Internal vs External cd Burners

Kenneth Kotsay · Post by **Kenneth Kotsay** » 13 Jan 2002 2:50 pm

INTERNAL VS EXTERNAL CD BURNERS - I need some help in this area. I would like to buy a external CD burner but the cost is like 2x the price of an internal CD burner. Also I notice the speed is slower on an external than on an internal. The external is easy to hook up where as the internal I need someone to install it for me. There seems to be more internal drives on the market than the externals.

Any body like to give me their 2 cents I appreciate it.

Also what brand should I go with, what manufacturers should I avoid?

Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 13 Jan 2002 3:08 pm

I use an external CD burner for general use. Reason I got it is that it's not locked into one computer. It runs off of a USB port, so it's a no brainer to go to several systems. Mine's a Zip CD and I've had no problems.

If you're looking to do a lot of intensive work on a single computer, then I would probably go with the internal for speed/convenience, etc.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 14 Jan 2002 4:01 am

Internal's are powered by the PC power supply and use the I/O bus, so they can transfer data faster.

Supply and demand also factors into the price. Most burners sold are internal.

If you only have one PC, and have a slot for the burner drive then that is the way to go. You can get a relatively fast burner with the "burn proof technology" reasonable (under $150). However, we (I and several friends) have found that 12X is the best speed to burn audio CD's, especially for car CD players. Most of the newer burners will burn CD-R at higher speeds, and it's OK for data or if you are going to playback the audio CD on a PC and many newer home systems. But, we have compromised and settled on 12X audio just to be on the safe side.

Tommy Mc · Post by **Tommy Mc** » 14 Jan 2002 9:52 am

In addition to everything Steve and Jack said, I would add that an internal is not necessarily difficult to install. Assuming that you have the extra bay and connections, it's a simple job...If you can handle a screwdriver and a few plugs. Installation really needn't be a factor in your decision to go internal or external.

Kenneth Kotsay · Post by **Kenneth Kotsay** » 15 Jan 2002 4:48 pm

Thanks for all the help, I did some more shopping and asked a few more questions from the computer section at my job, almost all advised to go with an internal.

I took notice of the speed of the two units while shopping. The external burners where in the range of 4x 4x 4x where as most of the internals where above 16 x 24 x 40 and the price of one brand, Sony (internal) was $149 at Office Depot, they also had a Iomaga external for $179 which was a 4x.
This past Saturday I was at Comp USA, they had an external unit for $349.00 plus a Sony for $249.00. There where about 7 other internal models for sale compared to 3 external units on display.

Originally I considered an external because of the portability factor but it seems most computers you buy all come with an internal CD burner. Once my Compaq goes nutso on me the next computer I buy will most likely have a CD burner installed, for now my PC is two years old and I should get another 2-4 years usage.

So it looks like I'llgo with an internal drive for now.

I do have one question for JACK, why do you suggest a 12x CD burner. Can you go higher????

KEN

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 16 Jan 2002 3:41 am

Ken, yes. The current technology units are 24X. But, some CD players, especially the ones in cars have problems with CD's burned at the higher speeds. The 12X is just a safe burn speed to be compatible with almost any CD player. I have a relatively old (4 year old) CD player in my stereo rack and about the same vintage Sony BoomBox and they will both play audio CD's burned at 24X. But, I (and a friend that does a lot of audio CD burning) have tried various speeds and we have settled on 12X as a safe "universal" burning speed. I suggested to someone else, that they experiment with the burning speeds and they could find what their CD players would accept since most software (e.g. Roxio Easy CD Creator 5) has an option for the burning speed.

For data CD's, I burn at the 24X and haven't had any compatibility problems.

Tommy Mc · Post by **Tommy Mc** » 16 Jan 2002 9:08 am

Ken, before punking a whole lotta dough out on a speed demon burner, check out the burner's requirements. If your computer is a couple of years old, IT may limit the burning speed. I'm using a 12x10x32 burner which is plenty fast and can be gotten at about half of what I paid for it last year.
Also, where I live, I can't find CD-R's rated for faster than 16x and CD-RW's at 4x. So for rewriting, while the burner is capable of 10x, the media limits me to 4x.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 16 Jan 2002 10:44 am

But, a CD burner with the "Burn proof" technology is a must for a new burner. I don't know if the older (slower) burners incorporate that technology. The "burn proof" pretty much eliminates bad burns or "coasters".

With my new CD Burner, with burn proof technology, I don't have to shut everything down before burning a CD. With my old HP burner, that did not incorporate that, I had to shut basically everything down before burning to ensure no glitches or dropouts on the CD's.

The Pacific Digital 24/10/40 burner I have now is $119. at Sam's Wholesale club. Why buy older technology when the bottom has dropped out of CD Burner price. The old HP 4/4/24 burner I had was $189 on sale three years ago.

Kenneth Kotsay · Post by **Kenneth Kotsay** » 16 Jan 2002 3:02 pm

JACK - I saw the PACIFIC DIGITAL 24/10/40 at OFFICE DEPOT I believe the price was about $139-149, in fact there may have been two models at Office Depot the other unit was a 16x 24x 40x for $129. My Compaq is two years old and has Windows 98 installed, I have plenty of hard drive space and speed. So would you recommend that product at those speeds??

In my search I haven't found any burner 12x and under ( except for the Externals) like you first recommended, most are 16x and up (internal drives). I have a 2002 HONDA ACCORD with a fantastic CD player & stereo system, I also have a new TASCAM CD player (not a recorder) for my home sound system. Most of my electronic stuff is fairly new. This weekend I'll be pounding the stores searching, I know Presidents Day is a month away and most stores have huge sales so I do have time to price & do research on the CD burners. (Best Buy, Brands Mart, Comp USA, Circuit City, etc.)

Again, thanks and keep those suggestions coming.

KEN

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 16 Jan 2002 3:53 pm

Ken, Personally I would go for the faster one. Relatively, not that much difference in price.

I've always looked at it (in computers) to buy the latest technology I can afford (or "overkill") as it will take a little longer for it to become obsolete.