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Lite-On SHM-165H6S vs. BenQ DQ60 vs. BenQ DW1655
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Dinobot
Junior Member
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16. January 2006 @ 09:51 |
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BenQ DQ60:
http://www.benq.com/NewProducts/product.cfm?product=19
BenQ DW1655:
http://www.benq.com/newproducts/product.cfm?product=27
Lite-On SHM-165H6S
http://www.liteonit.com/ODD/English/e_product/e_shm165h6s.asp
I'm having trouble deciding between these three drives. From what I've read on the forum so far, alot of people here seem to like BenQ, though I've had fairly good experiences with Lite-On's drives in the past (I've had several, ranging from a basic CD-ROM to a SOHC-5235K combo that I'm using now).
BenQ's website doesn't seem to go in very great detail on the specs of their drives, so I can't be sure how fast the BenQ drives are compared to Lite-On's (anyone here know?). However, my biggest problem with BenQ is it seems you have to either choose between an SuperMulti-type drive, or a lightscribe-supporting drive.
Does anyone have any experience with any of these drives; any advice would be appreciated.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 16. January 2006 @ 12:25
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AfterDawn Addict
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16. January 2006 @ 11:11 |
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Quote:
I'm having trouble deciding between these four drives
... four?
Let's see ... do you want Lightscribe? The DQ60 doesn't support it.
Do you want to be able to record to RAM discs? Only the DQ60 (out of the three you mention) will do this.
I have both LiteOn and BenQ drives (although I have none of your choices) and the BenQ drives are THE BEST ... it really isn't very close ...
In my opinion, unless you have a set top recorder that used RAM discs also ... I wouldn't bother with that format.
Without a doubt, I'd choose the BenQ DW1655 from your list (even if it was more ecpensive, which it isn't) It is every bit as fast as a LiteOn and has better error correction and will produce better quality scans ...
As far as utility packages ... both the LiteOn and BenQ drives have excellent utilities and both will booktype to DVD-ROM with the proper discs ...
Final words ... If anyone tells you that LiteOn is better than BenQ it is only because they've never experienced BenQ burners ... simply the best by test
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Dinobot
Junior Member
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16. January 2006 @ 12:25 |
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Quote:
... four?
Oops... I had the DW1650 in there too, but after reading through it figured it was more or less the 55 w/o lightscribe. I'll fix that.
Thanks for the advice.
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Dinobot
Junior Member
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17. January 2006 @ 07:26 |
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I think I've decided on the BenQ DQ60. I finally found a BenQ website with specifications (the japanese one), and on top of the reliability people here say BenQ drives have, it's actually writes to -R DL faster than any other drive I've read about (seems it can go 8X, whereas I've only seen as fast as 6X before).
http://benq.co.jp/www/front/BenqMain.asp?MenuHead=131&ShowType=pr...
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AfterDawn Addict
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17. January 2006 @ 09:31 |
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You need to bear in mind that the DQ60 really is a Teac rebadge .. whereas the DW1655 is made by BenQ and is an update of the legendary DW1640... the excellent BenQ quality and reliability only applies to BenQ made drives ... and with firmware updates, BenQ has sped up the burning speed of the rarely seen -DL discs
You need to be aware that you cannot booktype the -DL discs and compatability isn't nearly as good as with the +DL booktyped discs ...
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Dinobot
Junior Member
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17. January 2006 @ 13:19 |
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That's good to know. I went down to College St. (Toronto's computer district) today, and went looking for a burner. I must've been into a dozen stores, and only one store had ANY BenQ at all. They had the DW1655, which I think I'll now get, but only in black; I couldn't figure that one out. Every other drive they carried was available in beige or black, but they'd only ordered the DW1655 in black for some reason. All the other stores had mainly the LG SuperMulti drive, the Pioneer DVR-110D, some Lite-On (but nothing near the latest), and a few Sony.
So, does anyone know any good Canadian online retailers that have this drive for a reasonable price? Generally, I hate the hassle of ordering stuff online when it should be available retail, but I don't want a black drive, and there's no guarantee if they'll ever get beige.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 17. January 2006 @ 13:27
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AfterDawn Addict
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17. January 2006 @ 13:44 |
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DISCLAIMER: If you find a posting or message from me
offensive, inappropriate, or disruptive, please ignore it.
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Dinobot
Junior Member
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17. January 2006 @ 14:49 |
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Thanks for the link, though it seems all NCIX has is black as well; maybe this one isn't available in beige, who knows. However, the store I was in this afternoon had the DW1655 for about $5 cheaper than NCIX. So, if I have to get black (which apparently, I do), I might as well get it from that store. That way, I'll get it right away and for a cheaper price, all while avoiding shipping costs and hassles.
Just a couple question about the DW1655, though. Does the BookTyping utility that comes with it act in the background of Windows, affecting all burning utilities like Nero, Roxio, etc? Or do you need to use it with a specific burning program in order to booktype? Also, will Nero 7 automatically detect this as a Lightscribe drive, or do you have to install an additional driver for it to work?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 17. January 2006 @ 14:54
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AfterDawn Addict
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17. January 2006 @ 15:07 |
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The booktyping utility comes as part of a package called QSuite. Once you set the booktype to DVD-ROM it booktypes all DVD+R, +RW and +R DL discs automatically until you change the utility back. As far as the LightScribe feature .. can'i help you there as my BenQ is a non-Lightscribe DW1640 ... and the only Nero that I have is non-Lightscribe 6.6.0.18 ... My Lightscribe drive is a HP and it came with Sonic, but I use SureThing 4SE which is a free program which can be downloaded here: http://www.lightscribe.com/support/index.aspx?id=307
This is an excellent site which will answer lots of LightScribe questions: http://www.lightscribe.com/index.aspx
DISCLAIMER: If you find a posting or message from me
offensive, inappropriate, or disruptive, please ignore it.
If you dont know how to ignore a posting, complain to
me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate . . .
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Dinobot
Junior Member
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17. January 2006 @ 16:25 |
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For anyone who's purchased the OEM DW1655, what software does it come with? I assume it has the BenQ stuff, but I'm hoping it comes with a newer version of PowerDVD or something than I'm currently using.
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AfterDawn Addict
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17. January 2006 @ 16:34 |
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Most likely the OEM version will only include Nero (maybe) ... as far as the BenQ utilities, you can get them from the BenQ website ...
What you get with the OEM, besides the burner, really depends on what the vender throws in with the drive ...
DISCLAIMER: If you find a posting or message from me
offensive, inappropriate, or disruptive, please ignore it.
If you dont know how to ignore a posting, complain to
me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate . . .
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 17. January 2006 @ 16:35
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pacpicchu
Newbie
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18. January 2006 @ 03:33 |
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I usually go to Canadacomputers on College street Toronto as they usually have good prices and for the most part they only stock quality products as they are geared towards the enthusiast market. You can check their website and crosscheck their prices with Premiercomputers on Lakeshore near Kipling. Of course if you can find the same item in another store for cheaper you gotta do it. Funny enough, sometimes there are sales at the bigbox stores and you can luck out.
GL
paco
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tom819800
Newbie
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5. February 2006 @ 19:54 |
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between my self and a couple friends we own
3 dead BenQ dvd burners less than a year and a half old
and four Liteon still goin strong for two years
so maybee its just bad luck on BenQ's side but I personally would go with the Liteon. In fact i'm purchasing the new SHM-165H6S Liteon right after posting this ..... So happy burning..
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ledmisson
Newbie
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6. February 2006 @ 18:04 |
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Its always a matter of what one has had good luck with in the past.
Ive always used Lite-On burners, simply because Ive always had good luck with them.
I own the SHM-165H6S drive and cant say enough about it.
It does come with Nero and Nero does install the lightscribe software at installation.
A also noticed a new firmware update dated Jan 6 2006 to extend its compatibilty to ( 16x 8x 8x / 16x 6x 4x / 5X / 16x / + 48x 24x 48x ).
That can be found here:http://www.liteonit.com/ODD/English/e_downloads/e_firmware_dvd%20...
The 5x is DVD-RAM.
It can be purchased online for 49.00 at NewEgg. Thats where I purchased mine. It was an OEM, but no diffrence except for a lack of packaging.
Hope this helps.
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Dinobot
Junior Member
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7. February 2006 @ 08:55 |
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I'm considering buying the Lite-On SHM-165H6S from Newegg, in the boxed retail version:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106015
I was under the impression that all the Lite-On retail drives came with both ivory & black bezels, but Newegg's site lists is simply as Black. So I'm wondering whether anyone could confirm that the retail version of this drive comes with a white bezel?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 7. February 2006 @ 08:55
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bigdm
Junior Member
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7. February 2006 @ 16:31 |
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If you click on the picture of the drive it will increase the magnification of the picture and you will see that the drive comes with a white and black face plate.
BigDm
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dsteve
Newbie
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16. February 2006 @ 15:45 |
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I recently got an LiteOn SHM-165H6S and can't get it to produce good disks. The burns always complete but the disks (both CD's and DVD's) are finicky and either won't load or skip occasionally when played. The drive is master on it's own IDE connector. The same computer has an NEC 3500A on another IDE connector and using the same media that will burn good quality stuff. I've updated the firmware to latest HS06 and tried a number of things including different media. Everything burns great on the NEC but this LiteOn just won't work. I'm about to send it back but thought someone online might have a suggestion.
thanks
steve
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Dinobot
Junior Member
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17. February 2006 @ 05:50 |
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Sounds like you just might've gotten a faulty unit, or something. If it's still in warranty, you should get it replaced.
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tom819800
Newbie
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17. February 2006 @ 08:30 |
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the 165 has a problem with burning speeds i believe its 4x and 12x but should do all other speeds quite well. i have noticed that burning 16x can be a little tricky. you really must look up media specs to be sure they are compatible with your burner. just buying media from your local store really doesnt cut it it's just hit and miss. i bought a hundred pack (worked great@ 16x) then went back 6months later and bought what i thought was the same exact media it was 16x media but would only burn 8x.
seems that just because the name on the package (whatever brand) doesent mean they are the manufacture. could be up to like 10 different companys. there are numbers that identify who manufactured them. i personally use prodisk for the last 300 disks not a single coaster. shop4tech sells them for a pretty good price. do some homework on your burner and you'll see what media actually works best with it . I must of deleted the link to the site i have used in the past. you'll see... be patient cause its kinda hard to find the info you seek......
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tom819800
Newbie
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17. February 2006 @ 08:35 |
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oh yeah you could also try the firmware update solves some media issues. i believe the link is just above.
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tom819800
Newbie
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17. February 2006 @ 08:49 |
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just realised you were refering to the lightscribe model and i wasn't about burn speeds.
Oh yeah digitalfaq.com really good site about media .explains everything about media
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Newbie
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17. February 2006 @ 08:59 |
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I have the LiteOn SHM-165H6S and I personally love this thing. I've had no issues what so ever with it and I feel it's the best $60 I've ever spent. I haven't had a chance to test out the lightscribe or the DVD-RAM yet by DVD +/- R works flawlessly as well as burning DL. The drive also has great burn times as well. Just my opinion..
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dsteve
Newbie
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17. February 2006 @ 11:28 |
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I think I got a bad drive. Sent it back for now. I may pick up another one but I'm going to look around a bit first.
thanks,
steve
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tom819800
Newbie
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20. February 2006 @ 08:39 |
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close but no cigar!
Gigabyte GA-K8NS Ultra-939 nForce3 Ultra chipset
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ @ 2.5Ghz
BFG 6800 GSOC AGP 370/1050
2GB DDR400
120 GB hard drive
LITEON SOHW 1633S
LITEON SOHW 1693S
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tom819800
Newbie
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20. February 2006 @ 08:51 |
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did ya check your DMA mode? make sure its not in PIO it will cause problems like that.
Gigabyte GA-K8NS Ultra-939 nForce3 Ultra chipset
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ @ 2.5Ghz
BFG 6800 GSOC AGP 370/1050
2GB DDR400
120 GB hard drive
LITEON SOHW 1633S
LITEON SOHW 1693S
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