Drives > DVD±RW (+R Double Layer) Drives > from 33x to 48x > From 30 GBP to 70 GBP

Advantages: Can be moved from PC to PC, lighweight, robust, reliable, fast
Disadvantages: None so far...

...an external CD writer by Freecom which had been extremely reliable, I opted for the High Speed (USB2) Classic DVD+/-RW Double Layer model. It was the most expensive at just over £120 at the time (much cheaper now, see below), but the best available. The Hardware: In the box was a black DVD RW which was slim and lightweight (it was also available in white), the USB connector cable, the power transformer/cable (PSU- power supply unit) and two adapters ...
...system. A quick phone-call to Freecom (the phone no. at the time was 01423 704715) solved the problem. Roxio would only work on Windows 2000 or Windows XP and they would send me a disk with Nero 6 on which would work every bit as good as Roxio on my system. The company was true to their word - the program landed on my doormat the very next day. So it looked like Freecom had excellent customer service also. Since then I have upgraded my system to ... Read review

Advantages: Writes to all 3 formats,
Disadvantages: outdated now

...bought two of the newer LG GSA 4163BB Drive. This will write to DVD+RW dual layer as well, but is not as fast as some modern drives, having a maximum write speed of 12x, the maximum you can get is 16x and all new LG Writers support this and both DVD-R and DVD+R dual layer formats. There really is no reason to choose any other writer. This does more than all the rest, with excellent build quality, and doesn't cost a penny more. I recommend using it ... Read review

Advantages: Fast, reliable, writes to all formats and dual layer
Disadvantages: there is one newer model

I've reviewed the excellent LG GSA 4120B DVD-writer, and having owned it for 1.5 years, i got a new computer and needed some DVD-writers, so Sept 2005, i bought two of these, thats how much i trusted the quality of LG Super Multi Write Technology, and i haven't been let down. The only difference between the these and the slightly newer GSA 4167B is that these can only write to DVD+R dual layer, whereas the 4167B can write to both DVD+R dual layer ...
...since dual layer media is quite expensive. The beauty of these machines, apart from their smart black exterior is that they can write to all three formats, DVD-,DVD+ and DVD-Ram. Almost everybody else does not support the DVD-Ram format, which is surprising since it is actually technologically much more advanced. Unlike normal CD's and DVD's DVD-Ram does not have to write all it's information outwards from the centre of the disc in one steady stream. ... Read review

Advantages: Fast and Cheap!
Disadvantages: Pathetic Manual & Dies after a few months

...drives I bought my LiteOn SHOW-1633S about 8 months ago. During the first 5 or 6 months, I had no problems - the drive was very fast and stable. All my DVDs and CDs came out perfectly! I used various brands and the drive had no problem reading and writing them. However, the problems all started. I was burning a CD and suddenly it stopped. The drive wouldn't read or write any CDs in any of the operating systems I used, yet it would read the DVDs ...
...one for DVDs the other for CDs. What had happened was that the CD laser had broken, meaning I couldn't use any of my CDs. I promptly got the drive replaced, and the store sent me another. The same happened but with the DVD laser about 3 months later! I wouldn't recommend this drive to anyone, even when it was put through light use it failed. It's worth spending the extra £5 or £10 and getting a better drive! ... Read review

Advantages: Fast, reliable
Disadvantages: No DVD-RAM support

For the most part, this is just another DVD burner in an already crowded market, but one or two things make this stand out from the crowd. To start with it was one of the first low-priced drives to support dual-layer writing, allowing you to cram twice as much on to a single disk, although the price and availability of dual-layer media at the moment makes this less useful than it might be. Still, this should change soon enough... The most remarkable ...
...with even the cheapest media available, and the fact that it'll burn as fast as it can regardless of the rating of the blank media. Using a dynamically adjustable burning laser, the drive automatically adjusts power and speed to suit the disk -- if it detects an uneven dye surface (common on cheap blanks) it'll compensate; the burning process may slow down, but it's almost guaranteed to work. On good quality media it attempts to burn faster than ... Read review