DVD-Burner Reviews

Top 5 DVD-Burners

All of these Burners support 16x speeds for DVD+R and DVD-R media. The major differences are the speeds for dual layer media and CD recording.

1) NEC ND-3550A
The NEC ND-3550A is an updated version of the very popular and successful ND-3540A. The only difference is the 3550A uses no lead in its components. As with all of the current DVD-Burners it supports 16x for DVD+/-R media. For the newest dual-layer media, the drive runs at 8x for DVD+R DL and 6x for DVD-R DL. It also has some of the best CD recording speeds with 48x for CD-R and 32x for CD-RW. The drive is typically only found as an OEM bare drive and can be found in three colors.

2) Plextor PX-740A
Plextor is one of the biggest names in optical storage, but they also are one of the most expensive. The PX-740A is their new low cost DVD-Burner that still offers a lot of performance and reliability. While not as fast as the NEC, it posts some impressive speeds. DVD+/-R media is supported at the standard 16x speeds while the dual layer media is 8x for DVD+R DL and 4x for DVD-R DL. The Burner is also a bit smaller than most and is great for tight spaces such as a small form factor case.
 
3) LG Electronics GSA-4167B
While most companies claim their DVD-Burners to be multi-format, very few of them support all of the existing formats. The LG Electronics GSA-4167B is referred to as a super Burner because it also supports the lesser known DVD-RAM format used by some consumer electronic DVD-Burners. Speeds overall are quite good with 16x for DVD+/-R media, 8x for DVD+R DL, 4x for DVD-R DL and 5x for DVD-RAM. CD Speeds are a bit slower at 24x for CD-RW media but still strong at 48x for CD-R.

4) Sony DRU-810A
Sony for some time has lagged a bit behind other companies in terms of performance for their DVD-Burners. The new DRU-810A changes this by offering a high level of performance over previous generation Sony Burners. Dual layer media support has been boosted to support 8x for DVD+R DL and 4x for DVD-R DL. Access times are also quite good compared to many other Burners on the market. CD speeds are quite good at 48x for CD-R and 32x for CD-RW.

5) Pioneer DVR-110
Those looking for the fastest DVD-Burning speeds and not too concerned about CD recording should look at the Pioneer DVR-110D. This Burner offers the fastest dual layer recording speeds with 8x for both the DVD+R and DVD-R dual layer media. 16X speeds are available for the standard single layer media. The only drawback to the Burner is the slower 40x speed for CD-R media compared to 48x by most DVD-Burners.