LG, Lite-On, Toshiba or Asus best for backup Safedisc 2.8

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers
#1

I have thinking to buy new CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive but i don’t know what combo drive i have should buy. My favorit drive is LG 48x24x48x+16x combodrive because for it can buy also black bezel so it fit very good on my black Antec computer case. But if some drive is very good to backup to Safedisc games, so color is not so important. Also i think that if Asus is very good i can buy also only CD-RW drive (in finland can’t get combo Asus or Asus haven’t yet made combo drive).

My friend own Plextor CD-RW. I have tested Plextor 48x24x48 drive and i was surpised how good it works to backup Safedisc 2.8 games although it was only “1 sheep burner”. My friend use Alcohol software for backup games and Plextor can read Safedisc 2.8 games full speed without any Emulation/BAD Sectors Emulation. It not show any errors in Alcohol 120% and it read cd to image only in 2 minutes! And also burning working as well. CD works on his plextor and for 3 drives what i tested, only on my old LG 8x4x32x CD-RW don’t recognize SD 2.8 backup (but my CD-RW don’t even recognize 90min data with is burned himself).

On my other friend have LG 48x24x48x+16x. It can copy SD 2.8 CD but it cant copy Safedisc backup without Installing game/Emulation which is very annoying if compare to Plextor which make SD 2.8 backup in 4 minutes (2 minutes read/2 minutes for write without any emulation).

Only that Plextor is littlebit too expensive. So i have think LG, Lite-On or Toshiba Combo drive or Asus CD-RW drive. DVD is not also very important but if i get it to drive very cheap i get it.

I wanna ask from your what experience you have from their burnings. And here question:

  1. What manufactory and product you have? For example: Lite-On 52246S or Lite-On 48x24x48x.
  2. Have you must use Emulation on Alcohol to read Safedisc 2.8 fast?
  3. How fast it copy Safedisc 2.8 CD. For example: 2 minutes? (not so important)
  4. Have you must use “Hide CD-R Media” option to play SD 2.8 backup" on CD-RW burner? EDIT: Now I know that answer is yes in every CD-RW.

And for sameone who suggest that i can play SD 2.8 backup in my DVD-Rom i must say that i have just now selling both drives (LG 8x4x32x CD-RW & LG 16x/48x DVD).

#2

Recommend a liteon - best performance for the best price!!

now the answer to your questions:

  1. Liteon 40125S (original brand, no overclocking)
  2. Never burnt an image file to cd for playing games etc. just copied the original contents and played it!
  3. about 4 minutes (i dont care whether it is 2 or 4 minutes as long as the end result is the same :wink:
  4. Never used “Hide CDR Media” since i play my copied cd’s in the DVD-drive, if needed just activate it (don’t use clonecd’s “Hide cdr media” but alcohol’s)

greetz

#3

If you get a combo drive, you will have to use some type of “hide cdr media”. You might be better off getting 2 seperate drives. A lite-on dvd and a lite-on burner. sure it will cost a little more but you don’t have to worry about all that emulation or hide cdr media crap.
I remember paying close to $300 for my plextor. I still use it all the time for doing data writing.
All games I burn with my lite-on. Haven’t tried my toshiba dvd drive for burning games yet, but it is a 2 sheep burner.

#4

I have to post reply myself.

I buy Lite-On 52246S but i must bring back to shop where i buy it. I pay 5eur extra and change it to LG GCE-8520B and now i have more than happily. :smiley: Also i get “Black LG DVD-ROM bezel” (i also buy “LG Black CD-RW bezel”) with fit perfectly to GCE-8520B :stuck_out_tongue:

I haven’t ever use so cr*p CD-RW drive as Lite-On:(

First time when i push eject button i was going littlebit surpiced how odd sound Lite-On make when it open CD tray. It was like old 24x Creative CD’s. First think was that how bad servo motor may be in Lite-On. But i did’t care it because writing/reading is most important to CD-RW, not how it open CD tray. But then i try reading, i was shocked!
It was make as hell noisy when i play PC-CD-Rom games :a Even i have on my speaker sound on, it was so noisy that it was impossible to enjoy games. I tested also 16X LG DVD and 8x4x32x LG CD-RW and with they games work just fine. Games work with LG’s smooth and quiet. Liten-On make about 60dB when LG drives is about 35dB. It was like GeForce FX 5800!

I don’t understand how someone can recommend Lite-On. Even when i bring back my Lite-On to shop, seller say that he’s always think that Lite-On is not good quality drive, and he ask why i have buy it. I just say that in forums many have recommend Lite-On drives and from my answer he was littlebit surprised.

Of course if some people want to buy FX 5800 even it is hell noisy it is ok, i don’t care it. In that case i understand people who buy Lite-On. But if someone can recommend honestly Lite-On CD-RW to someone other person i must say that he haven’t ever try silent & quality CD-RW drives like LG or Plextor.

Sort Specification for new burner

Plextor Plexwriter PX-W4824A (48x24x48)

  • Sound when reading CD’s: 4/5
  • Read to image time for Safedisc 2.x: 5/5 (2min)
  • Read without emulation (Safedisc 2.x): Yes
  • Burn without any enhanced/AWS: Yes

LG 8520B (52x24x52):

  • Sound when reading CD’s: 5/5
  • Read to image time for Safedisc 2.x: 1/5 (14min)
  • Read without emulation (Safedisc 2.x): Yes
  • Burn without any enhanced/AWS: Yes

Lite-On 52246S (52x24x52):

  • Sound when reading CD’s: 1/5 (hell noisy)
  • Read to image time for Safedisc 2.x: 3/5 (6min)
  • Read without emulation (Safedisc 2.x): Yes
  • Burn without any enhanced/AWS: Yes

Note: LG DVD/CD-RW Combo (not same than LG 8520B) can’t read Safedisc 2.x backup CD-R.

And my final opinion is:
A. If you haven’t lot of money buy LG CD-RW
B. If you have lot of money buy Plextor.

And don’t spend your money for cr*p like Lite-On.

#5

why liteon? easy! I don’t want to spend money on luxury things like “less” noise (i never play games in my burner) etc. It has everything i need, reliable burning, Fast audio extraction, regular firmware updates etc. I can understand that you dont want the noise when playing games. Never use a burner though cause todays protections can detect the atip and normal DVD/CD-Drives dont.

greetz