Ripping Speed of Combo Drive?

[Popee]

I have need to buy a combo drive for my PC. I have narrowed it down to the following 3 drives. Does anyone really know which drive will be the fastest to rip from?

1) Lite-On LTC-48161H
2) LG GCC-4480
3) Samsing SM-348B

I know from reading all the info on this site, that the Lite-On DVD ROM drive will generally be faster than most. However, does that still make Lite-On the clear choice when discussing combo drives. I await your answers.

[defense]

Lite-ON's are the overall best DVD ROMS for ripping in terms of speed. I get well over 15.4x on most of my DV5-s and most others with LITE-ON DVD ROMS get similar. Lite-On is also very up to date with their firmware. They are continuously providing firmware updates when necessary. Basically, you can compare Lite-On to pretty much any other DVD ROM drive and Lite-On will be the best choice.

IN summary, go with the Lite-On...you'll be very pleased.

[theDruid]

Popee,

two things:

1. I wouldn't prioritise ripping speed as the main criteria when choosing a combo drive - the difference between a very fast rip, and a not-so-fast rip will only be a few minutes; go and put the kettle on!

I would say that reliability / durability is much more important (although obviously it's harder to get specs for)

2. Do you really need a combo? I had one a few years ago (one of the early Toshiba combos), and was really happy with it until the CD/CD-RW functionality stopped working.

So then I had a DVD drive which could not read normal CD's, and only ran at 4x (I know I said speed shouldn't be a priority, but bear with me!). I was also constantly worried that the DVD functionality was about to pack in any minute.

My point is that 2 separate drives are often cheaper/the same price as a combo; you get 2 drives with better performance than a combo, and if anything goes wrong, you only need to replace the faulty component, not the whole shebang.

Even if I only had one IDE channel spare, I'd be tempted to buy one of those RAID/IDE controller cards and get 2 separate drives.

Sorry for going on - but I was a big fan of the combo until it went wrong!

cheers,
mcdruid.

[imtigger2]

Personally, I had an 'old' Creative labs PC-DVD 6x drive lying around. I put it in an External Firewire box, and it works GREAT!

I rip most movies in 14min with it, then DVD X COPY goes right to my Sony DRU-500a and burns in 15min with 4x media.

1/2hr from start to finish if I want a hands-off rip/burn.

Dan B

[Popee]

Thanks to all for their honest responses. Truly appreciated.

In answer to mcdruid, here is my dilemma:

Right now, I have 3 drives. A Sony DRU-500AX DVD burner that I am very happy with. A Pioneer DVD Rom drive that only rips at 2x, and a LG 8x CD burner.

I have a RAID/IDE controller card built into my MB. My LG CD writer is running through it. However, I mostly keep the controller turned off, because everytime I boot up, it takes about another 30 seconds for the MB to recognize it, and it slows down my progress. (Call me impatient), and, I hardly ever burn CD's.

I could use the Sony for CD burning, but I hate to use up the useful life of the Sony (cost $350) when I can get a combo drive for $61. delivered.

So, what I am looking for in essence, is the best of both worlds. A drive that will replace my CD writer and my DVD Rom drive. I would also like for it to serve as a fast DVD ripping drive, and one that I can use to burn an occasional CD. And most important, one that will boot up when I turn on the PC, without having to toggle the RAID/IDE controller.

PC World has listed all 3 drives that I mentioned recently as among the top 10 CD writers. All this without the extra feature of a DVD Rom. According to PC World, The DVD Rom part is just an extra add-on. They did not however, mention the speed of ripping, and that is why I am posting here.

[defense]

@Popee, as I said, the Lite-On will be your BEST choice. If there is a second best, it would be the LG drive. The LG combo drive supports MT. RAINER and i'm not sure if the LITE-ON does. You may or may not use that ability anyway. Check this link out..it gives that LG drive a 9 out of 10 and speaks very highly of it. I'd say after reading that thread you should be fine obtaining high rip speeds and i'd go with whichever of the two I could get cheapest if I were looking for a combo drive. Here's the link.

http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/index.php?reviewid=186&page=Features

[theDruid]

Popee,

It sounds like the drive you're after won't be getting too much heavy use, so you'd hope it won't wear out too quickly.

I've looked at the specs for all of those combos you've listed, and it looks like they're all 16x DVD speed.

The only note of caution I'd sound is:

According to PC World, The DVD Rom part is just an extra add-on.

...if you're going to mostly use it as a DVD-Rom, is that a good thing?!

However, I have to agree with defense - I have found Lite-On's to be very reliable (I've had a CD-RW, and a DVD-ROM made by them).

I've also read (now!) that combo's have improved a lot in terms of performance and reliability in the last few years.

If you're still convinced you want a combo, I'd say any of the 3 look pretty good - but I have a personal preference towards Lite-On.

cheers,
mcdruid.

[Popee]

At the moment, I am leaning towards the Lite-On for 2 reasons.

1) After following the link as supplied by Defense (Much Thanks), I notice that the LG does not actually have Mt. Rainier technology, which the Lite-On does.

2) The Lite-On drive has Smart-X technology that, at least in theory, supports the fastest ripping speeds.

Decisions, decisions. I will probably order a drive within the next 48 hours. NewEgg has them both in stock, and both in black. I will keep you posted.

Again, Thanks to all of you for the info provided.

[defense]

I notice that the LG does not actually have Mt. Rainier technology, which the Lite-On does.

No prob on that link...not sure how I missed that word does "NOT" support MT. RAINER....anyway, with that being said..the LITE-ON model definitely seems like your best bet.

[jbenj01]

defense,

how the heck do you get 15x ripping speeds??? i have a Lite-On ROM (forgot model #) and the most i've EVER seen rip was ~9-10x... And even that was for like a fraction of a second.. Usually rips at ~4-6x...

And yes, i have DMA mode enabled for all my drives.. (A05, 106 and the Lite-On reader..). Please advise.. BTW, my system is a P4/3G/800fsb on Win200 and an Asus mobo with 1G of DDR memory.. ??? Thx.

[defense]

@jbenj01 ...are the speeds you are referring to for DVD-5 or DVD-9? Because I get your speeds on DVD-9's. DVD-9's will take longer to rip as will burned DVD's. DVDR's aren't stomped or pressed, they are burned (obviously) and they aren't read as well by DVD ROMS.

Anyway, the speeds of 15.4x are achieved by my Lite-On 166S on DVD-5's. I've never gotten that type of speed on a DVD-9...however, I usually get about 10x on a DVD-9...sometimes a little higher.

I have ripped DVD-5's in a little more then 3 minutes. I would say it's my the 166S model...but I was getting similar results when I had the 163D.

What model LITE-ON do you have? And are you saying that even on DVD-5's you can't get more then 10x rip speeds?


P.S Right click on your DVD ROM Drive and go to properties...then go to the "HARDWARE" tab. You will see your LITE-ON drive and model number there. It may also say "JLMS"..which is also LITE-ON. JLMS just stands for JVC Lite-On Manufacturing & Sales.

[jbenj01]

Either or.. i do notice rip is faster when dvd5, but still not even close to 10x.. and much slower for dvd9--~6x. My Lite-On is the JLMS XJ-HD166S.

i can tell you this much--my rips usually take ~15-18mins, regardless as to dvd5 or -9 .. wth??!!

[Popee]

OK, I just ordered the Lite-On LTC-48161H. I appreciate the input from each and every one of you, but it was the following article that cinched the decision for me.

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Articles/Specific.asp?ArticleHeadline=48X+CD%2DRW+Comb...1H%29&Series=0

Please go to #5 on the review index, and note the ripping speed. That did the trick. Plus, at $56.99 delivered, how can I go wrong?

[blumet]

OK, I just ordered the Lite-On LTC-48161H.

it,s been over a month, how do you like the new drive?
where did you buy it?