On 3/8/09, John R Pierce <pierce at hogranch.com> wrote: > Richard Karhuse wrote: >> Last time I added a DVD burner to my Build system, it cost $29 (USD) and >> this was for a very good, reliable unit. Not worth my time and immense >> hassle to do otherwise .... > > indeed. Samsung 22X DVD-R burner, SATA for $25 > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173 > > IDE for $23 > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175 > > those are very reliable, fast, and good drives. My previous DVD > burners, including a Lite-On, a TDK, and a Pioneer, took much longer to > 'recognize' a new disk, whether it was blank, factory recorded, or > dvd-r, the samsung picks it up in a second. The burns I've made from > this drive read reliably on a wide range of equipment, even if I burn at > CAV (16X) instead of CLV (<= 8x). > > Note my experience has been that the average life expectancy of a dvd > burner is about 400-500 full disk burns, after that they seem to get > increasingly flakey. my current Samsung is on its third tub of 100 blanks. In December and January, I bought 2 LG (IDE) DVD burners, in Cali, Colombia, for less than USD$35 each, which includes tax. They both work well. Previously bought TEAC drives, but someone on the list suggested LG instead. John, do you have any experience with the reliability of LG drives, in addition to your experience with the Samsung drives?