Optical drive info please.

[gamekeeper]

Hi guys,

Whilst not being a complete Noob to the site, this is my first post. A great & informative site.

I need to replace my Desktop internal DVD drive. The existing is an IDE Sony Optiarc which has been a piece of cr@p ever since I bought it.
It does work - sometimes. I am tentatively thinking of getting an External case to put it in - to use in an emergency !?

(1) Replacement Drive:
My desktop is now SATA, so the replacement drive will be sata also.
Are there any recommendations out there please ?
Is 'speed' the only thing to look for ?
I might consider a Lightscribe unit.
I won't buy Sony again.

see (B) for further details

(2) External Case:
Can I buy just a bare external case to put my old Sony into ?
Is it worth buying an external drive & swapping the internals ? Is it the Case that decides the 'type' (IDE or SATA) or the actual drive ?
It's no use buying an IDE External,,,,, cos I'll need a sata drive to go in the D.Top. If I get a sata external, will the IDE drive work in the case ?

I now have a USB 3.0 interface. Does this enhance my choices ?
Would an external USB 3 enclosure, make my IDE drive 'transfer' at USB3 rates ?

Not a life threatening problem, but my gear needs to last a long time, so like to get it right from the off.

All the best

 

[Pinhedd]

Answer 1: A nice high speed DVD burner is about 30 bucks. I've honestly never had a problem with Optiarcs and I've owned many. A 12x BluRay burner can be had for around 60 bucks if that's something you might be looking for, Asus makes a nice one as does Sony (granted you have a predisposition to buying Sony). Lightscribe is nice to have but in all honesty I've never used it. DVD drives are extremely mature and they're all more or less the same, I rarely use mine as I get most of my stuff from the internet.

Answer 2: It's not worth it. Sata to IDE converters are extremely flaky and everything will be limited by the IDE bus speed (so no, USB3 won't make it run any faster). Just junk the old drive and buy a new one for 30 bucks

Cheers!