223F - To buy, or not to buy?

[gadovski]

First of all, because i'm new here, i would like to say Hello to everyone.

Now, here's the problem. My Plex PX-716A broke and is unusable after more than 3 years of burning....
That's why i need a new drive - first i decided to buy Samsung 203D but need to wait for a few days for it (which i don't have). Then i decided to find sth else from Samsung (since they have good reputation these days) and found 223F.

I already decided to buy it, but then i saw this thread with 223F scans and read all the comments, and became suspicious about it's quality.... Is it really that bad?
First of all, i rarely use high speeds, because the quality comes first - 8x and 12x in combination with Verbatims in my case are almost always used. Most of the time i burn software, back up multimedia (mostly DVD's, DIVX, MP3's and audio cd's from time to time), and back up my data (Verbatim DVD-RW's on 4x).

Knowing that, can anyone tell me if this would be a good and reliable drive, that won't corrupt my data?

Or is it maybe better to buy sth else from Pioneer, LG, etc.?

Thanks.

[Essau]

Well I highly doubt there is any difference in quality between a 203D and 223F especially at lower speeds. I have never had anything else than a 95%+ quality burn on my MCC 004 Vebatim’s at 8x.

Though on the other hand there is no real advantage taking a 223F over a 203D either. It can burn at 22x, but the quality is quite variable, so it won’t be used often. It is claimed quieter, which I think is a small advantage.

In the end if there is no price difference, a 223F seems to me the way to go. You won’t be disappointed.

The problems you read are mostly related to the fact that the 223F doesn’t burn better than the 203D at most speeds, which is mostly expected from a newer burner. But the quality at those speeds is at least equal as far as I can judge.

[mciahel]

This:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/f105/samsung-sh-s223-results-discussion-244279/index15.html#post2097058
would be the reason for me not to buy a 223 at the moment.

[Arachne]

[QUOTE=mciahel;2097319]This:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/f105/samsung-sh-s223-results-discussion-244279/index15.html#post2097058
would be the reason for me not to buy a 223 at the moment.[/QUOTE]

Ditto to that.

I’ll stick with me 203N.

[Womi]

Just judging by the quality scans posted in the thread, I wouldnt even want this drive for free

[Dr_Who]

I recommend the 203N over the 223F for a solid all in one burner.

[gadovski]

Thank you all for your comments.

Now i really don’t know what to do. The 203’s are no option because it’s pretty urgent and i can’t wait, and the 223F is obviously no good… Does Pioneer or LG have any model that can compete with the quality of 203’s?

[Arachne]

Does it have to be SATA? Because the Pioneer 115D (IDE) is an excellent drive IMO.

Saying that, I’ve heard good stuff about it’s SATA equivalent, the 215, too