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Benq 1620 pro Newegg question?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 1:37 am
by hydrogen
Does those oem 1620 Pro drives from Newegg come with the B7 or G7 firmware?

Thank you.

Re: Benq 1620 pro Newegg question?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 1:46 am
by dodecahedron
hydrogen wrote:oem 1620 Pro

oxymoron.
the Pro can't be OEM by definition.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 4:14 am
by hydrogen
Hi,

Could you explain? They are listed as oem drives at Newegg. Do they come with the B7 or G7 firmware?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 4:25 am
by dodecahedron
the Pro version is the same as the retail version but with a new software bundle. the physical drive is the same.
so OEM Pro doesn't make sense at all.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 4:36 am
by hydrogen
Thank you.

That is very odd.

The pics even shows a drive without the Benq name on the faceplate.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDe ... 632&depa=0

Has anyone bought one and seen what it is?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 7:41 am
by dodecahedron
interesting.
i would say it was a Newegg error.
but then the CD in that OEM product is Nero Express, and the Pro comes with Nero (full i think) and the 'regular' retail drive comes with RecordNow (or at least came with it in the past)...confusing.

in any case it's obviously a OEM hardware, judging by the faceplate.
my guess would be it comes with G7 firmware.

Re: Benq 1620 pro Newegg question?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 8:58 am
by bill
hydrogen wrote:Does those oem 1620 Pro drives from Newegg come with the B7 or G7 firmware?

Thank you.


Why do you ask, will it void the warranty to flash it?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 6:20 pm
by MediumRare
dodecahedron wrote:the Pro version is the same as the retail version but with a new software bundle. the physical drive is the same.
so OEM Pro doesn't make sense at all.

Sorry, but I think there is a difference other than bundled software. AFAIK, although the hardware of the 1620 and 1620-Pro is identical, the difference is in the firmware. The 1620-Pro is capable of writing +R DL media at 4x, the normal 1620 only at 2.4x out of the box. Sure, you can flash one to the other, but as they come, they do differ.

G
edit: corrected "bundled firmware" to "bundled software"

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 6:44 pm
by hydrogen
BigMonkey

I wanted to get one with a B7 firmware. I don't want to flash a G7 to a B7 because I would be afraid it would void the warranty. I care about the warranty, so I want a retail drive.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 6:46 pm
by hydrogen
dodecahedron,

Thank you for the information.

Hopefully someone who has bought a 1620 pro oem at Newegg will post here and let us know.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 9:09 pm
by bill
hydrogen wrote:BigMonkey

I wanted to get one with a B7 firmware. I don't want to flash a G7 to a B7 because I would be afraid it would void the warranty. I care about the warranty, so I want a retail drive.


Your concern about the warranty makes sense. It's just that I cant find any written policy over at Benq's web site.

Anyone know for certain that flashing from "G" to "B" firmware voids the warranty?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 9:20 pm
by DVD_ADDICT
you can always flash back to the G firmware if you're so concerned with the warranty getting void.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 10:09 pm
by hydrogen
Bigmonkey,

I just assumed it would void warranty. It would be nice to know if it does or not. I'm not sure what Benq thinks about it.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:49 am
by kirpen
I just got one and yes its oem. It came with nero express & g7 firmware.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:26 am
by hydrogen
Kirpen,

Thank you for letting us know. I really appreciate it :)

PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 2:03 am
by Hef
Kirpen let us know how it performs. there's been some talk about QC problems.

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 6:34 pm
by bill
hydrogen wrote:Bigmonkey,

I just assumed it would void warranty. It would be nice to know if it does or not. I'm not sure what Benq thinks about it.


I finally had a chance to call Benq today. Called twice and spoke to two different reps...

The first rep said; "Flashing from "G" to "B" firmware will void the warranty."

I explained the first conversation to the second rep..

The second rep said; "Let me go get the official response."

I wait for a couple of minutes and he said; " Officially we don't support flashing from "G" to "B" firmware." --- "Unofficially, if the drive fails for mechanical reasons they will honor the warranty".

PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 1:32 pm
by Wraith413
Purchased the black 1620 Pro OEM from Newegg and installed in an external enclosure with 1394 and USB2.0. Works great for me and burns my Fuji 8X +R's at 16X. Actually, after performing scans with the BenQ and my internally installed Plextor 712, the BenQ has better scans, even when using the 1394 connection. The BenQ has fw G7Z9 installed. The CDR's scans weren't as good as my 712's though, but just by a bit.

Wraith413

PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 4:31 pm
by dodecahedron
Wraith413 wrote:Purchased the black 1620 Pro OEM from Newegg and installed in an external enclosure with 1394 and USB2.0.

would you mind telling us which external enclosure you are using?
what chipset?
URL to manufacturer/store?

TIA

PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 4:53 pm
by Wraith413
dodecahedron wrote:
Wraith413 wrote:Purchased the black 1620 Pro OEM from Newegg and installed in an external enclosure with 1394 and USB2.0.

would you mind telling us which external enclosure you are using?
what chipset?
URL to manufacturer/store?

TIA


Sure Dodeca,
Here's the link, http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDe ... 357&depa=0

It's the BYTECC 5.25" Silver Aluminum USB 2.0/IEEE1394 COMBO External Enclosure, with the Prolific chipset. ( my plextor 712 works in it also.)

I haven't tried the USB2.0 yet, but I will soon and report back.

Wraith 413

PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 10:52 pm
by dodecahedron
OK thanks
actually, this is the very case i'm considering purchasing!
it's good to know that the BenQ does manage to burn at 16x in this external case.

would you mind telling me, how noisy is the fan of this unit ?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 11:44 pm
by Wraith413
It's very quiet. I have to put my ear up to the back of the unit to hear it. Also, it's not light weight. The cover wraps around, as you can see in the link above,and is 1 piece. It's aluminum, but still hefty. The "Bytecc" logo stands out, but the other lettering only stands out if you look at it almost straight on.
The end pieces are plastic. 2 screws on the rear panel hold the unit together, a simple and effective design.

Wraith 413

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 1:31 am
by dodecahedron
thank you again.
your information about the quiet fan has quieted my fears! :D :lol:

i'm more and more inclined to buy this case...