Hi all, Best Buy has a Pioneer 16x Internal Double-Layer DVD±RW/CD-RW Drive Model: DVR-710B5PK on sale this week (until saturday 7/08/06) at $59.99 plus tax, so it wud cost me $63.00 It HAD been on sale in May for approx. $38.00 with a coupon (darn, wish I had known about THAT price!!) Anyway, supposedly the PIONEER 710 drive is the retail version of the PIONEER 111D?? Whatever that actually means to me? I do not have an internal DVD drive, only a CD-RW one. DVD wud be nice for backing up system and data. I am not into movies at this time yet. Is this unit a decent one "at this price"?? Anyone have any experiences with it, one way or another?? All suggestions & comments gladly welcome! Thanks a bunch. Sincerely, Cindy Product Features 8x maximum DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL write speed; 16x maximum DVD+R and DVD-R write speed 8x maximum DVD+RW rewrite speed; 6x maximum DVD-RW rewrite speed 16x maximum DVD-ROM read speed 40x maximum CD-R write speed 32x maximum CD-RW rewrite speed 40x maximum CD-ROM read speed Quiet Drive technology reduces the noise level of audio and video playback while delivering increased reliability Liquid crystal tilt/blur compensator plays and records to warped discs with improved reliability 2MB cache buffer ATAPI interface Recorded discs can be played back on most DVD players and DVD-ROM drives Includes Nero Media Home, Showtime 2, Vision Express 3 SE, Express 6 and more Product Details Warranty Terms - Parts 1 year limited Warranty Terms - Labor 1 year limited Product Height 7.1" Product Width 5.8" Product Weight 2.2 lbs. Product Depth 1.7" Internal or External = Internal Overall Maximum Write Speed 16x Maximum Write Speed 8x DVD+R DL; 8x DVD-R DL; 16x DVD+R; 16x DVD-R; 40x CD-R Maximum Rewrite Speed 8x DVD+RW; 6x DVD-RW; 32x CD-RW Maximum Read Speed 16x DVD-ROM; 40x CD-ROM Interface Slot/Connection Port ATAPI Software Included Nero Media Home, Showtime 2, Vision Express 3 SE, Express 6 and more Cache Buffer 2MB System Requirements Intel® Pentium® III processor 2600 1.2GHz or faster; Windows 98, 98 SE, ME, 2000, XP; 128MB RAM; 600MB hard disk space; available half-height ATAPI drive slot; video graphics card with 8MB RAM Average Access Time 130 ms DVD; 120 ms CD ;>)
You would be better off with a BenQ DW1650. It's less than $40 with shipping from NewEgg. Check it out. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101011
I'm with dolphin2 on this. BenQ drives are very reliable and very affordable. I have two of them. I have a Plextor 740, which is a rebadged BenQ 1640. I also have a BenQ 1650 that I got from NewEgg. Both drives support booktyping, which is a plus.
@cutiepie About the drive that you're interested to buy,make sure that it supports booktyping/bitsetting,as this is really a plus while burning media. Mine is a DVR-111EXL and unfortunately it doesn't support booktyping and there's not even any hacked firmware yet supporting that feature for my drive. Just for your information,pioneer drives favor -R format media more than +R format.If you intends to use Nero CD/DVD speed testing,pioneer drives are the worst when it comes to scan any media,even the best ones,using Nero scan test. If i were you,i would take my time to think well and $63 is still very expensive.You can get much better as dolphin2 and DakotaFan just mentioned,the Benq 1650 for instance is one among the best drive on the market and is much cheaper than the pioneer you want to buy.Me too i own one brand new DW-1650(stil boxed).The 1650 offers much more features than the pioneer(booktyping,quality scan,solidburn,and much more.....) Lots of members in AD do use the DW-1650 and are totally satisfied.It's even recommended by some of the most knoledgeable members here in AD. Think wisely before buying any drive. Vincent.
I'd go with the benq 1650/stick with quality -plus format media/and booktype them! Not only do you have to look at successfully backing up your dvds,and getting them to play to near perfection. You also have stand alone player compatibility which may factor in later on,down the road. If you happen to pass your backups to other peeps,if they are not booktyped-they will have a higher chance of not recognizing your backups. $63 is way too much. Go to newegg.com and look for the Benq 1650 .Should be able to get it for around $40,including shipping.
Hey all, quick question about the Benq DW1650, As stated in reviews on Newegg site: Only has 2-pin digital audio connection. No 4-pin analog. I wud be hooking this up to a 2001 Dell Dimension 8100. When I hooked up my store bought CD-RW drive, there was no hookup to the sound card and it plays sound okay. Will I have a problem with hearing sound from this Benq drive?? Tnx a bunch! CP
I don't have my audio connectors hooked up,and mine sound pretty good. I don't watch a whole lot of movies on pc,just a few while I surf the net on my main pc. I never noticed if mine were 2 or 4 pin. Next cleaning-I'll check it out.
