Cd Writers

caleb2229 · Post by **caleb2229** » Sun May 07, 2000 10:51 pm

And one know where I can buy a cd-writer pretty cheap? I live in canada.I would prefer to order it off the net.

WhoNut · Post by **WhoNut** » Sun May 07, 2000 11:11 pm

Caleb,
Make sure you educate yourself about CDR drives before you purchase one. I went to CompUSA and bought one without any research. The sales guy talked me into a Ricoh bundled with some really crappy software. To this day, I have not been able to burn audio CD's reliably. Data backup seems to be a fairly easy proposition, but consider this; good audio software can cost half as much as the hardware itself.

You didn't mention your system specs, or if you want IDE or SCSI, these can make a big difference.

Good Luck

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How can I miss you, if you never leave?

caleb2229 · Post by **caleb2229** » Sun May 07, 2000 11:47 pm

My comp is an AMD-K6-2 333mhz with 64 megs of pc100 sdram running win98.I want like a 6x or 8x writer.And I guess I want it to be IDE,I dont know what the difference is anyway :-)

nate2569 · Post by **nate2569** » Mon May 08, 2000 12:23 am

Here is a link that will tell you everything you need to know about CD burning and more....
www.cdmediaworld.com

It even gives you info on what CD media to use.

Hope this helps.....
WhoNut is right about educating yourself.

Good Luck!

Fixxer · Post by **Fixxer** » Mon May 08, 2000 2:36 pm

I like my HP, but when I buy a new one it'll be a Plextor.

Battleship · Post by **Battleship** » Mon May 08, 2000 3:02 pm

Have a look around at a reputable computer stores that sells used components as well. I lucked out and found a HP 8100 (4x2x24) in January for 150 bucks Canadian. It came with a 1 month warranty from the store and still has a warranty from HP. It also had all the manuals and CD'S. Works great even in Win2k with no coasters at all.
So look around if you want to find a bargain.
-Good luck

nate2569 · Post by **nate2569** » Mon May 08, 2000 3:39 pm

Plextor in my opinion is one of the best.

LikeAGlove · Post by **LikeAGlove** » Tue May 09, 2000 12:01 am

plextor is definately a great drive. the HP 8100 is too (i installed it on a friend's machine and haven't had a problem since).

the panasonic 4x4x24 is quite the reliable drive as well (the scsi model is all that i've had experience with). i burned cds while surfing the net and even playing mp3s (kids, dont try this at home

)

nonetheless, here are some horror story brands to watch out for:

Ricoh (whonut, i agree completely)
Sony (unless it is a really good spressa model, but i wouldn't if i were you)
Acer (certain models)

surf the net: there are a bundle of sites that'll give you advice.

needs any canuck-specific help, then ICQ me (51932706) or email me at firedmascot@hotmail.com

cheers,
glove

try some of these sites... they might prove useful:
http://www.fadden.com/cdrfaq/ http://freespace.virgin.net/lee.hudson/cdr/cdr.htm http://members.home.net/mlafreniere1/

Hell_Yes · Post by **Hell_Yes** » Tue May 09, 2000 12:19 am

I have had good luck with HP, Compro (Panasonic) and Yamaha. I have owned these brands and they performed well. Plextor has a great rep. Smart and Friendly, Sony and ricoh have had many complaints.

I think the attached sites sez the rest..

david

caleb2229 · Post by **caleb2229** » Tue May 09, 2000 9:40 am

Ya thanks guy.Also do you know any sites where I can order one online though? Cause I have been looking at burners in my area and some stores are trying to sell 4x4x24 for nearly the price of a new computer.

Battleship · Post by **Battleship** » Tue May 09, 2000 2:07 pm

K, you know this already but burners arent cheap and your probably not gonna save much ordering online. If you want a new burner you are looking at 250 min to about 450 Canadian dollars. I just saw the new 10X HP burner at Compucentre for $440 and then tax. Dont know bout the rest of the guys posting here but I definately prefer to buy from a local store just in case you have probs.

caleb2229 · Post by **caleb2229** » Tue May 09, 2000 5:39 pm

Damb thats alot of money!I payed only $330 canadion for my new procesor and fan.Why are Burners so expensive?

WhoNut · Post by **WhoNut** » Tue May 09, 2000 9:30 pm

Burners are expensive because it requires delicate, precise electronics. Don't be lured by the low prices you see for RICOH burners out there. I was and it only works to back up my data; an important function to be sure, but not what I was hoping for when I dropped $250.

Check out your local Costco, sometimes they get in some quality components at good prices. Good luck.

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How can I miss you, if you never leave?

[This message has been edited by WhoNut (edited 05-09-2000).]

[This message has been edited by WhoNut (edited 05-09-2000).]

caleb2229 · Post by **caleb2229** » Tue May 09, 2000 10:18 pm

Ok cool...Thanks alot...I plan on geting a 4x4x24 or something along those lines

Hell_Yes · Post by **Hell_Yes** » Tue May 09, 2000 10:45 pm

You wish to look at a 24x 8x 4x... You'll find that although rewrite is a nice feature, the write speed is more useful. Yamaha makes a fine product (I use the SCSI version myself). If you are looking rip songs from cd, keep in mind, most drive only grab upto 9x. There are a few that rip at 20x (The TDK drive claim). 8x will burn a disk in about 9 minutes. 4x in about 18. The few extra sheckels you spend will be well worth it in time saved!!

david

milwaukeeguy · Post by **milwaukeeguy** » Wed May 10, 2000 4:30 am

I just picked up an HP 9300i 10x burner for $255 shipped at thebigstore.com.
they might be out of stock, but check egghead.com or buy.com. They have them for about the same price. These things are hot, its great deal. Also, try to check shopper.com and pricescan.com anytime u want to find the best deal online.

[This message has been edited by milwaukeeguy (edited 05-10-2000).]

caleb2229 · Post by **caleb2229** » Wed May 10, 2000 9:48 am

Thats american I asume....so thats about...herm....$650 canadian with the crappy exchange rate.

Battleship · Post by **Battleship** » Wed May 10, 2000 3:22 pm

I know it prob doesnt seem like much money but when you buy the burners at 8x and 10x especially you need to buy the more expensive media as well. $$$$$$$$

Hell_Yes · Post by **Hell_Yes** » Wed May 10, 2000 3:27 pm

Costco and BJ warehouse outlets sell TDK 50 disc spools for 40 dollars US. Good for upto 12X writes. Its not that expensive.

david

caleb2229 · Post by **caleb2229** » Wed May 10, 2000 9:29 pm

Hey thanks for all your input...But Im wondering do any of you know any CANADIAN sites where I can order burners off the net? All the sites you listed where american which mean american prices and huge shipping costs.

Malek · Post by **Malek** » Thu May 11, 2000 11:35 am

From what I know, Yamaha and Plextor make the best burners right now. I personally have a Ricoh MP7040A and had no problems with it whatsoever in burning. Of course, the software that came with it sucked, but if you can get your hands on something like Goldenhawk's CDRWIN (www.goldenhawk.com), life gets easier.

JohnBoy00 · Post by **JohnBoy00** » Fri May 12, 2000 9:52 am

My short list: Yamaha, HP, Plextor.

I have an internal Yamaha 16/6/4 SCSI at home and an external HP 32/8/4 SCSI at work, and I've had zero problems with either. Both are extremely quiet and make great audio recordings. The Yamaha makes great audio recordings at 4x (haven't tried 6x), which is a big time saver, because some cheap drives won't do good audio above 1x or 2x. I have no experience with Plextor, but they have a great reputation. I tried a Samsung 24/8/4 IDE before the Yamaha, but it was a little noisy and had trouble doing audio recording (even at 1x).

Fixxer · Post by **Fixxer** » Fri May 12, 2000 4:00 pm

www.stupidcomputers.com www.ncix.com

those are both online canadian stores
www.onvia.com has a canadian branch thing too I think.