NEC 3540A or NEC 3550A?????

[dvdman24]

Can someone tell me whats the difference between NEC 3540A or NEC 3550A?? and which one would be a better buy??? thanks

[ROF]

I've noticed only that the 3550a is somewhat quieter than the 3540a. I'm not saying the 3540 is loud but when in use after sometime you can hear the drive working whereas the 3550 doesn't have this. Another difference is a faster write strategy for -r DL discs but I've not been able to test this as the fastest DL discs I've used are rated 4x. Spec-wise they are almost identical except as noted the above write speed. My recommendation is to buy whichever is cheaper and the one that matches your case (beige or black).

[chas0039]

There are significant differences in the quality of the burns as well as the rip speed. There is no question that the 3550 is a much better drive.

[dvdman24]

i did buy the ND-3540A and it is quite noisy. I am thinking of returning and getting the ND-3550A which is only a few bucks more. I guess it would be worth spending that much.
thanks for the replies.