. The only advantages it has over the 3500A so far are its 8x +RW and 6x -RW writing speeds. It's rumored it will also get support for DVD-R DL. The DW1620A Pro is nothing more than a DW1620A with 4x DL writing speeds. The DW1620A can freely be upgraded to this. The 109/A09 should be announced next month. So far there hasn't been any concrete info on it.

Re: So, which one?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 12:49 pm
by Alexo
Thanks Ian.

Ian wrote:Performance comparison (A08 vs ND-3500A and MSI DR16-B (OEM DW1620):
http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/index.ph ... erformance

As I read it (= similar, >= slightly better, > better, >> much better):

CD and CD-R read speed: NEC > Pioneer = Benq
CD-RW read speed : Benq > NEC = Pioneer
CD and CD-R DAE speed: Pioneer = Benq > NEC
Scratched CD DAE speed: Pioneer > NEC > Benq
Scratched CD DAE accuracy: Pioneer > Benq >> NEC (15% errors?)
CD-R write speed: NEC > Benq > Pioneer
CD-RW rewrite speed: Benq > NEC > Pioneer
DVD-ROM read speed: similar
DVD-R read speed: NEC > Pioneer > Benq
DVD-RW read speed: Pioneer = Benq >= NEC
DVD-RAM read: Only Pioneer (2X)
DVD+R read speed: NEC > Pioneer > Benq
DVD+RW read speed: Pioneer = Benq >= NEC
DVD+R DL read speed: Benq >= Pioneer >> NEC (91% CPU @2X???)
DVD-Video read speed: Benq = Pioneer >> NEC
DVD+R and DVR-R write speed: NEC = Benq > Pioneer
DVD+RW and DVD-RW write speed: similar
DVD+R DL write speed: NEC = Pioneer >> Benq (only 2X; fixed in pro???)

Is that an accurate summary?
Did I miss or misinterpret anything?
Are some of the shorcomings fixable with "unofficial" firmware?

The 3520A is starting to show up now. The only advantages it has over the 3500A so far are its 8x +RW and 6x -RW writing speeds. It's rumored it will also get support for DVD-R DL. The DW1620A Pro is nothing more than a DW1620A with 4x DL writing speeds. The DW1620A can freely be upgraded to this. The 109/A09 should be announced next month. So far there hasn't been any concrete info on it.

Any "non-concrete" info?

A Very Careful Consumer :)

PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 2:31 pm
by shaun
http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=18219

Should help you with all your "non-concrete" speculations :)

PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 2:33 pm
by vinnie97
lol, basically a dead heat. Your specific needs would be the only consideration in this showdown/shootout (and the right price, of course ;)).

PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 2:48 pm
by Jim
Might want to compare their reading capability using riplock free (no speed limit) firmware. I'm not sure how the NEC is scoring above the Pioneer in that category unless they are all using stock firmware. One of the biggest complaints I see from NEC owners is the DVD reading speed of the drive. Many have bought dedicated DVD-ROM drives because of it. Not that I think that having a separate drive for ripping is a bad thing but even the typical, average PC user is making that decision who owns an NEC where you don't see that demographic doing it with other drives.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 7:46 pm
by MonsterMan
All right...let's forget read & write times.

To me, only ONE thing matters: write quality. Right now, I'm looking at the BenQ 1620; I'll only be using high-grade (ie, TY & MCC) media, at their rated speeds (or even below, if it'll improve quality).

Any better choices? And what about the "best" media for this drive? Plus or minus? TY or MCC? 8x for 8x rated media, or let the drive burn it as fast as it wants?

And how's it CD-R burn quality?

Note: I'm currently trying to find a store that has a Pioneer A07 drive; from what I've seen, that drive with 8x TY's is just about perfect. But, being old, it's hard to find. But, the 1620 does have DL support, so that's a big plus for me.