From what i can see there is little to no difference between these drives, you can probably burn DVD-RW at 6x no problem, and DL discs will probably burn at 8x on the 716A also…so why should i buy a 760A?
Convince me, tell me something i don’t know.
You’re overlooking the opportunity for you to pay $$$ to conduct a beta test of new hardware/firmware on behalf of Plextor! Just think of what you’ll be missing out on! 
…and the new 18X top speed will shave off maybe 10-20 seconds from each full-disc burn!
… not to mention the exciting smell of new hardware on a bright morning …
you can probably burn DVD-RW at 6x no problem and DL discs will probably burn at 8x on the 716A also
And how???
DL only burn at 6x in the 716 but they will burn at 10x in the 760.
why do you need convincing? if you don’t think it’s a justifiable purchase FOR YOU…then don’t buy it…
rhetorical questions like these just incite brand-bashing (regardless of what brand is being discussed)…which is pretty frickin annoying IMHO…to say the least…
Like this thread? I couldn’t agree more.
Not aimed at anyone in particular just the same thing over and over again.
OK, here’s a serious answer. The 760 isn’t even available yet, AFAIK. When it becomes available, the answer to your question whether you should buy this drive is “It depends…”. I had a lot of fun (OK, so it was frustrating sometimes) watching for firmware updates and putting the 716 through its paces early on. But if you’re looking to do a pile of burning, I wouldn’t start with a newly-released burner no matter what the brand is–every one has problems at first. It’s impossible to predict how those problems will affect you. 6 months after the release, it’s usually safe. The 716 is a pretty stable workhorse, unless you’re adventurous with media. The 760 probably won’t be at first, but it’ll be interesting to watch it grow. By the time the 760 is “stable”, the 780 (or something) will come along and blow it away with new specs…and the cycle begins again.
[edit]One technical reason to go with the 760? Windows Vista (with the Mount Rainier support, which the 716 lost early on). Speedwise, the 716 seems to have hit the top of its curve. The 760 may gain speed as firmware updates go on.
Here, I fixed it for you:
OK, here’s a non-serious answer. Windows Vista isn’t even available yet, AFAIK. When it becomes available, the answer to your question whether you should buy this operating system is “It depends…”. I had a lot of fun (OK, so it was frustrating sometimes) watching for XP bug updates and security patches and putting XP through its paces early on. But if you’re looking to do a pile of productivity, I wouldn’t start with a newly-released operating system no matter what the brand is–every one has problems at first. It’s impossible to predict how those problems will affect you. 6 years after the release, it’s usually safe. The XP operating system is a pretty stable workhorse, unless you’re adventurous with non-M$ software. Windows Vista probably won’t be at first, but it’ll be interesting to watch it grow. By the time the Windows Vista is “stable”, Windows Miracle® (or something) will come along and blow it away with new wallpaper…and the cycle begins again.
Kidding!
Great post, Beeder. I guess the hobbyists and experimenters like to be the first on the block to pick up new burners, but everything you say above is absolutely true: new ODD models with 1.00 firmware invariably have major issues. Sometimes the issues are solved by firmware releases and sometimes they are not solved and a new burner comes out (NEC sure has been releasing new models fast & furious lately). If net results are more important than toying with new hardware, you should wait until a concensus forms of those who have already bought in.
It’s cheaper, too. BestBuy even makes fun of “early adopters” who pay full MSRP by referring to them internally as “Buzzes”.
By the time the Windows Vista is “stable”, Windows Miracle® (or something) will come along and blow it away with new wallpaper…and the cycle begins again.
I couldn`t resist! lolololololololololololo
I wasn’t even thinking about the horror on the Windows side of things. New DVD burner + New O/S makes for all sorts of “fun”.
I thought that the Plextor PX-760A was going to have a new AutoStrategy, a working one this time …
We have to wait for the first tests
well, i don’t know why anyone should convince you to get 760a; i would recommend NOT to get 760a for now.
760a is supposed to have improvements over 716a besides of burning speed rate.
- cd/dvd+mtr support (is it mount or moutain rainer?)
- improved auto strategy (strategies are stored in the drive)
- newly improved laster head which plextor claims more stable (hopfully it means less quality variations)
- data destruction support on recorderable medias
760a also has a step back from 716a: less cache memory (2mB vs. 716a’s 8mB)
if 760a does well on writing quality stuffs, it will be a good seller, but i don’t think that will be ther case
do you have a source on #3?
It’s mentioned on the product page for the 760 of Plextor.jp Actually it says ‘new laser pickup’. The fact that this new pickup is enhanced kind of transpires from the fact that ‘intelligent tilt’ is now called ‘advanced intelligent tilt’ (see on the same page). All in all i think an improved pickup-unit is necessary to realise the 10x DL writing. Hopefully it will allow for even better SL writing too.
thx for the info hwp
The PX-760A will be the fastest drive on the planet and there will always be people who want the fastest stuff, even if 18X compared to 16X is only a couple of seconds faster. That’s good marketing. Slogan’s like “World’s fastest DVD burner” work great.
Are you sure that it will be the fastest? I mean, if it only does a bit more laser calibration during burning than a LG 4163B, it wouldn’t be faster at all. I guess we’ll have to see if that 18x drive is any faster than some 16x drives or not…