External DVD Burners

[offensekilla]

i'm looking into getting an external dvd burner that can be connected by USB to my existing computer.

do you guys think you can give me a few suggestions?



thanks in advance.

[redwudz]

If your computer has USB 2.0, you shouldn't have any major problems. But an internal DVD drive is still the best choice. You can purchase a drive and case already put together or just assemble your own with about any DVD drive and a USB external case. Here's one example: http://www.cooldrives.com/al5ideopdrce.html

[jman98]

As redwudz says, you must absolutely be sure that you have USB 2.0 to use with an external drive. I don't know a good way to verify whether or not you have USB 2.0. If you have a PC made within the past 2 years, it should be USB 2.0. If you have anything older, it may be USB 1.2. If you connect a DVD burner with USB 1.2, it either won't work at all or it will take hours to burn. I don't know which is correct as I've seen claims for both. I have an old Sony DVD+-R burner connected via USB 2.0 and it works OK, but I agree with redwudz that internal is better.

You can look at the DVD Writers link under LISTS to the left and there is a particular model you are interested in, see what kind of reviews it gets.

[David K]

My old Sony external DVD writer (DRU-510A) has both USB and firewire. So if you have a firewire ("I-link") connection you can also connect an external DVD burner that takes that connection. Firewire connections of any vintage are fast enough. I had good luck with the Sony ($400 in the day), which is still working four years later after substantial use (although I've since moved to a new computer with a faster built-in burner). I don't know anything about Sony's current models, however.

[classfour]

No problem using an external provided: 1. USB 2.0 2. Good burner - shy away from "off brands" 3. Good enclosure if you build it yourself - I've had some bad ones, but good luck with the Anyware brand that newegg sells. If your MOBO has USB 1.1 and you can't install an internal IDE drive: look for a USB 2.0 PCI card. I've never had a problem with an external burner since USB 2.0 came out: including a Plextor 716UF and several that I built myself - I do usually only burn at 1/2 rated burner speed, though (i.e. 16X = 8X burn speed).

[budz]

Beware that not all external enclosures will work with certain brands of dvd burners. For example some external enclosures will not work with PIONEER internal dvd burners. Checkout DEALSONIC.COM. Some dvd internal burners can only work with external enclosures that have the PROLIFIC chipsets & some cannot work with CYPRESS chipsets.

Checkout the huge external enclosure thread at Cdfreaks.com:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=119149

[olyteddy]

My external is a Samsung 18X burner. I can run it up to about 12X without a problem.

[bevills1]

I got USB 2.0 external LiteOn that was SHM-165P6S model for $30 after rebate from Office Depot special a couple of months ago, and it seems to rip and burn about as fast as internal burner.

[Seeker47]

I've had good results with the CoolMax line of enclosures (different models -- some are for hard drives, some for optical drives, and I think they even have enclosures for SATA drives now). Most have aluminum bodies, with a built-in fan. They are heavier than some others, but more rugged. I've put Pioneer or Lite-On burners into them, and a few hard drives.

[redwudz]

One way to check if you have USB 2.0 is to go to 'Control Panels>System>Hardware>Device Manager>Universal Serial Bus controllers', left click on the '+', and look for 'Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller'. The key word is 'Enhanced'. That's the USB 2.0 controller.

Most motherboards made in the last couple of years have a USB 2.0 controller.