DVD+RW Drive

My 6 month old NEC DVD+RW/RAM DUAL LAYER writer has just packed up. Unfortunately, I can't find the receipt or remember where I got it from. I need a replacement urgently.

Can anyone recommend a good drive? Based on my experience with this unit, I won't be touching NEC again. Are LG and LiteOn any good?

I'd prefer to not spend too much, what with Christmas approaching.

Cheers

DVD drives are like hard drives, you hear 101 arguments about brands and it's ultimately pointless because they're all much of a muchness. They all fail now and then, but none of them are - broadly speaking - more likely to do it than others.

Plextor, LG, LiteOn, Sony ( which I think are rebranded LG or Plextor ), Philips ( which I think are rebranded LiteOn. ) They're all fine. Just pick up a cheap one.

If it's only 6 months old it may still have some warranty left with the manufacturer. Although with the hassle of arranging a return and the postage costs involved, it may easier to grab a new one.

Personal recommendation, LiteOn, been using their drives for years and they are good quality.

Can you buy a crap DVD drive? sure you can, try an Aopen, BenQ or an Acer brand, they are horrid.

Don't count on it, i don't think they give you more than 3 months for those kind of things these days.

I also like LiteOn myself -- never had any of those gone bad over the years, but have run into quite a few toasted NEC's.

Would recommend a Plexor PX-740a. I got it a couple of years back @ £40 never had any issues with it.

Stevie

I was progressing through the years changing Plextor writers and they all still work in various machines. My recommendation is PX-716 (if one can find it) as it is probably the best Plextor drive ever.

Barney

I have a LiteOn 48x CDRW and a Pioneer 8x DVDRW. Never had any problems with either.

I'd also recommend CCL as your supplier. [edit] They're currently offering a Pioneer dual layer DVD writer for £22.

Thanks all. I'm going for the Pioneer drive at CCL. Cheers Gfk.

Samsung drives are very quiet if you want to play DVDs.

I have always used Pioneer drives (since back when DVD-R 4X was fast) and I've never had any problems with them.