Are the AD-719x worth buying?

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers NEC / Optiarc Writer
#1

I need to buy an IDE DVD burner for my father-in-law and I have been an NEC fan ever since my 2100AD (modded to 2510A thanks to Liggy). I know these 719x drives are Lite-On’s but are they at least stable/reliable enough with quality media like Verbatim or TDK (at 12x)?

I still waiting for the 7200’s but NewEgg still doesn’t have them (prefer to purchase via them). If these are truly crap drives, then can someone recommend another <$40 IDE DVD burner (ex: ASUS, Pioneer, etc).

Also, I’d prefer to stick with drives that AnyDVD probably doesn’t have region issues with.

Thanks!

#2

They’re pretty nice drives actually, but avoid them if CDs are an issue. The Pioneers should be a good alternative if you can’t get the new NECs.

#3

Thanks for the info. CD’s will definitely be an issue, so I’ll check out the Pioneer drives.

#4

Well, as someone who has just had the misfortune of buying a 7191, with some of the attendant problems, I’m sure there are better drives out there.

#5

If you want a drive that is a good CD writer then I recommend a Samsung SH-S202/203. My SH-S202N (PATA + Lightscribe) is a very good CD writer on every make of disc I have thrown at it (TY, Verbatim DL+, CMC, Ritek, Daxon, Moser Baer). It also does a good job on TY T03 & MCC004 DVD+R at 12x.