dvd burners - plextor vs. HP

[steve_77]

Howdy all - im new here was wondering if anyone had suggestions - im in need of a new dvd burner - the one i have now isnt working to well - its an older HP -- and given the fact that im having troupbe was thinking of going with plextor 740a -- over hp's new dvd840i - i like the new light scrier frature on the new hp's but think the hp product in general lacks qulity (perhaps the new ones are better ) i keep getting crc errors on my older hp think its a 110i so its fairly old, but than ive heard great thing about plextor.. any ideas, or does anybody have comparision data?

[Alaron]

Plextor's are top of the line burners, usually a tad faster then equally rated drives. However, you pay a lot more for them. I would recommend a Lite-On or NEC. Both can be had for under $50.

[not important]

As Alaron pointed out, Plextor's are quality units but NEC and Lite-On's are very reliable and very economical. They can be purchased on Newegg for under $40.
NEC (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2000100005+50001326+1036506653&Submit=ENE&Manufactory=1326&SubCategory=5)
Lite-On (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2000100005+50001336+1036506653&Submit=ENE&Manufactory=1336&SubCategory=5)

[glc]

If you want Lightscribe, Lite-On has that too, it's no longer a HP exclusive.

[steve_77]

considering other alternatives -- dont mind spendign more for better quality - im just upset that my old hp didnt last as long as id have liked it to - its still hobbling along but i have gotten a large nuber of crc errors and burn problems, -- just sick of it - are the lite-on comparable to hp or plextor -- i had an external plextor - works great but i use it alot for the laptop, and need to replace the aging and unreliable hp 100i

[not important]

I don't know who actually manufactures the HP, I have never owned one and I have no idea how old of a model you have but Lite-On and NEC are at least comparable to the HP. CRC errors can be caused by a number of things. Do you have the latest Firmware (http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/FIRMWARE/HP/HP-DVD-100i-firmware-191.shtml)for the HP? It would be worth a shot to update if you haven't already done so.

[glc]

How long do you expect a burner to last? At 40 bucks, if you get a year out of it, it doesn't owe you anything. When burners were several hundred dollars, that was a different story, my first 2x CD burner cost over $400.

If you want a Lightscribe drive, just buy a Lite-On or a BenQ - either one is cheap and will do what you need.

[steve_77]

Good idea ill check the firmware, and check the optics with a lens cleaner, the whole idea is to get somthing that just doesnt last a year or two... think i paid about 200 for it when it fist came out.... perhaps im expecting too much. Guess at 40 bucks i coult try the lite-on - just want somehting that will last and not fall apart after minimal use, but guess i can try it if things go south with the hp. besided id really liketo use the dual layer media.