Need new optical drive at DVinfo.net

David LeBlanc · August 21st, 2004, 04:03 PM

Need new optical drive for my mac. My old superdrive kicked the bucket.
Any recommendations
Thanks Dave

Bill Keen · August 23rd, 2004, 01:32 AM

Hi David,

Go with the Pioneer 108... burns dvd's at 8x. Two places I've brought from and highly recommend are NewEgg and OWC.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...roperty&DEPA=1 and http://eshop.macsales.com/Static_Pag...le=SuperDrives

Linc Kesler · September 3rd, 2004, 03:40 PM

I had a similar situation and decided I'd go with a firewire set-up so I could use it with my portable as well (I do a lot of fieldwork). I thought about buying an enclosure and a drive, but the deadline was on top of me and I didn't want to get stuck with figuring out any compatibility issues. I ended up popping for the new LaCie firewire drive that uses the new NEC dual-layer burner. Haven't tried the dual layer feature yet (no media available where I am yet) because it got good reviews and I thought LaCie would be a decent bet for out of the box functionality. So far it has performed flawlesslyand fast, It is such a relief not not wonder whether I have just invested another hour into a coaster. The LaCie drive also comes with Toast 6 (I had 5 already: hard to say if it's really worth the upgrade), which helps a bit to compensate for the higher price than other solutions. If the dual layer feature actually works when I can use it, so much the better. Anyway, it's been a good solution for me.

For what it is worth, I'm also figuring that about the time the drive begins showing its age, the warranty will be running out and I can guiltlessly pop the case and reuse the enclosure with whatever is current and uses the same device interface. On that note, when I bought my powerbook, I did not pay the extra $$ for the superdrive, figuring it would be hard to update and I might end up in exactly this situation. I'm not unhappy about that now, though there were a couple of times I missed burning on the fly earlier.

Linc Kesler

August 21st, 2004, 04:03 PM	#1
David LeBlanc Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Cape Breton Nova Scotia Canada Posts: 37	Need new optical drive Need new optical drive for my mac. My old superdrive kicked the bucket. Any recommendations Thanks Dave __________________ Regards David LeBlanc

August 23rd, 2004, 01:32 AM	#2
Bill Keen Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Water Valley, MS Posts: 52	Hi David, Go with the Pioneer 108... burns dvd's at 8x. Two places I've brought from and highly recommend are NewEgg and OWC. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...roperty&DEPA=1 and http://eshop.macsales.com/Static_Pag...le=SuperDrives

September 3rd, 2004, 03:40 PM	#3
Linc Kesler Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Vancouver BC Posts: 65	I had a similar situation and decided I'd go with a firewire set-up so I could use it with my portable as well (I do a lot of fieldwork). I thought about buying an enclosure and a drive, but the deadline was on top of me and I didn't want to get stuck with figuring out any compatibility issues. I ended up popping for the new LaCie firewire drive that uses the new NEC dual-layer burner. Haven't tried the dual layer feature yet (no media available where I am yet) because it got good reviews and I thought LaCie would be a decent bet for out of the box functionality. So far it has performed flawlesslyand fast, It is such a relief not not wonder whether I have just invested another hour into a coaster. The LaCie drive also comes with Toast 6 (I had 5 already: hard to say if it's really worth the upgrade), which helps a bit to compensate for the higher price than other solutions. If the dual layer feature actually works when I can use it, so much the better. Anyway, it's been a good solution for me. For what it is worth, I'm also figuring that about the time the drive begins showing its age, the warranty will be running out and I can guiltlessly pop the case and reuse the enclosure with whatever is current and uses the same device interface. On that note, when I bought my powerbook, I did not pay the extra $$ for the superdrive, figuring it would be hard to update and I might end up in exactly this situation. I'm not unhappy about that now, though there were a couple of times I missed burning on the fly earlier. Linc Kesler