External DVD Burners

[codajohn]

Hello All,
I need some advice on an external DVD burner. I currently have a Dell Inspiron 9100 Lap XP with a Modular Nec DVD+RW ND-6100A. Many quality burns later (due to your advice), I feel the need to relieve this internal drive of it's reading and writing job.
Could anyone recommend a drive?
Thanks,
CJ

[Alex7718]

Okay I have some experience in External burners since I've gone through about 5 of them. Hands down the best one I've ever had is the Plextor PX-716UF as far as externals go. It also comes in an awesome stylish silver casing that looks cool anywhere you place it. Make sure you use the Firewire connectivity as opposed to the USB 2.0 (it will give you better performance and more stable burns with less playback issues).

There are only 2 drawbacks when it comes to this drive: First and foremost it is PRICEY ($200.00 or more at most places). Second is that it is an External drive. Even the best externals can never even come close to the performance of good internal burners, (Internal burners are also cheaper, too).

Do not, I REPEAT do NOT buy the External Plextor PX-740UF model. For some reason the one I had gave me nothing but headaches when it came time to play back my DVD's and I noticed bad burns all the time. The 740UF seems to HATE ImgBurn too and will cause jerky playback on most burns. It is definitely cheaper than the 716UF, but you get what you pay for.

[Chewy]

That's strange, as the plex 740 is a benq 1640 rebadged and considered by many to be one of the best burners ever made. When the internal benq 1640 disappeared from the market, lots of people paid an extra 20$ to buy the plex
and crossflash back to benq firmware.
There is another option, wear that one out and replace with a new better model,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152069

[Alex7718]

Hey Chewy,

I know the 740A is considered an excellent internal burner by many... I was strictly speaking of the 740UF (external version). The IDE connection of the 740A makes all the difference when it comes to burns.

I will say that the external version was an excellent ripper/reader for me (8GB disc in about 10 mins), but the burns left something to be desired on almost every attempt, even at 1x.

[Chewy]

Probably the firmware, I would get the drive out, put it in a regular computer, crossflash with
newest firmware and check? I don't believe in flashing a drive over usb or firewire, unless the flash was specifically written for that. And being a rebadge I wouldn't expect Plex to keep up since that's their poorest record of performance with their drives, I had a 708A and 712A, burn me once your fault, burn me twice and I get real mad.