DVD Burner

[jazzytrav]

I'm just looking for something simple to take DVDs and burn copies. I thought not many years ago that these were pretty expensive, but looking around Ebay there are a lot of them for $30-$40. I don't want anything cheap that will be more of an annoyance, though. I have an open drive on my computer, but is it a pain to find something compatible? Anyone have a specific suggestion?

[DatHoser]

Grab a Pioneer from Newegg.com and you should be set. I've been very happy with mine over the past 3 years.

[jazzytrav]

How much did that run you (the site is forbidden on my work computer)? And is there any kind of compatibility issue?

[DatHoser]

They run about $30 for either IDE or SATA plus shipping.

 

As far as compatibility, if you're talking with the pc: as long as you're not using a Dell you should be ok. If you're talking media compatibility, the Pioneer does a pretty good job with most brands. I tend to stick with Verbatim (especially for dual-layer), TDK, or Maxell.

[jazzytrav]

Thanks for the info DatHoser.

[pitchleague]

what about for laptops? I've wondered about this in the past. If I buy a drive for my laptop from newegg, will it fit in my laptop? Are all drives compatible with all laptops (assuming they fit the slot size)? My drive seems to break all the time and, even though they're still under warranty, eventually they won't.

[DSFastball55]

No, laptop drives are generally model-specific. But you could get a USB drive that would work with any pc; should be able to find one around $50 or so I'd guess.

[pitchleague]

so if I wanted to order one on newegg, I'd have to specify my model to see if it will work or could I only buy one from my manufacturer.

 

I figured a USB drive would be fine but how fast/reactive or those?

[DatHoser]

You're welcome, jazzytrav!

 

The usb drive should be reasonably fast as long as your usb port is 2.0. I'm too lazy to compare specs, but any speed difference between usb and internal is probably negligible. I did see a slim Pioneer drive on newegg yesterday, so you may want to check that out as well. YMMV