Drives > DVD-RW and DVD±RW Drives

Advantages: Simple to use, good range of software
Disadvantages: Haven't found any so far

LG is one of the world's largest electronics manufacturers, and in recent years has become more and more widespread in the world of IT and gerneral consumer electronics. I remember when LG were first on the scene, billed as another 'cheap and cheerful, but don't expect much' type of brand, a bit like the Matsui's of todays world. They have, however, shaken off this image by proving themselves to provide good, efficient equipment at a lower price ...
...the above rule. What is it? The GSA-4081B is a DVD reader / recorder / rewriter that is installed in a computer system to allow the copying of data and audio onto DVD media. It will also read, write and rewrite cds as well. Please note, I'm not encouraging people to use this to make copies of DVDs and cds for their mates, as I'm not allowed to because thats illegal. Take the last sentance however you wish :-) The drive comes as a sealed ... Read review

Advantages: High DVD/CD compatibility after firmware update, it's Pioneer need another reason?
Disadvantages: Before flash update the drive sucks, 4 speed is dated now

...it has served me well. Pioneer is a well known and respected name in the world of electronic entertainment, not as big as Sony but they can hold their own. The drive itself is very plain on the front and is light grey instead of the classic beige colour of PCs. Although it's simple, it isn't ugly or boring to look at at all, a very nice drive to have seen on your PC. This is a DVD-RW drive so it is only compatible with DVD-R and DVD-RW media, not ...
...However, the big wigs at Pioneer released a firmware upgrade for this drive and software upgrade for the Instant CD/DVD v6.5 application, and after a quick upgrade it becomes super compatible with almost all types of DVD-R media thrown at it. Be it Verbatim, Bulkpaq, Packard Bell, Philips, etc, it works with all of them and reads them great afterwards. The firmware upgrade will update the firmware to version 1.33, both the firmware and the program ... Read review

Advantages: Reliable, works with DVD+and-R/RW and DVD-RAM
Disadvantages: Not compatible with dual-layer disks

...CW-8121 - is basically a Panasonic as it was built by the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., who use Panasonic as a retail brand. I get the impression it has been used in various Apple notebooks as well as my three-year-old PC. Replacing a CD/DVD drive in a laptop is not as difficult as I imagined. Once I found the (three) relevant screws to undo, the drive simply slid out (with a gentle tug) from the computer case. I replaced it with the ...
...and a pack of 5 Panasonic 3x speed single sided DVD-RAM for GBP 10.99. The RAM has, in my opinion, been the better investment as it allows a backup of the entire contents of my laptop hard drive with a disk or two to spare. Many DVD recorders for TV sets (including the popular Panasonic DMR E55) use the same RAM disks and it is possible to use these disks in both. Go to Panasonic's Japan site (they have an English version) and search UJ-825 for ... Read review

Advantages: Quick, Easy, Reliable, Small, Fits into any pocket or bag
Disadvantages: Faded out use lately

I originally bought this external floppy drive a few years ago after the standard for laptops was not to have an inbuilt floppy drive already in them however at the time floppy disks were still in use from time to time. It doesn't mean that this can't be used for desktop computers that don't have internal floppy drives. Power ********* Usually when having an external device like an external hard drive or optical drive you would usually need more ...
...the power into a power socket in the wall and a separate cable to send and receive data between the device and the computer however with this external floppy drive it has completely changed. Now all that is need with this floppy drive is simply just one USB cable with a mini USB connected to the drive making it quick and easy to use when your on the move as well as easy to fit and store on the move with no extra cabling which could possibly get tangled ... Read review

Advantages: faster optical drive with 2MB buffer size.
Disadvantages: --

Asus optical drive is more then stable product. With fast reading, fast writing, it make everybody like Asus optical drive. With IDE/ATAPI interface, ASUS DRW 1608P make it always support at all pc. At max operating, this optical drive temperature always stable, and not make a big noise. Make reading faster with 2MB buffer size. If you see with front side at this ASUS DRW 1608P, it look a strong optical drive. Dual compatibility feature make your ... Read review