========= EXT. DL BURNER your RECOMMENDATIONS

[bayaraa_us]

Hi,

I'm planning to buy External 16x Dual Layer Burner.

"DVD Writers" list on the left side menu of this site doesn't look like it's updated for a while.

NEC Drive looks promising. But what is the model # for the external NEC drive? All I see on online shops are Internal drives.

I searched around the net. All the Top 5 Top 10 reviews are bit old like 2005-ish.

Which drive will give me the best bang for my buck?

I can go up to $120. Maybe i'll go with Sony's UL drives. Is it any good?

Thanks for your help

[ROF]

Not enough info provided by you to give a proper answer. Most importantly is your external going to connect USB, Firewire, or SATA?

[bayaraa_us]

I'm thinking USB.

Most PCs and Notebook have USB right?

I'm gonna use it to archive files from at least 2 desktop PCs and 2 Notebooks regularly.

I don't think they all have Firewire and SATA.

[ROF]

The one I recommend now to my USB only customer is the Lite-On SHW-1635X

The tough outer shell is somewhat scratch resistent and feels sturdy when held. The connection ports are securely made and you will not find that a cable slips out of place with this device which can be tragic during the burning process. Unlike most externals you won't even hear this thing while it is burning. It is very quiet. In windows XP the device is plug and play and is one of the only external drives I have installed where if you already had Nero installed you did not have to re-install in order for the software to recognize the drive. This retail package also comes with Nero and other selections of DVD software.

At under $70 delivered to your door it is quite a bargain.

[bayaraa_us]

Thanks for your reply ROF

I think I will buy it "Lite-On SHW-1635X"

By the way what is the difference between SHW and SOHW?

Will regular USB be compatible with this USB 2.0 drive?

[ROF]

One has a black bezel(shw) while the other is white(sohw). Same spec drives.

[RLT69]

Will regular USB be compatible with this USB 2.0 drive?

If by regular you mean USB 1.1, then no a USB 1.1 connection will not be compatible with a USB 2.0 DVD Burner. USB 1.1 is too slow. Hell it was too slow back in the day when they used it for CD burning!

So if you do not have USB 2.0 ports on your computer you will need to go out and buy a PCI card with USB 2.0 ports and stick that in your computer. Assuming you have an open PCI slot to put a card in.

cheers

[bayaraa_us]

Sure Thanks,

Here's a link I found that shows you how to recognize USB 2.0 drive on your machine.
http://ask-leo.com/how_can_i_tell_if_i_have_usb_20.html

I'm gonna check my 2 PCs and 2 Notebooks tonight for USB 2.0 compatibility.

By the way what is the model number for NEC External drives?
I found these list on NEC website
ND-3550A DVD±R DL
ND-3540A DVD±R DL Kit
ND-3520A DVD±R DL
ND-3500A DVD±R DL
ND-6650A DVD±R DL
ND-6500A DVD±R DL
ND-5100
ND-1300A
ND-1100A

[redwudz]

For notebooks you can also get a PCMCIA USB 2.0 card.

USB 1.1 might work on a with an external DVD burner, but if it did, it might take several hours to burn a DVD.

Regular PCI USB 2.0 cards are inexpensive and you just plug them in, no drivers required, but I believe with XP, you might need at least need the SP1 updates. W98 or others may need drivers, but they usually come with the external drive.