Is the NEC ND3550A a good reader?

[lebowski]

I currently own an NEC ND2510A and don't have any major complaints except for the fact that it can be a finicky reading at times. DVD's burned on the drive sometimes won't read or give me errors after a while, even though the discs read perfectly in my standalone unit. Considering how inexpensive ND3550A have become I was considering upgrading but was wondering if the ND3550A's are better readers and will allow me to read some of my older discs.

If possible please reply ASAP. I need to make a decision this evening because I have my sisters computer and could give her my old drive before returning it tomorrow if I order a new one. Feel free to recommend other drivers in the same price range if they are known to be better readers than the ND3550A.

Cheers

[ROF]

As a 3550a owner I can highly recommend this drive. It's one of the most quiet drives I've owned. It reads fine with just about everything I've thrown into it. Compared to others in it's same price range(sub $40) I can't recommend a better drive.

[AlecWest]

That's a tough question. I have a 3550A now and have no problems reading older disks burned on my MagicSpin (which died). And, I've had no issues with it burning DVD-R or CD-R disks. I've not tried DVD+R or RW disks yet but don't anticipate any problems.

Still, it's a tough question because "reading" issues are directly related to the quality of the "write" process (and the quality of the DVD burned) ... which can vary from one burner or DVD to the next. So, there's no way to give a single "pat" answer to that question.

[lebowski]

Thanks guys, I think I'll order one and see what it can do when it arrives. It's just $40 so I can't go wrong. Do you guys know anything about swapping faceplates? The drive I'd be ordering is black but my system is beige, my sisters computer is a black Dell. Ideally i'd switch the faceplates so that the drives match both cases. It should be pretty easy since they're both NEC drives, right?

[jkleslie]

Just order a beige one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152059

[lebowski]

I'm Canadian and newegg doesn't ship to Canada or even accept payment from Canadian credit cards. I had to order mine from tigerdirect. Which is fine since they're currently offering a $15 rebate and from past experience I should get the burner by Friday.

[OneSickPup]

The Nec 3550 is a good choice for an all purpose drive. Mine isn't used much for reading, but has done well when asked to do so. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[orion940]

Thanks from a lurker.

My Plextor 716A bit the dust with the hardware buffer going south on me. I saw newegg had these for under $40 shipped, so I went for the NEC which I should have to begin with.

O.

[rfielder]

I'm Canadian and newegg doesn't ship to Canada or even accept payment from Canadian credit cards. I had to order mine from tigerdirect. Which is fine since they're currently offering a $15 rebate and from past experience I should get the burner by Friday.

The regular price at Canada Computers is $49 for beige and black, $50 for silver, no rebates required, possibly free shipping.

Your message is 9 days old. Do you have the burner yet? How is it? Happy??

I have a Plextor 12x, which I am very, very happy with, but I don't burn DL due to costs. At times, something more than 12x would be nice, so this is tempting. Plus, having both in the same machine will make it easy to duplicate non-commercial DVDs that are a straight disc to disc copy. Very, very tempting.....since Canada Computers has lots of the silver ones in stock, and it is going into a Lian Li case.....

[classfour]

Not certain about the 3550A, the 3520A & 3540A drives that I've installed aren't the absolutely best readers, but are probably the best burners that I've seen - especially for the money. They have a readability rate on par with the Plextor drives that I have, but are below the Panasonic's. I have an ancient LF-D521 that I use for the most difficult discs, and it will retrieve data on discs the others give up on. The newer B110 drive that I use is slightly behind the old one.

This said, NEC's are still my only choice when building a machine for someone else: Great price, Great drive!