I just received my brand new NEC 16X Double Layer DVD?RW Drive, Black, Model ND-3500A BK, OEM from Newegg.com. The free shipping took only 2 or 3 days. Pretty good Newegg.
I installed the drive in about 5 minutes, luckily my HP case is pretty easy, only had to unscrew one screw, and the front pops, and the drives go in and out in the front. Put everything back together, booted, and no problems. I get to windows, and go to My computer, and it automaticly assigns it in to the proper drive, replacing the old one, and it knows it's DVD-RW. Sweet!
But do I need drivers? Well, I went to Nero, and it detects it, and knows the drive model, and all the specs. I guess there is no reason for drivers, it's self installing! I stuck "The Fast and the Furious" DVD in, and it's so quiet, I honestly can't here it over the computer fans, which are quiet as well. It's so much quiter than the drive it replaced, and the Mitsumi 48x CD-ROM, but it runs at the same speed. Amazing!
Now I have to test it's burning capabilities. I'll keep you updated and let you know how it goes, but so far, I am extremely happy with it.
good, i love my dvd-rw drive which is also quiet, but the fans are noisey :-\ but i unplug 1 / 2 fans @ night, and let my dvd drive backup my pc's hdd and personal home moies onto dvd from time to time, even though tis usally on 24/7.
i really should get a fan controller, any 1 know a good cheap one?
Igloo
If you have an Nforce chipset, which I think you do, then you can download a utility from Nvidia.com which allows you to control Fan speed, FSB, Core voltage, and much more from your windows desktop.
i run a nforce 2 chipset mother board, but i really would like one of the fancy controllers in the front of my case ;D
Burner Update:
Well, using Nero 6.6, I have successfully burned my first video DVD on to a DVD-RW. I knew that it wouldn't be easy to make it play on the Panasonic in the living room, as someone else made a compilation of Clay Aiken that my mom bought that was made on a DVD-R or +R, can't remember, and it sometimes wouldn't accept it as a video DVD disk. The DVD-RW I used was the same way. I inserted and ejected it 4 or 5 times before the title came up. Then it worked perfectly. I'm guessing newer DVD players would have less trouble, but the Panasonic is one of the first consumer progressive scan versions ever made, so it's somewhat old. I still haven't gotten the disk to work on my PS2, however. Works fine on PCs, of course. I bought the DVD-RWs to test and play with, and I got some DVD-Rs for permenent stuff later.
One thing nice is that when it is burning, it uses no CPU resources! Nero encodes, then copies it to the disk.
I am looking forward to test CD burning abilities. It is rated at 48x, which is exciting. I've been waiting for a DVD burner that can perform as quickly as the best CD burners. I'd also like to get some 24x CD-RWs, as it is supposed to do them as well.
So far, I couldn't be happier. Low price, quick shipping, easy installation, works better than expected, and very quiet. What more could I want. The specs are great as well. Not much could beat this.
That one has been on my wish list for some time after I bought the 2500A and loved it.
Quote from: Igloo on December 31, 2004, 16:18 hrs
i run a nforce 2 chipset mother board, but i really would like one of the fancy controllers in the front of my case ;D
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-999-502&depa=0 (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-999-502&depa=0)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-999-503&depa=0 (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-999-503&depa=0)
I have the first one and it lights up blue and works great.
(links fixed by Mark H)
I'm going to buy a spindle blank DVD's soon, so should I get DVD+R or DVD-R? Which is more compatable with stand alone players? At my local Sams Club, both of the Veratum + and - spindles are the same price. Which should I get? Thanks!
It depends on the age of the standalone player really. Most modern DVD players will handle most formats but if the player is more than a couple of years old then the DVD-R standard is more likely to be compatible.
See here for reference.
http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/DVDMediaFormats/Home.aspx (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/DVDMediaFormats/Home.aspx)
Thanks for the info, Buffalo2102.
While searching, I stumbled across this site (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers), which has info on all DVD players. The problem is that some of the info is off. It claims that the Playstation 2 plays DVD+-R(W), but I couldn't get my DVD-RW to work on it for the life of me, and it worked on my Panasonic RP56.
Yeah, it won't be 100% accurate. The PS2 probably does play DVD+-RW, it's just a question of knowing which brand!
Really, so I should avoid Memorex.
Usually I buy Verbatim optical media, but they had a limited selection at radio shack where I got these, as I had a gift card. Back to Verbatim for me. Luckily other than the PS2, the DVDs are compatible with my DVD drive and my Panasonic DVD player.
Unless some changes have been made, the dual layer recording must be done at one session. That is no slam at the idea, just a minor limitation.
Just to play devil's advocate......
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,118521,00.asp (http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,118521,00.asp)
Memorex drive placed number one of PC World's top ten DVD drives. I know this doesn't necessarily make it a great drive but perhaps they are improving.....?
Ah, but surely "Memorex DVD products" is more encompassing than just DVD media? Apparently not. ;D
Agree with your rating of PC World though.......
Sweet, my NEC was on the list at number 3, and a best buy. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Though the winners, Memorex and LiteOn deffinently wouldn't be my choice of drives. PIoneer, LG, and NEC are probably the only drives on there I would buy. I trust these brands.
As far as single session only for dual layer, that may be fixed later. Also, I don't plan on using DL for now, not until they drop their price significantly.
BTW, the drive can burn CD-RWs at 24x. I have some 4x CD-RWs. Is there a way to burn at say 8, 12 or 16x with them? Even if I could except an error risk. 4x is just brutal, and they don't have many better choices for 700MB CD-RW.
Ok, thanks.
One more question for now. I want to update to the latest firmware, which I got from NEC, and I've followed all of the instructions, but my model number is ND-3500AG, where as the update says ND-3500A. It says this is not for OEM drives from HP, Dell, etc, but mine was OEM from newegg. Is this a safe firware update? Thanks
Agreed, using the wrong firmware can render your drive useless.
By all means make sure you are using the correct firmware for your drive.
That's what I was thinking. I e-mailed them about it, so we'll see what they say. Also, I found some documentation showing reccomended and compatible media, and they reccomend Mitsubiti/Verbatim in almost every catagorey. That's great, so i know I'm safe with my favorite band. Memorex isn't even under the compatible section of any of the media types ::)
If I had bought them somewhere other than Radio Shack with a gift card, I'd return them.
It may be that that firmware is just fine, since that's the only one listed. It sure can't hurt to check though. ;)
Yeah, I'm going to wait and check what they say, I can't afford to make a mistake. I think it is the right one, though.
I've been using Veratim for years. My first CD-RW was an 8x I bought for my P2 for about $80. I'[ve used Verbatim since
I tihnk I've purchased a 30 pack, 2 50s, and a 100 spindle, in addition to 15 CD-RWs. If I've counted and remembered them all, thats 245 disks. Wow. Great brand.
Quote from: Carskick on January 04, 2005, 18:12 hrs
Sweet, my NEC was on the list at number 3, and a best buy. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Though the winners, Memorex and LiteOn deffinently wouldn't be my choice of drives. PIoneer, LG, and NEC are probably the only drives on there I would buy. I trust these brands.
This should make you feel good then.
http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=2260&p=1 (http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=2260&p=1)
If you read the full review, the conclusion is a three-way fight between Pioneer, LG and NEC - your favourites. The NEC comes out on top though.
It's funny your brought that up, cause I found it on New Egg yesterday. Very intresting review, and it is really nice that all my favorites came out on top. I wish i had read that before I bought mine, but if I had read it, I probably would have made the same choice.
I'm still wondering whether or not to use the firmware. NEC hasn't resopended yet, which doesn't make me too happy, so I tried e-mailing them through a different methood on their site, which claims they'll respond within 24 hours. I hope so, cause I need to know.
To twist the old adage a bit, fix it only if it 's broken.
LOL, that is true, Whizbang. Though the only thing the firmware actually changes is CD compatability, which I want to be as best as possible, as expected. I don't want to take any unnecissary risks, so I will wait for NEC's responce. Useful advice though.
Hey, Cars... sorry to dig this up from the dust bin... but what was the final result of the firmware upgrade?
I never did it. I am too I am guessing it would work, but I don't really see to much reason why. Most fixes are for brands of mediums I don't even use. I'll probably try it one day, but I haven't yet.
Just as an FYI, I upgraded the firmware on the NEC ND-3520 (OEM) that I bought from NewEgg.com. I downloaded the firmware from www.nec.com, and followed the directions to flash the drive. That is, except for the fact that I ignored the "don't flash OEM drives" message. I had absolutely no problems, and all is working well.
Quote from: scuzzy on April 30, 2005, 16:41 hrs
Just as an FYI, I upgraded the firmware on the NEC ND-3520 (OEM) that I bought from NewEgg.com. I downloaded the firmware from www.nec.com, and followed the directions to flash the drive. That is, except for the fact that I ignored the "don't flash OEM drives" message. I had absolutely no problems, and all is working well.
You like living on the edge, Scuzzy. ;D I do not understand what the deal is on OEMs though.
I first researched the subject. Everyone else is pretty much getting the same results. I believe NEC's warning is for those who purchase their computers through Dell and the like, not for those who build their own systems.
Quote from: scuzzy on April 30, 2005, 17:23 hrs
I first researched the subject. Everyone else is pretty much getting the same results. I believe NEC's warning is for those who purchase their computers through Dell and the like, not for those who build their own systems.
We probably do not need to go there. The implications could be libelous. ;)
Actually, hardware manufacturers do prefer that the computer owner contact the computer manufacturer first. I suppose that is part of the reason.
I just went to go ahead and update mine after reading your poast, and I noticed the new firmware site download says:
"ND-3500A(G) Firmwareupdate 2.19 (422.34 Kb)"
G is recognized! I'll let you know how it goes.
Edit: After reading the steps, I decided not to do it. I'm not in the mood to disconnect the slave drive and all that stuff. Eh, I might do it later. We will see.
When I first saw the steps it looked like a daunting procedure, but it's very easy. Here's the necessary steps condensed:
1. Through Device Manager disable the slave optical drive (right-click on the device and select 'disable')
2. Run the software to upgrade the firmware (2 or 3 clicks and it's done)
3. Re-enable the slave drive (in Device Manager right-click on the device and select 'enable')
If the NEC happens to be the slave drive then you don't need to disable the master drive, but it won't hurt anything if you do.
That's it - nice, quick and simple, and there's no reason to physically disconnect anything. If you take your time the whole thing will take about a minute. Just make sure that no CDs or DVDs are in any optical drive at the time you upgrade.
Although you upgrade the firmware at your own risk (whether the drive is retail or OEM), all it takes is a little common sense to ensure things go right. For example, don't flash the drive while you're uploading photos, while you're surfing the Internet, or while you're scanning your drives for spyware. In other words, don't multi-task while upgrading. It's also not a good idea to flash the drive during a storm unless you're hooked up to a dependable UPS.