Writer that stands up to use -- Recommendations?

[xaunloc]

I don't know if this really belongs here or in the newbie forum, but it seems the folks who would have the answers are more likely to be here...

I'm on my second OEM CD-burner (an A-Open 24x10x40x). Wore the first one out and it was replaced under warranty without question. Looks like I'm fixing to wear out the replacement. I'd guess it is going to die before the one year warranty on the whole machine runs out, but I'm not at all sure another free replacement is the best answer.

I'm burning SVCDs and occasionally VCDs - every once in a rare while a data CD or music CD. Usage is perhaps one or two full disks burned daily plus a few hours of nearly continuous burning each day on weekends (10 to 20 full disks in a weekend).

A brand new drive works reliably at full rated speed. After a few weeks full speed burns say they worked but the result has jerks or skips towards the end, especially on SVCDs. Dropping the burn speed solves the problem... for a while. As the problem returns, I drop the burn speed again, and it fixes the problem again, for a while. Right now 8x is usable but the results are not quite 100% reliable in the last minute or two of content. Today I'm burning stuff I really want to come out right at 4x.

The problem is absolutely not underrun -- even at 24x the system keeps the buffer better than 90% full unless I do something really stupid in the foreground with Nero burning in the background. From what I've been told the problem is that the normal PC writers aren't really up to more than occasional use, and OEM drives are typically the worst because the are built to be cheap and most customers aren't expected to write enough CDs to wear out a drive before the warranty runs out. From what I know of both technology and ecconomics that makes perfectly good sense.

I'm not about to buy a commercial CD reproducing system just to get a more durable writer, but I'd like to replace this one with something that will last a while.

I don't need a DVD burner because SVCD is adequate for what I'm writing and blank media prices still make CDs the practical recording media for my content. If the best answer is a DVD burner that also does CDs, that's good; but I'd be just as content with a good CD burner.

Speed isn't as important as reliability and durability. A fast drive would be nice but again, the ability to make a good SVCD and to keep on making them is more important than a few extra rpm.

So, anyone got some suggestions on a durable and reliable replacement drive that doesn't require taking out a mortgage?

Thanks

[spiderman2k1]

for cd burners i like LG for DVD burner's I like PIONEER

[flaninacupboard]

I think you're going to fall short on this one. as you say an industrial drive would better suit what you're doing, but industrial cd burners don't (to the best of my knowledge) exist, because they have no reason to. Any company wishing to produce vast amounts of discs will just have them pressed. and if they -really- need them, then they don't care about the prohibitive costs of pressing, especially given the data is then secure for up to 100 years. The only thing i can suggest is to buy two burners, and use them alternately, buy a bigger, better ventilated PC case and leave an empty bay between the burner and any other components.