BenQ DW1655 or LiteOn 165H6S for TY DVD-Rs

it has come down to these two, BenQ or LiteOn

i know i am a noob and i know these questions get asked over and over again.. but i just cant decide. ive been reading the forums all weekend long trying to compare the two but just cannot come to a conclusion. ive heard a couple things that stand out like LiteOn doesnt always do so well with DVD-Rs and rumors that some dvd drives cant read LiteOn created DVDs... BenQ's firmware updates has gone downhill... etc... ill run down what i am interested in doing with the burner and some other info to try an give you an idea of what im looking for in a burner.

-i would like to use these Taiyo Yuden DVD-Rs for burning. however if anyone can recommend a better DVD-R that works exceptionally well for whatever reason with those drives then i may use those instead.
-i am not worried about DVD-RAM, -ROM, +-RW, +- DL. CD+-R and CD+-RW also isnt a big deal. i dont plan on using those much at all, only DVD-R for copying some of my dvds.
-i would like to burn at 12x speed using the 16x TY DVD-Rs.
-this will be a "do it all" drive for me - read, write, everything.
-software is pretty important.. im not sure which drive comes with the better software. i really only just need it to copy dvds.
-LightScribe isnt that big of a deal, although i am glad they both come with it.. i do plan on using it sparingly.
-price isnt a factor since they are both about the same price.
-my computer is pretty old Dell Dimension 8100 w/ Windows XP, Pentium 4 at 1.3ghz, 128mb, 60gb HD.. sorry, i dont know or remember the other specifics like the graphics card and such.

so if anyone can post some suggestions i would be thankful. if asked, ill try to answer any questions to the best of my knowledge... but keep in mind that this will be my first dvd burner and i am still trying to learn a lot of the basics. thanks in advance.

For burning, especially TYG02, I would go for BenQ. If you need a good reader, go for lite-on.

Hi,VGA card is not necessary to know. But maybe the PSU is of importance.
Also, you shoud spend some additional money to increase your Memory. 128 MB is not sufficient for XP (enough for Win98 maybe). 512 MB RAM is strongly recommended.

Back to topic: I also would recommend the Benq. Liteon has had problems with DVD-R, these were fixed for most drives with latest firmware version.

Michael

i really dont want to put any more money into this computer other than a burner. i will be getting a new laptop this summer for everyday use, so this one will be only for dvd burning and for when i dont have access to my laptop. i do not use this computer for gaming or other apps requiring much RAM.. i just use it for word and web browsing. i see your point about the XP though.. does RAM effect burn quality, speed, etc?

I would recommend a NEC or LG for TY, and another BenQ or Lite-On for scanning.

Hi,Yes, it does, at least if there is not much RAM installed. With 128 MB, Windows will permanently use the swapfile, that is located on your harddisk. That means, data transfer from the harddisk to your DVD writer will decrease, so it is not possible to burn at higher speeds. With recent hi-speed media, this will also affect burn quality in a negative way.
And as burning applications take up some RAM as additional buffer (Nero default is 80 MB), things get worse. You may even experience buffer underruns, that decrease burn quality also.

So, it doesn't make sense to use such an underpowered system for DVD burning. Have a look at the manual that came with your computer and see, what type of memory is supported (I guess, it is PC-133 SD-RAM). Maybe you get get some (used) modules (2x256 MB or 1x512 MB or at least 1x256MB) from somewhere. Here in Germany, a new 256MB module costs 29 Euro.

Michael

Go for the Benq!
Lite-On is known to have problems with -R. The Benq writes + and - very good (Especially TYG02 and YUDEN000T02).
The Benq is a great reader/ripper too
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=138839

thats what im leaning towards.. but its just so hard choosing the "perfect" burner for me. ive heard too many complaints about NEC to try that.. so thats out of the picture.. but as far as the other ones, ive seen mixed reviews for all of them.. someone will say one works great then i read somewhere else and someone has a complaint about it.

i am really thinking about going with the LiteOn for scanning and a benq or LG for writing.. but i am worried my computer wont be able to handle both too well.. i checked the prices for RAM and they are just too expensive to upgrade with me getting a new laptop within the next month. a 512mb PC800 w/184-pin (my computer requirements) runs at $200+.. even the 256mb are over $120. one or two dvd burners + memory + TY DVD-Rs is just too much for me to spend on a computer i wont be using much at all.

i would be open to buying two burners, but i cant upgrade my memory if thats required.

btw.. one thing is puzzling me over LG.. can they write DVD-Rs at 12x? i thought i was reading that they cant and there is no firmware to allow it either.. but im not sure.

Yes, they can!

Besides, the Benqs are very good scanners.
Actually, they can do a thing more: the can scan for jitter, which a Litey can't do!

Hi,OUCH! Is this RDRAM Maybe you can get some used modules off ebay.

I am sure, you won't have much fun with the burners. But why not getting an external DVDRW drive, provided, your computer has USB2.0 HiSpeed interface? So you could use that drive on both machines.

Indeed, LG burners cannot be set to 12x for DVD-R. They will drop down to 12x from 16x if problems occur, but you have no influence on this.

Michael

of course my computer doesnt support usb 2.0 lol.. its not good for much of anything really. i am so sick of it and cannot wait until i get myself a brand new laptop.

anyways i had checked into external burners before and realized they arent worth the money because of my computer's limited capabilities. ive heard they're only really good if run through firewire, i think its called? i doubt my computer supports that anyways.. so external burners is a no-no for my computer. i am going to buy a new internal burner for my laptop, so i wont need an external drive to switch back and forth.

You can buy PCI controller cards for USB 2.0 or IEEE 1394 (i.Link/FireWire).
Laptop internal burners are smaller, slim and usually aren't good at burn quality. Most lack scanning and bitsetting.
A laptop with an external burner would be perfect

Sorry, my fault! I missunderstood the question. I thought he wanted to know if the LGs can write any faster than 8x...

maybe i will go with the external for the laptop, ill worry about that when the time comes.. but i would like an internal burner for the desktop. i think im going with the benq either way.. im just wondering if i should get the liteon as well for scanning or just stick to the benq for everything.

If you want to use an external burner, you have to options:
1) Buy an external one.
2) Take a normal internal model an put it into an external case.
Therefore read this:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=175536

i went ahead and purchased the benq dw1655 from newegg.. i also purchased my supplies from rima. ill worry about the external burner when the time comes. thanks for all your help guys.

Congrats! You won't regret it!

MY BOYFRIEND SENT ME AN EMAIL AND IT SAID,My burner is a BenQ DW1655. I think most drives are a standard size and the external cases will be largely the same. We need an external case for this DVD/CD burner. I HAVE NO IDEA IF WHAT IAM LOOKING AT WILL EVEN WORK. CAN SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THIS STUFF HELP ME OUT PRETTY PLEASE!!

It'll fit in a standard 5.25" external enclosure (USB or USB/FireWire).