BUY time: NEC 1300A vs Sony DW-U10A

[MarcoEsc]

Hi all:

It's time TONIGHT to bust out the credit card a buy my first DVD burner, either the NEC 1300A or the Sony DW-U10A.

I'm looking to get these from either newegg.com or avlogic, whose prices are very close when figuring in the free shipping. Leaning toward newegg.com to get the extended warranty, as I plan to use the heck out of this baby.

QUESTIONS (please help if you can):
* Will the 8MB buffer on the Sony provide significant improvement over the 2MB buffer on the NEC when it comes to avoiding coasters? I'm using a low-end (PIII-800) PC and want to be able to browse/email while burning DVDs.
* Does the Sony require a BIOS flash to get top performance? What BIOS should I flash? (I am comfortable flashing BIOS changes, and recognize that the NEC works best with a new bios.

I guess what I'm getting at is this: is the Sony worth paying an extra $40 or so to get?

If you have input, please share this afternoon as I'm going to order this evening.

Marco

[LanEvo7]

From those two, I'd get the Sony. I'd also consider the Pioneer A06 though.

[thayne]

I'd get the NEC

[MarcoEsc]

Sorry, let me add the Pioneer to the options list. Another great drive, slightly less expensive than the Sony. Anyone have experience where the larger buffer on the Sony was useful.

Also another question (while I'm asking): is one of these noticeably faster when burning CDs?

M

[jester1x]

Based on the specs of your computer, I would recommend the Sony. (The money you save in the short term may not be worth it in the long run.) I have a Sony DRU500AX and have had no problems with it. Sony DVD burners have the biggest buffers versus any other manufacturer.

Your a little more brave than I am. I have a P4 2.53Ghz with 512mb RAM and do absolutely no tasks on my computer when it is burning a disc.

I have not upgraded my firmware since buying the burner. My firmware is version 2.0c. It has successfully burned Apple discs rated at 4x with no problems.

[Synergy]

Buffer size has become rather meaningless when all the current CD/DVD burners are equipped with the buffer underrun protection mechanism. Besides almost all the burning softwares reserve a secondary buffer, and usually much larger than 8MB anyway, in additional to the burner's hardware buffer.

In terms of price/performance ratio, I would certainly consider the NEC over the Sony or Pioneer, simply because the NEC firmwares are updated regularly by Herrie and others at the Firmware Page Forum, even though the Pioneer still has the best firmware for burning the -R discs. Just my two cents.

[MarcoEsc]

Thanks for the input, all.

I ordered the NEC from NewEgg, and extended the warranty for $9 extra. I figure the warranty extension is a good idea, as I've always "used up" my CD burners in the past.

I was impressed by reviews here, as well as the community support for new BIOS revisions to squeeze the most from this drive. I hope it works well with my aged workstation.

Next question: I'd love media and supplier recommendations for this drive. Desire successful 4x burns of video for playback on settop boxes. Lowest price and quality supplier desired. If you have had great luck with a certain type of cheap media on this drive, please let me know! I will be updating the BIOS if necessary.

Marco