what DVD burner will work for me ?

Question

I have a compaq presario SR1503WM
Built in cd burner and dvd reader.
I run windows XP home edition

I have a extra bay in the front so I would like to get a internal DVD burner - need to stay sort of cheap on this also.

What do I need to know before I head off to look at them?

A friend of mine said to get a light scribe - do I really need that? Or is there a cheaper one just to burn them to disc?

I am making backup copies of my personal collection - not pirate stuff.

Best answer gets 10 points

I narrowed it down to these 3 :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106054

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136118

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129008

Which is best?

Light On
LG
Pioneer
Which is best and why???????

Answer 1

Please ignore the people telling you to spend $75 or more for a DVD burner, a ridiculous waste of money. And as for it having to be Plextor or Sony, not necessary, Lite-On, ASUS, Philips, etc all make good burners. This one will do perfectly:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106055 it has 20x speed, fastest currently, it has DVD-RAM burning, dual layer buring, and Lightscribe. That is pretty much everything there is to offer on a burner, and only $30. Lite-On is a good brand, you don't need to spend twice as much to get a Sony, this is not a TV, just a burner.

Answer 2

I would recommend a Plextor or Lite-On DVD burner. Look for one that handles all the DVD media (DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW), so you have more flexibility for what media to use. You can get a Lite-On 20X DVD burner for as low as $35 USD.

Lightscribe is for making permanent labels on the top side of the discs, so you don't have to use adhesive labels or markers. The Lightscribe images are monochrome, not color, and they are not very dark on the disc. You have to use Lightscribe media, which is a little more expensive than regular media. I use Lightscribe CDs for audio discs since my car player sometimes chokes on adhesive labels.

You can get a DVD burner with Lightscribe support for $35 - $40 or so.

Check out Newegg's selection of burners here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000100005+1036506653&name=DVD+Burner

Answer 3

It is redundant to offer the 10 points and silly. If you don't vote and get 3 points back yourself, the MOST votes wins anyway. Good luck with that.

I use http://www.123copydvd.com But back off the BURN speed a notch for a good burn. I bought this at Staples, but you can buy on-line. YOU SEE, I like having the original CD, so I buy the disk. You never know when you have to reinstall.

Run off the Staples and buy the internal Sony DVD Dual layer. I suspect that cheaper brands do not burn as well. If you don't see Sony in stock, then consider buying from NewEgg.com

SONY 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache E-IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner with LightScribe - $75.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827131048

or this one

PLEXTOR Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache ATAPI DVD Burner With Replaceable Beige Bezel - $68.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827249018

Good luck and Happy Computing!

Answer 4

I really like plextor drives, I have an external that has never gave me any problems and does exactly what I need it to do
They are very reasonably priced also

Here's one on ebay that would suit your needs
http://cgi.ebay.com/Plextor-PX-760A-18x-DVD-RW-DL-Burner-Internal-Drive-BLK_W0QQitemZ170141958534QQihZ007QQcategoryZ116249QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

However, I'd recommend a new one not a used one

Answer 5

Maybe one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010100005+1036508673&Configurator=&Subcategory=5&description=&Ntk=&srchInDesc=

--OR--

Go external (and more versatile) with one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010100420+1036506653&Configurator=&Subcategory=420&description=&Ntk=&srchInDesc=


Vast majority of people never use lightscribe ... it requires expensive special discs

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