PCA Forums

What brand cdrom drive (not burner) are you guys using and why?

I recently threw out my previous Kenwood 72X. The thing was the bomb in it's day and that sucker was fast. But there were some problems with that drive with reading certain cds and sometimes copying from it did not have that good of results. The technology seemed great but Kenwood dropped the line completely because of some things the drive apparently could not do. When Windows XP came out, the Kenwood website said it was NOT compatible with Windows XP. That really blew me away! When I switched to XP I started having some problems with the 72X. The OS apparently had problems with recognizing the drive and sometimes would only show my writer (Lite-on 32X burner). I would frequently have to reboot to get it to show. I would also have problems sometimes when playing a game. Sometimes the game would not run because the OS apparently didn't know the cd was in the drive. I would then either have to hit the game exe over and over again, reboot, or switch the cd to the burner to get the game to play. I got tired of this and just removed the drive.

Well when looking for a replacement drive, I started looking around for some reviews of plain cdrom drives and found out there were hardly any. Apparently no one gives a hoot about cdrom drives anymore to even write a review on one. Since I had been using the Lite-on burner and liking it, I bought a Lite-on 52X cdrom drive. It's quiet and works well (no more OS recognizing problems) but I noticed the cpu load was quite high using Nero CD Speed to check it. That got me wondering just what CDrom drive is the best.

Comments on cdrom drives welcomed. Thanks

Get a DVD ROM they are cheap enough anymore... Lite On makes good and fast ones...

To tell you the truth, burners and dvd drives have gotten so cheap, most people have one of each or two burners in there systems nowadays, the only time i ever use a standard cdrom drive is the load an OS on the cdromless folding boxes/network boxes-\
This is probably why there is a lack of reviews on them, as most enthusists dont hold an interest.

Its been probably 3 or 4 years since I owned a cd-rom.

i only have one cd-rom
its a 52x creative labs and its in my server

other than that, i only got a dvd and a cdrw drive in my main rig

Hmm. I didn't even know you could have two burners hooked up in the same system.

The DVD thing. I have never had an interest in them since I never thought I would ever watch a DVD movie on my computer. I have always done that on my DVD player on my TV. Does a DVD player have the same capabilities as a CDrom player regarding cds or for copying cds to a burner?

yup, they can do everything a cdrom can-plus they can read dvd rom data discs as well. you can pick one up at newegg for 30.00 , which is less then a cdrom drive will run ya at compUSSR.
I have a 64 inch tv with DTS surround so I never watch movies on mine either, but its nice to know i can if i want to

Well ya talked me into it. I just ordered a Lite-on LTD166 for $39.00.

BTW, can two burners be hooked up together in Windows XP? I was under the impression that only 1 burner could be in a system but saw someone mention that it could.


Another question. I assume there is DVD software included with this DVD (it's the retail one)? Now I also have a TV tuner card hooked up. I should not have any problems with the DVD software conflicting with the TV tuner software?

i have two burners in a xp system here... the liteon comes with either windvd or power dvd, and your 9800 pro should have atis dvd software bundled with it, so either way you should be set. Ive never heard of a dvd/tuner sofware conflict, the dvd runs of your ide just like any other optical drive

Wow, you're right. My 9800 Pro CD does have DVD software on it. I hadn't even looked at that CD since I had installed vid drivers that I had downloaded. I wonder how good it is?

I also notice I have a CD that has Power DVD XP version 4.0 on it. I got it bundled with something (I don't even remember what). I don't even know how new 4.0 is. So it seems I have some choices to make. I have no idea which one to use. Any recommendations?

i dont think you notice a difference in quality, i say try all three if ya got em, and see which one you like the best functionally
ie controls\options etc...

I think I generally preffer the Power DVD or the ATI DVD player that came with my card. But lots to choose from and I haven't tried all that many.

As far as burners, I don't know if there is a limit to how many you can run or not. Nero is supposed to support burning to more than one drive. Got 2 burners, make 2 disks at once, 3, 4? I never tried it yet, but I think as long as you have enough IDE conecters you can have as many burners as you want.
Prefferably of the same type to avoid any types of conflicts, my thoughts anyway.

As for Cd drives you first asked about, I think they are heading the way of the floppy

I mean for about $10 -$20 more you can have a second burner, so why bother with a bare drive. Nice to have that spare burner available if your main one dies at a bad time

Or the DVD drive is nearly as cheap a bare cd drive, so might as well get more for your money in case you ever want it in the future.

I think most people are pretty much thinking along those lines and I don't really even see why plain CD drives are even being made any more myself. Of course you can still buy an AM transitor radio too, so maybe some things will never totally die