Here is a good article you might be interested in. I've always been told Lite On, and Sony are the way to go. http://www.tomshardware.com/storage/20041102/index.html
plextor is the best, but cost a bit more. I dont think anyone will dispute that. After that you have the good and not soo good and its usually a matter of opinion. Mine is the pioneer drives, liteon, sony then NEC in that order Get one with at least 8x +-R, 4x +-RW, 2.4x DL By sticking to the more common drives more people will be able to help out with problems, more firmwares available, and their usually common for good reason ie. known to work well. All depends on budget, my Pioneer A08 is an excellent drive for the cost ($AUD100) and its burnt anything i chuck in it. On the other hand my HP300e (NEC make) is old and crap, and the sony isnt much better