Korean Job Discussion Forums

[krats1976]

OK folks, I need some educatin' here. I want to buy a CD burner for my laptop, but I don't know the first thing about them.

So, I guess I need to know:

1-How much are they?

2-What brands are decent/reliable?

3-Is there a certain brand or type I have to get for my specific computer (Dell Inspiron 8100... purchased in the US)?

Ayudeme por favor! (That's "help me please!" in Spanish. I'm on a Spanish kick right now)

[Bulsajo]

DELL doesn't appear to sell an internal CD burner upgrade for the 8100...

DELL Inspiron 8100 accessories
but it might be worth following up with them.

There are a LOT of external burner options, but if your Inspiron has USB 2.0 or firewire, I would buy an internal burner meant for a desktop and put it in a 5.25" drive external enclosure.

Examples (prices in $CDN):

LG GCE-8520B 52x32x52x

VIPOWER USB2.0 CD-ROM BOX ENCLOSURE

[Skippy]

You pretty much have two choices if you buy in Korea. Samsung or LG. You will different models but both the same. If you are lucky you can find the low end some no name Chinese or a high priced (likely made in China) Sony.

My recomend is go for a Samsung Cd Burner should not set you back more than 50,000 to 60,000 won. I have an LG and I am getting nothing but trouble with it.

Another good idea is to buy a DVD burner that can do CD-Rs. That can set you back 150,000 to 200,000. And DVD stores a hell of a lot more anyways.

Skippy the Evil Twin

[Bulsajo]

Skippy has a very good point about DVD, if you do have a high speed connection like USB 2.0 or Firewire (I'm not sure it's worth it if you just have USB 1.0) and your Inspiron doesn't have DVD rom or DVD burning capability (and it probably doesn't if you don't even have CD-R/W, right?) so might want to consider something like this:

LG 52X CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo - GCC-4520B
(DVD rom only- you can play but not burn DVDs)

or even better this:

LG SUPER CD/DVD Rewriter
(I just bought one and am very happy with it so far)

OEM versions should only be 30-40,000 more than what you would pay for a CD R/W drive- money well spent (you'll probably be using it longer than your laptop!)

[Skippy]

Have the COMBO DVD /CDR drive it is the one giving me problems go for Samsung bigger company better workmanship I think

Skippy the Evil Twin

[krats1976]

OK, so I think I'm looking for an external drive. I don't need a DVD drive... I already have a CD/DVD combo drive. I could have gotten a DVD/CD-RW combo, but when I bought the computer 2 1/2 years ago I didn't think I'd need a CD burner, and it would have cost me extra.

So, what I'm gathering is that there's not one specific type I have to get as long as the software is compatible right? Now what I need to know is: how do I know if I have USB 2.0? All I know about USB is those cool ports in the back of my computer where I can plug in just about anything.

Gee, and here I thought I knew a lot about computers! Silly me.

[Bulsajo]

If you're not planning on buying a drive with DVD capability then USB 2.0 isn't such a crucial factor (although if you want to burn faster you might consider buying a pcmcia usb 2.0 card).

http://store1.yimg.com/I/usb20_1791_2348522