I concur concerning Plex drives just too overpriced! The BenQ 1620 retail model one can buy at Newegg for 61.99 which provides better write quality than the Nec simply because BenQ's Write Right and WOPC II write technology. http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/159/2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101639
Good point Shoey and I will consider a BENQ next time I buy. Considering its "bang for the buck", it looks like a best buy too.
If you purchase the BenQ dvd burner, make sure you get good media such as Taiyo Yuden media= the best! CD-R (Maxell CD-R Pro) must say manufactered in Japan. DVD+R (Sony or FujiFilm) must say manufactered in Japan. http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=136562&page=3#post997103
Does BenQ write 22% better than NEC? That's the price diference. BenQ has a reputation of being finicky with some brands of DVD-R media, prefering DVD+R. NEC may not be the absolute best, but it is close and definately best fot the money. My NEC is on a hitting streek. Not one coaster or anything resembling a bad burn sine purchase over a month ago.
We're not talking coasters here, were talking a superior quality write. Again, the BenQ has 2 write features that NEC doesn't have and that is Write Right and WOPC II write technology. Scan your burns with Nero Toolkit and see how good of a quality write score you get and PM me and send your scans, I would love to see them....
We've bantered write quality and cost around for a while. Let me add another criterion--ripping speed. Let me caveat and say ripping speed in not a high criterion for a burner on my stand alone because I have a Lite-on 167T to do that job. But I am looking for an external burner for my laptop and I am looking for something with a decent ripping speed along with the cost and quality criteria. I know Plextors are not rip-locked; are there others, I may want to consider. Any suggestions? BTW Shoey: You can get the OEM version of BENQ 1620 at Newegg for $43.99 and $4 shipping....$1 cheaper than my OEM NEC3520. That being said I am still pleased with my NEC and would still highly recommend it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...erty&SubCategory=5&PropertyCodeValue=365:6653