Is a loud seek- noise (clunking!) in a DVD-ROM or RW drive unusual or harmful?

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

Hi! This is my first post here, I usually haunt the Pinnacle, DV.com or DVDRhelp forums.

I just bought a NEC ND-2500 (Built Feb 04, 1.06 FW) and will spend much of my time in the NEC forum, even though THIS question is of a general nature.

The OEM primary drive of my 4-year old PC was a Pioneer DVD-ROM, which I retired a few years ago due to a loud CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK it made, lasting for a few seconds up to several minutes, any time it was first reading or seeking another section of a disc. This noise presented with all discs, whether pressed or home-burned, CD or DVD, and sounded severe enough to be causing damage to the disc or mechanism.

The NEC 2500 now resides in its place and makes the same type of noise! (Although the noise is dampened enough to sound normal and non-damaging in this case, and lasts only for a few seconds each occurance).

So… is it normal to hear a seek clunk in all DVD drives? Perhaps the noise in my OEM Pioneer drive was normal, just louder because it was new technology back then…

I have never heard harsh mechanical seek noise in a CD-ROM or CD-RW drive.

Thanks! :bow:

#2

My Liteon dvdrom is noisy.
But My NEC2500 is quite as a mouse. Sometimes have to check its still working its so quite.
Whats your configuration. Master or slave.what if any other drives have you got.

#3

bamo,

Re: “My NEC2500 is quite as a mouse. Sometimes have to check its still working its so quite.”

Yeah, my 2500 is the quietest I’ve ever had, too. The seek clunks it makes (the only noise it DOES make) is very subdued compared to my old Pioneer.

Re: “Whats your configuration. Master or slave.what if any other drives have you got.”

The 2500 is slave to the OEM Sony CD-RW, on secondary IDE channel, a IDE 33 bus. DMA is enabled with both drives.

No problems so far with this new drive, but haven’t burned any discs yet either. (Sure reads faster than the Sony OEM!) This is my first DVD writer so I’m taking my time trialing several burning and player apps before I chose one and make a burn. Hopefully mine will like the Ritek GO4/L19s I got (from NewEgg in my case) as much as OC’s 2500 does!

#4

If you have a DVD±RW and a CD-RW, it’s usually best to have the DVD drive in Secondary Master and the CD drive in Secondary Slave.

#5

If you have a DVD±RW and a CD-RW, it’s usually best to have the DVD drive in Secondary Master and the CD drive in Secondary Slave.

Could it hurt the write quality? I purposefully configured it that way since the master drive will do all the typical chores and take the most abuse. I only plan to use the NEC for DVD writing – nothing else…

#6

Originally posted by RWP
Could it hurt the write quality? I purposefully configured it that way since the master drive will do all the typical chores and take the most abuse. I only plan to use the NEC for DVD writing – nothing else…

It shouldn’t hurt write quality at all.
OC-Freak had the 2500A setup as a slave in his review!
http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/134/
Although, if you are having issues with the drive, it doesn’t hurt to move it onto the master position, as some motherboards will function better with a DVDRW drive when it is set as a master.

#7

It shouldn’t hurt write quality at all.
OC-Freak had the 2500A setup as a slave in his review!

That’s good to know! No problems so far, just wrote my first DVD with it (on Ridata GO4/L19 media) with no errors, and a good Nero read speed test result…