Samsung SH-S223 - Queries

[shobhitk]

Hi everyone,
firstly, am glad to see such a nice forum.
now the problem/question.

I am about to buy a Samsung DVD Writer (SH-S223), but i am confronted with some basic but important questions.

first one is that, as most of u must have already noticed that the model number printed on the drive is ONLY SH-S223 and theres no letter at the far right of this model. when i went to the samsung site and also its odd service site, i could not find this exact model AS the model had suffixes of different letters like b, f, l, q, c and so on. so what am worried is about that i may not be able to update its firmware because its not listed on samsungs site. also what is the difference between these letters? some say it indicates country of origin, some say it designates the firware versions...what is it actually and which one is better?

sencondly its an OEM and comes only with the drivers CD and not even the required cables like sata etc. i wanted to know if its safe to go with an OEM? will there be a difference in the chipset and overall burn quality of a retail and an OEM writer?

and lastly what is the reputation of this drive? i would mainly be doing DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD+R DL. more specifically its the dual layers that am concerned about...

Thanks

[mciahel]

Hi and Welcome![QUOTE=shobhitk;2490428]

I am about to buy a [B]Samsung DVD Writer (SH-S223)[/B], but i am confronted with some basic but important questions.[/quote]Seems you’d be better served with a 243. Seriously.

first one is that, as most of u must have already noticed that the model number printed on the drive is ONLY [B]SH-S223[/B] and theres no letter at the far right of this model.
Please have another look. The sticker on the drive also mentions the exact model number and the firmware version: http://www.myce.com/wp-content/images_reviews/reviews/samsung_sh-s223f_review/image013.png (Look at the bar code)
If you already have installed the drive, then you can also see the full model number in Device Manager (assuming you are using Windows, other operating systems are able to reveal that information either.).

when i went to the samsung site and also its odd service site, i could not find this exact model AS the model had suffixes of different letters like b, f, l, q, c and so on. so what am worried is about that i may not be able to update its firmware because its not listed on samsungs site. also what is the difference between these letters?
The letter is the essential part of the model number.
A SH-S223F is a different drive than a SH-S223C.

Samsung offers a “Live Update” utility, but I don’t like these. If something goes wrong, then you may end with a dead drive.

sencondly its an OEM and comes only with the drivers CD and not even the required cables like sata etc. i wanted to know if its safe to go with an OEM? will there be a difference in the chipset and overall burn quality of a retail and an OEM writer?

OEM and retail drives are the same hardware (provided it’s the same model). The difference is the colorful box and the accessories. Retail packages often have additional front plates (silver, beige, black). The disc that comes with the drive, contains application software. Drivers are not needed (and not even available).

and lastly what is the reputation of this drive?
Let me invite you to browse this forum, since there are lots of threads about these drives

Michael

[shobhitk]

Hi Michael. thanks for the useful information, especially that image u attached.
223 is the only option available here, so will be sticking to it. good to know that 223f OEM would be same as 223f retail. i see that this forum is full of discussion on this model (sh-s223), so i hope this must be a good and reliable drive

moreover Michael i wanted to know one more thing. as i only have ide ports so i would be purchasing an ide to sata converter (not the pci sata controller). now the situation is like this. i will be connecting the drive through the converter to the ide port 2, which also contains a dvd rom drive set as [I]slave[/I] (its an ide drive) on this port. now my question is that will they be compatible now? i ask this because in ide tech. u have to set master or slave but theres no such thing in sata…so will they work together or will i have to disconnect the dvd rom drive…because both of them would be using the same cable and port…
i would personally want both the drives to work together.

PS: i have no other ide ports free currently…

[mciahel]

Hi,[QUOTE=shobhitk;2490491]
223 is the only option available here, [/quote]Dealers are lazy or they don’t care what they are selling.

i see that this forum is full of discussion on this model (sh-s223), so i hope this must be a good and reliable drive
cough Opinions are very mixed. That’s why I suggested to buy a SH-S243. Brand new and it looks very promising.

as i only have ide ports so i would be purchasing an ide to sata converter (not the pci sata controller). now the situation is like this. i will be connecting the drive through the converter to the ide port 2, which also contains a dvd rom drive set as [I]slave[/I] (its an ide drive) on this port. now my question is that will they be compatible now?
Seemy, you are asking for trouble No idea if such a setup will work, maybe it does, maybe it does not. Sometimes it will depend on the adapter.
If you want to play it safe:
Either get a non-Raid PCI Sata controller card (Preferred: Promise or Silicon Image*) or buy a drive with P-ATA interface. If you insist on a Samsung, then get a SH-S222 series drive.

*) Most Silicon Image based controller cards are delivered as Raid controllers. Some of these can be flashed to non-Raid Bios, which is, what you want.

Michael

[shobhitk]

i might have considered that model but due to its non-availability i’ll have to stick to 223…
i think then i’ll either disconnect the dvd rom drive or will go with a pci sata controller…
btw should a dvd writer be used as a normal dvd rom drive for reading day to day dvds or cds?..i heard somewhere that a writer should primarily be used for writing purposes only and for read only purposes a dvd rom drive should be used otherwise the writer’s useful life gets reduced…is that true?

[mciahel]

[QUOTE=shobhitk;2490623]i might have considered that model but due to its non-availability i’ll have to stick to 223…[/quote]What other PATA optical drives are available where you live? You may consider shopping online instead of buying whatever the local store has to offer.

i think then i’ll either disconnect the dvd rom drive or will go with a pci sata controller…
The PCI Sata controller is the better option. Controllers with Silicon Image 3512 or 3114 chipset are rather inexpensive, but it must be a model that is flashable (unless it comes as non-Raid out-of-the-box). We have a thread about that in our General Hardware section.

btw should a dvd writer be used as a normal dvd rom drive for reading day to day dvds or cds?
Just a matter of taste. The price difference between a DVD-ROM and a DVD-Writer has become really small these days. And there is no big difference in longevity.
Additionally, DVD-writers often have better reading capabilities.

Michael

[shobhitk]

i’ll be going with the sata one being a faster technology…and yes pci sata controller looks to me a more viable option.
thanks for the support michael

[G_Ivan_Awfulitch]

Before you spend your money on a 223c, mine is the worst DVD burner I have ever had. The old BTC 1101im is a better burner,and it is a piece of crap except for reading, it will read dvds that none of my other drives will.

[shobhitk]

am not sure what is the exact model of that burner(ie. the last letter)…will check it when i actually go for it. btw thanks for info…

[G_Ivan_Awfulitch]

None of the 223x series are very good burners.