Opinion Please/Internal vs External

[emsdallas]

I think it's time to pull the plug on my Pioneer DVRA06u.

Since so many troubleshooting tips include trying the writer in another PC, I thought it might be a big plus to go with an external writer, preferably USB. We'll be mainly making backups of our purchased DVD's and backing up the data from the PC.

Thanks!
Elaine

[redwudz]

Having an external writer is not really a big plus, IMO. With an external writer, you have another interface to deal with. USB works fine for most people, but sometimes the OS or other programs can interrupt the data stream, then you could end up with a coaster.

An internal writer in the computer is a lot more dependable for burning and reading and should always be able to transfer data faster. But you don't have room in the case, or you have a laptop, or you really don't want to open the case and go through installing a internal writer, use an external drive. I would favor FireWire over USB as it seems to handle large files better. But either interface is fast enough for a DVD drive, and many people use them with no problems.