Drives > BenQ Drives > 52x

Advantages: Speed, attractive, good tech. support
Disadvantages: old burning software

...sitting next to your computer. BenQ even provide two vertical stands so it can be fitted into the smallest of spaces by standing it on it's side. Simply plug and burn! Set up is quick and simple. A floppy disc contains the drivers, but you don't need this if you are running Windows ME/2000/XP. Simply connect to power, connect with USB Cable (Supplied) and windows will install the driver. Within seconds you are up and running. Bundled software is ...
...from, one phone call to BenQ and the problem was solved. They sent me a replacement power outlet immediately and I received it the next day. BenQ's customer service was indeed impressive. No waiting on the phone, listening to endless music. I was talking to a real person from the start. For this reason I would recommend a BenQ product alone. The product can be sourced on the internet by very few companies, these are Ebuyer £48.02 inc. vat - delivery ... Read review

Advantages: Very quick and easy to use, comes with good software, and is much better than most better known brands
Disadvantages: Being internal, it is a little tricky to set up if you're not brave enough to venture into your computer...

I bought this CDRW a while back, and I'm impressed. The installation instructions weren't the best I'd ever seen, but they were easy enough to follow regardless - they were only in picture format. After sorting out which of my 2 drives I wanted to be master, and which slave ( a battle in itself, but nothing you wouldn't get with any other model), I turned on my computer, and it was there, ready to go. I installed the included software (Nero 5), and ...
...very reliable drive, and hasn't let me down once yet, so I can't really comment on customer support, but from looking at the web-site, it looks a bit unsupported. But that just've been at the time I looked at it. It's extremely fast - 52x, 32x, 52x, and if you shop around, you can get it for about £30 ( I got mine from PC World). I would really recommend this product - just as long as you don't mind opening up the computer's case! ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to fit, works at stated speeds
Disadvantages: I could only find it in beige when I bought mine

I bought my BENQ 523252 about a year ago when I rebuilt my PC. Fitting was easy - set the jumper to Master,undo the computer case, screw the drive into a spare 5.5 inch bay, attach the IDE cable and power supply , refit the case and turn on. XP recognised the drive instantly. This is the only CD drive I have owned that has been able to reach the stated speeds. Using Nero Express which came bundled with the drive, the speed of the drive always ...
...A full CD at 52 speed only takes about 3-4 minutes including lead in and lead out. Totally reliable, this drive has worked perfectly since I bought it and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a good CD writer. I was unable to find it with black facia but that is a very minor problem. ... Read review

Advantages: Read/Write/Erase-CD-R/CD-RW/DVD+R/DVD+RW
Disadvantages: None

The LG GSA 4167B Super-Multi is very good because it can read,write and erase data on all media formats.I own one and I don't have problems with it.Mine is three years old and but still works very good.The first years after I bought it the CD's/DVD's inserted in the LG drive were written and read with no scratch on the CD's/DVD's.Now,when it's three years old it leaves a few scratches in comparison to other products.It's easy to install and the product ... Read review

Advantages: Great at its job, quick, easy to use, easy to install
Disadvantages: Not fully reliable, not easy to fix

Ahh, i have a very mixed opinion on this product. This drive came pre installed on my desktop and was very faithful to me! It always worked and got the job done very well when i needed it! It burnt DVD's with ease and CD's even quicker! However i had one fateful day when i had to recover my PC and completely reset it! I re-installed all the drivers for all of my hardware and everything worked except... Lite-On SOHW-832S DVD/RW Combo drive i tried ...
...but it wasn't!!! It didn't recognise when a DVD or a CD was inserted and it would no longer burn! I uninstalled it and re-installed it countless times but nope! Nothing worked, so now my main desktop computer is without a CD Writing drive! I do not wish to put others off buying it though as when it worked it was very good! I'm sure mine is just a one off! ... Read review