CDROM drive buying advice

[pmistry 0]

I need a new cd-rom drive, my Panasonic 12x one is starting to get pokey and I need some CDRW capability for reading discs.

Here's what I got:

Panasonic CR-584 12x CD-ROM ATAPI/IDE

Mitsumi CR4804TE 24x/4x/4x CDRW ATAPI/IDE

 

Should I?

A: Get a new cheap 52x + CD-ROM drive

B: Spend more for a 16x + DVD-ROM drive

C: Get a new burner and use my old one as a CD-ROM drive?

 

I don't mind waiting for CD burns and the Mitsumi drive works great. DVD discs haven't hit the stores in droves yet, besides movies, but I don't want to watch DVD movies on my PC. I am just wondering when DVD discs will come out for software like games or OSes. Do you think Windows XP/2002 will ship in DVD versions later?

[Brian Frank 0]

All I can say is stay away from Memorex CD drives. I've seen soooo many, nearly all that I've seen installed in systems have crapped out within a year of installation.

[pmistry 0]

Alright thanks for the tip, in fact my Panasonic while starting to wear out, it still works, had it since 96.

[Gambler FEX online 0]

When you get a new cdrom these days they tend to be very noisy. Keep that in mind and maybe test them before you buy?

 

Kenwood 52x truex cdrom is very silent, I have the scsi version, its super fast.

[Wolf87 0]

Kenwood 72X lasted for about 14 months of very heavy use. It cannot deal with inferior or slightly scratched disks. Even after applying the patch the Kenwood multibeam has trouble reading CD-RW discs.

 

Brand names 52X CD-ROMs all have multiread capibility: Asus, Sony. Their price and quality are also just right.