# DVD-RW or HDD



## aksmohan (Jan 30, 2006)

I have two computers , a notebook and a desktop.

I can buy either a Seagate 120GB Hard Disk with an External casing or a DVD-Rw with external Casing or the LG GSA-5163D (External DVD-RW *www.cdfreaks.com/article/191).

What should i get ? :S ...

Will the transfer speeds be affected cos of the casing ?

Which is the best company for the DVD-RW ? I need to choose from these 5 if i get a normal DVD-RW+Casing - 
Benq16X Dual Layer DVD Writer DW1640
SONY DRU-810A DVD Burner
Lite-On SHW-1635S
LG GSA-4167B
Lite-On 1963s

Please help me decide.

Also , if i use the external casing , do i require some sort of power supply ? :S

Thanks a lot ....


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## aksmohan (Jan 30, 2006)

Also , if possible , please gimme thhe prices for the same ...

Thanks.


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## desertwind (Jan 31, 2006)

You dont have to bump it every hour. As far as mobility is concerned, buy an external laptop hdd (5k for 80 GB model) which is small enough to fit on your pocket.

If its for backing up only, DVD-RW will do. The best available is BenQ DW1640 and Sony DWQ30A


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## digen (Jan 31, 2006)

@aksmohan
No need to bump threads.If someone knows the answer he/she will reply.
Considering that you are new I hope you will read & follow the rules of this forum.


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## abhishekkulkarni (Jan 31, 2006)

The one thing you should always keep in mind before purchasing any hardware product is - future utility . 

Meaning , that an HDD would work very well for you as of now . But when the prices of Dual layered DVDs come down to say about 20-30 Rs in about an year's time , thats when you will yearn for a DVD Writer . 

If you can write up to 8.5 GB of data on to a single disk then there is nothing like that . Also , an HDD can give up on you anytime , but for me a DVD has proved to be infinitely more durable . 

So I would advise you to go for a DVD Writer . Personally speaking , I own a Sony DRU 810A DVD Writer and I am currently in " Storage Space Nirvana "     . 


As for the Internal / External casings that you have mentioned , I have no idea what they mean . Do you mean to say External DVD Writer / Internal DVD Writer ? 

If yes , then I suppose that the transfer rates will be lower as compared to IDE / SCSI Drives due to the simple reason that the transfer rates of the Universal Serial Bus ( USB ) is much lower . This is presuming however , that the External Drive has a USB interface .


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## aksmohan (Jan 31, 2006)

abhishekkulkarni said:
			
		

> The one thing you should always keep in mind before purchasing any hardware product is - future utility .
> 
> Meaning , that an HDD would work very well for you as of now . But when the prices of Dual layered DVDs come down to say about 20-30 Rs in about an year's time , thats when you will yearn for a DVD Writer .
> 
> ...



Thanks for that.

How long does it take you to burn a single layer DVD on your Sony ?

I am talking about internal drives which can be used with a USB port with the casing(which converts IDE to USB)..


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## desertwind (Jan 31, 2006)

aksmohan said:
			
		

> How long does it take you to burn a single layer DVD on your Sony ?
> 
> I am talking about internal drives which can be used with a USB port with the casing(which converts IDE to USB)..



For me a It takes about 7-8 min to write a single layer DVD-R in 8x. Haven't tried it 16x as i havent a supporting media.

And, External USB casing (for both HDD and Optical drives) is very slow compare to the SATA interface. If you dont have a USB 2.0, the case will be even worser.


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## aksmohan (Jan 31, 2006)

desertwind said:
			
		

> aksmohan said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


which writer do u have ?

I do have USB 2 , but will get 16x on it ?


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## desertwind (Feb 1, 2006)

I own a Sony DWQ30A.

And i havent used external CD/DVD-RWs. But my external HDD is slower than the usual IDE interface.


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## aksmohan (Feb 1, 2006)

How's the quality of writing with that writer and is it quick ?

How much did u get it for ?


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## desertwind (Feb 1, 2006)

I posted it before. It finishes burning a single layer media in 7-8 minutes on 8x.

I got it for 3k


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## aksmohan (Feb 1, 2006)

I've decided to go for either a 5163 or a BenQ 1640/Sony 810 + External Casing.

Can someone tell me which case is best with the 2 drives and what speeds can i get ?

Also , If i cross-flash or wateva , do i get 16x ? Is it very risky (or has it been done b4) ?


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## shwetanshu (Feb 1, 2006)

i suggest BenQ dw 1640 but sony is also good but i still vote for Benq


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## aksmohan (Feb 1, 2006)

shwetanshu said:
			
		

> i suggest BenQ dw 1640 but sony is also good but i still vote for Benq



Can u recommend an external casing too ?


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## nil_3 (Feb 2, 2006)

abhishekkulkarni said:
			
		

> But when the prices of Dual layered DVDs come down to say about 20-30 Rs in about an year's time , thats when you will yearn for a DVD Writer



Hope this happens!
Seriously, in India there is a flood of dual layered cheap movie DVDs manufactured in China/Taiwan. Then why the relatively cheap Dual layer DVD-Rs are not availabe in India. The one brand that is available in Kolkata costs Rs. 300/- a piece and the same situation is going on for the last one and half year. Prices of Dual layer writers are pocket-friendly now, blue-ray discs will be introduced shortly, but where is the pocket-friendly Dual-layer media?
By the way, whether the same situation prevails in other countries(USA/UK etc).


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## shwetanshu (Feb 2, 2006)

na i dont.. i alwayz buy stuff from Alsun Systems, Nehru Place.. they themselves provide the best stuff/ideas.. so i just go there and tell them wat i want.


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## royal (Feb 2, 2006)

hey aksmohan ... 

I think an external HDD would be easier to carry in case u want to take backup from other machimes  8) 

Its just like a large pen drive, u see


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## Ethan_Hunt (Feb 2, 2006)

aksmohan said:
			
		

> How long does it take you to burn a single layer DVD on your Sony ?


Well apparently my friend happens to own the very same DVD Writer as Abhishek here and on a standard 4X speed of a Single layer DVD Burning takes up about 18 Minutes.At Around higher speeds though it was lesser time more like 8 Min(Or less) at 8X I suppose(Not completely sure of the speed).But overall the Sony DVD Writer is definetly a hot selling product in the market right now along with Lite-On and BenQ drives.


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## desertwind (Feb 3, 2006)

nil_3 said:
			
		

> abhishekkulkarni said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Ignorant ME!!!

I visited a local shop 2 days before to found that the cost of a Sony DL Media to be Rs. 90. Feeling overpriced, i settled down with some SL media (got it for Rs. 12 a piece). Only after that i realised that A Sony DL Media for Rs. 90 is a bargain. So I rushed into to shop very next day, but only find that they dont have any DL media priced less than Rs. 400.

Opertunity never knocks twice.


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## djmykey (Feb 3, 2006)

@desertwind:- U learnt a lesson the hard way. 

Btw I also am torn between in dilemma wether to buy a DVD-Writer or a HDD, hdd is safe, but I am not sure of DVD. Do they give up on us like CD's. I mean do their foil go off or something. Am asking this coz one of my fren told me that it does and thats y I stalled my purchase.


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## abhishekkulkarni (Feb 3, 2006)

> How long does it take you to burn a single layer DVD on your Sony ?



A 4X Single layered DVD takes precisely 12 Min to burn . I haven't tried out an 8X one as of yet . 

Thats because they are very costly in Pune , about 60 Rs per DVD .


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## abhishekkulkarni (Feb 3, 2006)

djmykey wrote -


> Btw I also am torn between in dilemma wether to buy a DVD-Writer or a HDD, hdd is safe, but I am not sure of DVD. Do they give up on us like CD's. I mean do their foil go off or something. Am asking this coz one of my fren told me that it does and thats y I stalled my purchase.



No Mikey , an HDD is extremely volatile ...

Picture this situation - 

You are going on your Unicorn with the HDD in your bag and you hit a big-bad-Pune-special bump .... And poof ! the HDD is dead as a dodo   

Btw , the suspension of the Unicorn isn't bad though    . Don't be mad at me


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## djmykey (Feb 4, 2006)

abhishekkulkarni said:
			
		

> No Mikey , an HDD is extremely volatile ...
> 
> You are going on your Unicorn with the HDD in your bag and you hit a big-bad-Pune-special bump .... And poof ! the HDD is dead as a dodo


I know this



> Do they give up on us like CD's. I mean do their foil go off or something. Am asking this coz one of my fren told me that it does and thats y I stalled my purchase.



Actually this is the question that I was looking for an answer. As of now I think there is moserbaer, sony and some 2-3 companies I think who retail DVD-R's but do their foil go off like it did with the CD's thats what I wanna know nothing else.




> Btw , the suspension of the Unicorn isn't bad though    . Don't be mad at me


I know dood but the roads so suc seriously    its too bad really for anyone riding a bike


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## aksmohan (Feb 4, 2006)

Isn't there like a tried and tested external case(USB)+drive(BenQ 1640 or Sony 810) combo which i can buy ?


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## varungupta17 (Feb 5, 2006)

Hey dude, I have tried many dvd witers like sony,gigabyte and tried many media like moser baer, optica, afa etc. However i find all dvds writen above 75% were faulty inspite of having the latest configuration using these dvd writers. 

However when i lay my hands on *Lite-on 1635s *i was suprised.All dvds were written with out any fault. I used to get CRC error but every thing is fine now. Hence i prefer and suggest *Liteon Dvd Writer*. 

Also read this months digit. Agent 001 Of DIGIT also suggest of Lite-On 1963s Dvd Writer. THIS IS MY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE.

Also i suggest not to buy any optical drives from samsung. They tend to give many problems.Also the tray gets mis aligned very easily.

You can rely on me because i assemble and sell computers.


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## aksmohan (Feb 5, 2006)

I ain't buying a Samsung , that's for sure , but i just want to know a case+drive combo which has been tried and tested.

My drive options are - 
BenQ DW1640
SONY DRU-810A
Lite-On SHW-1635S
LG GSA-4167B

Will buy my drive as soon as i'm sure the case and drive will work well.


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## varungupta17 (Feb 13, 2006)

*DONT KNOW ABOUT CASING BUT LITEON IS THE BEST*



			
				aksmohan said:
			
		

> I ain't buying a Samsung , that's for sure , but i just want to know a case+drive combo which has been tried and tested.
> 
> My drive options are -
> BenQ DW1640
> ...



Hi.Dude i m not sure about the casing but have heard that the casiing from "ENTER" company is good.   

This is the case in bangalore where i stay.

 About DVD Writer as i told u earlier Lite-On is the best.So there is no need to worry about it and u can safely buy it.  

So if u need any assistance u can mail me at varungupta17@yahoo.com. or can post it here.

Also note that Liton Dvd Writer is available in many flavours:
1) Liteon 1635S.
2) Liteon 1963S.
Of the above *Liteon 1963S is the best*. However this model is not available in all cities. Hence check it in ur city. Price of both the models is *SAME*.


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## blacklight (Feb 15, 2006)

@djmykey
it depends on why u need the xtra storage

i suggest u go 4 the HDD.coz it is much faster and much simpler to access the data (simple copy n paste )when compared to a disk where u hav to burn to disk to access it .moreover it is easy 2 handle a single drive than a dozen disks.

however,if its for storing/backin up movies/music ,i suggest u go for the DVD drive,coz in that case,u can also use the disks on a stand alone DVD player also.


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## abhishek_sharma (Feb 15, 2006)

go in for a dvd writer whcih supports fireweire port, it offers much greater transfer speeds than usb
even if u dont have a firewire port on your comp...u can always buy one pci firewire card of tech-com or such companies for rs.300-450
on ebay.in they come for rs.300-475 with postage

also it is much better to burn 2 single layer dvds than buy an exoribantly priced dvd at present....u can also use a dvd rw, a 4x speed media frm moserbaer costs rs.90


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## abhishek_sharma (Feb 15, 2006)

> i suggest u go 4 the HDD.coz it is much faster and much simpler to access the data (simple copy n paste )when compared to a disk where u hav to burn to disk to access it .moreover it is easy 2 handle a single drive than a dozen disks.



blacklight had written the above...
i would like to add that these days nero has got a nifty tool bundled with their burning software called InCd which allows you to format a CD RW or DVD RW and use it as a hard disk...i.e. u can simply copy paste, delete things in it like u do in a hard disk, thus it becomes relatively more hassle-free


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## abhishek_sharma (Feb 15, 2006)

i dont know at what price dvd writers sell in other cities but in my city a sony sells upward of rs.3800
hence i got a oem version of sony dvd writer for rs.3175 from ebay including postage, the drive has the same features as the 810u only difference it supports dual layer writing at just 4x speed, while the box packed counterpart supports it at 8x speed

also the bezel in the oem version will not have the sony logo

i think the price must be lower in cities like mumbai, probably rs.2800 or such


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