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I was going to buy a Benq DW1620 from ebuyer.com however i just went onto the benq site and found that there is a dw1620 pro.

I would like to know what the differences are and i would like to know if the site i am buying the 1620 from is a 1620 pro or just a 1620, if there is any difference. here's the site:

OEM version: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products ... _uid=80836

Retail version: - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products ... _uid=75719

also do you guys think i should buy the retail or the oem version, i would like your opinions on these matters, THANK YOU

Physically, the two drives are the same. THe pro is nothing more than the DW1620 with a firmware enabling 4x DL writing speeds. And yes, the DW1620 can be upgraded to the pro for free using a firmware from BenQ.

As far as OEM vs. Retail.. the only differences I know of is the software bundle and bezel. There are some OEM only firmwares too.. but I think most people just flash with the retail.

Why the heck is this a poll anyway?

Ian I'm not totally convinced by that. Reason being people fortunate enough to have the Pro version seem to get better scans overall as opposed to the plain 1620 upgraded via FW to the Pro version. Especially when I compare them to my 1620. Not that my scans are bad by any means but these guys don't just get good scans they're nothing short of amazing.

scans don't mean much if they are able to be played back on standalone dvd players....that's just my 2 cents......

i have 2 rebadged BENQ 1620 I/O magic drives, one came with official BENQ firmware and the other was a OEM "G" firmware........they burn perfectly fine..........

I agree 100%. Everything I burn with the BenQ play flawlessly on my standalones but I somehow feel there may be hardware differences or improvements we aren't aware of between the 2 models even though the FW available allows both versions to do the same things.

If you don't want to void your warranty, I would go with the retail one. It gets firmware updates faster than the oem ones. The retail drives come with the B7** firmwares and the oem drives usually come with the G7** firmwares.

support.benq.com doesn't even post the G7** firmwares. So, you have to rely on the US site to get the G7** firmwares. The US is behind the support.benq.com site with posting updates. Right now you can get the B7T9 firmware, but the G7T9 isn't out yet. You can only get the G7P9 firmware.

I have found 2 sites that sell a 1620 pro bulk drive in the US, but I'm not sure where your buying your drive from though. If you don't live in the US, your country may have the 1620 Pro.

They're selling in the UK for sure.

seaegg wrote:I agree 100%. Everything I burn with the BenQ play flawlessly on my standalones but I somehow feel there may be hardware differences or improvements we aren't aware of between the 2 models even though the FW available allows both versions to do the same things.

Good point. It just could be the fact that the manufacturing process is better and they're getting less drive failures. I'm not really sure.

seaegg wrote:I agree 100%. Everything I burn with the BenQ play flawlessly on my standalones but I somehow feel there may be hardware differences or improvements we aren't aware of between the 2 models even though the FW available allows both versions to do the same things.

Has anyone actually asked benq?? When I had a similar question about an aopen drive I emailed aopen. They we more than happy to explain the differences.......

where in the UK do they sell 1620 pro. the ebuyer site is very cheap, but i don't think they are selling the pro one though

spryfly wrote:Has anyone actually asked benq?? When I had a similar question about an aopen drive I emailed aopen. They we more than happy to explain the differences.......

I'm not sure about dolph, but they've told me their drives have been the same from the 1600 to the 1620 pro.

Ian wrote:

spryfly wrote:Has anyone actually asked benq?? When I had a similar question about an aopen drive I emailed aopen. They we more than happy to explain the differences.......

I'm not sure about dolph, but they've told me their drives have been the same from the 1600 to the 1620 pro.

Nope, I haven't specifically asked about that. I think if noticable quality variations exist at all, it will be true for all DW1620, OEM, Retail, or Pro versions.

Well, if they say that they are the same then barring any other conclusive evidence I think that puts the issue to rest.

However, the fact that the hardware has been the same since the 1600 (amazing what firmware can do) seems to suggest that they are due for something new. Any news about benq releasing a drive with 8x+dl and 8x dvd+rw? Or is the current drive capable of reaching these speeds with firmware updates?

spryfly wrote:Any news about benq releasing a drive with 8x+dl and 8x dvd+rw? Or is the current drive capable of reaching these speeds with firmware updates?

I don't know if the Nexperia chipset is even capable of those speeds. Anyone know?

Poked around a bit @ the Philips Semiconductor site.
Came up with this:
http://www.semiconductors.philips.com/a ... 012272.pdf

Seems to be the older chipset, 8X +R, no +R DL capability. They don't seem to have the specs for the newer chipset up.

Maybe the FCC site will have it?

I asked benq on the differences between a benq 1620 and 1620 pro and they said that:
The difference between DW 1620 and DW 1620 Pro is the double layer
writing speed. DW 1620 Pro is capable of 4 x and DW 1620 only 2.4 x

Not much difference is there?

I asked benq on the differences between a benq 1620 and 1620 pro and they said that:
The difference between DW 1620 and DW 1620 Pro is the double layer
writing speed. DW 1620 Pro is capable of 4 x and DW 1620 only 2.4 x

Not much difference is there?

by flashing the DW 1620 with firmware B7P9 it will be able to burn 4x DL DVD+R media as well thus becoming a DW 1620 PRO.....so really there is no big difference.....

is that it just flash the firmware and it's a pro version, thanx for the reply

I told you guys that like 4 days ago. Listen to Ian? Nooo....

is that it just flash the firmware and it's a pro version, thanx for the reply

yesssss

Ian wrote:I told you guys that like 4 days ago. Listen to Ian? Nooo....

Did someone just say something? I could have sworn I heard something... No? Eh, oh well. I must be imagining things...



cfitz

sorry ian, you are the best when it comes to these things

from the results of the poll, people are suggesting that it does not matter if you get the retail, or oem version. but however reading comments on the thread suggest that it is better to get the retail, as you get faster firmware updates and ofcourse it's packed with the software. are there any other advantages to retail as oppose to oem.

I got a Nero 6 licence with my 1620 Pro. That made up my mind.

i have just bought my BENQ dw1620 (retail version) but it did not include the 2 cables. The software, the screws were included but not the cables.
on the box it says at the back that it includes the screws, the drive and the software, whereas reading the review on cdrlabs the retail box should include the 2 cables.
any help would be appreciated