Help selecting optical drive

majax79 · **Posted:** Fri Aug 03, 2012 10:37 am

Hello,

I’m looking for a DVD+-R/RW burner and CD/DVD player all-in-one optical drive for Windows PC, but I really could use some advice. I really don’t need a blu-ray player capabilities as well, as I can’t think of any reason I would need one. However, if there’s a really good model that happens to have it, I’m open to that.

I’m looking for quality, speed, and as silent as reasonably possible.

Das_Saunamies · **Posted:** Sun Aug 05, 2012 2:37 am

Pioneer DVR-215D has seen me through three different computers. I've tried to replace it with LG, Lite-On and Sony, but all were disappointments, high-pitched buzzsaws to the smooth rumble of the Pioneer. None are quiet, of course.

All replacement drives were marketed and even suggested by users as quiet. An especially memorable highlight was Sony's Magic-whatever speed reduction technology, which I thought would be the silver bullet, but it was about as real as magic: no noise impact, slightly reduced performance.

My suggestion is to go and find a Pioneer drive, or any drive you can manually slow down. Then slap bathroom tile on it if you want.

Blu-ray to me seems like a waste of money. Separate players are nicer to use for playback (unless building HTPC, but even then...), USB3.0 sticks offer better data transportation utility (find a Patriot Supersonic for example) and HDDs/NAS offer much better storage and sharing capabilities.

MattHelm · **Posted:** Mon Aug 06, 2012 1:31 pm

majax79 wrote:

Hello,

I’m looking for a DVD+-R/RW burner and CD/DVD player all-in-one optical drive for Windows PC, but I really could use some advice. I really don’t need a blu-ray player capabilities as well, as I can’t think of any reason I would need one. However, if there’s a really good model that happens to have it, I’m open to that.

I’m looking for quality, speed, and as silent as reasonably possible.

Throw out the entire drive, and use a thumb drive instead??? (Silent, faster, more storage) Unless it's an old MB, it will even install the OS. (this is what I did on my latest machines, even though 1 had a CD/DVD/BR drive)

majax79 · **Posted:** Mon Sep 17, 2012 9:52 pm

MattHelm wrote:

Throw out the entire drive, and use a thumb drive instead??? (Silent, faster, more storage) Unless it's an old MB, it will even install the OS. (this is what I did on my latest machines, even though 1 had a CD/DVD/BR drive)

Thanks but I need a DVD drive, at least, because some software comes as a CD/DVD format. I guess I'll just keep looking around.

xan_user · **Posted:** Wed Sep 19, 2012 6:38 am

majax79 wrote:

MattHelm wrote:

Throw out the entire drive, and use a thumb drive instead??? (Silent, faster, more storage) Unless it's an old MB, it will even install the OS. (this is what I did on my latest machines, even though 1 had a CD/DVD/BR drive)

Thanks but I need a DVD drive, at least, because some software comes as a CD/DVD format. I guess I'll just keep looking around.

I hear you. thats why i bought a cheapo slim usb dvd burner for $22. i just pull it out of the drawer if i really need an optical drive.

majax79 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 01, 2012 11:30 pm

xan_user wrote:

majax79 wrote:

MattHelm wrote:

Throw out the entire drive, and use a thumb drive instead??? (Silent, faster, more storage) Unless it's an old MB, it will even install the OS. (this is what I did on my latest machines, even though 1 had a CD/DVD/BR drive)

Thanks but I need a DVD drive, at least, because some software comes as a CD/DVD format. I guess I'll just keep looking around.

I hear you. thats why i bought a cheapo slim usb dvd burner for $22. i just pull it out of the drawer if i really need an optical drive.

Hm, hadn't thought of an external optical drive. That is something else I'll have to research (one of those neurotic indecisive people).

At least I'm down to 3 internal drives:

Asus 24B1ST
Asus 24B3ST (still trying to figure out how this is different to the B1)
Lite-On iHAS424

Help selecting optical drive

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