Thompson vs Phillips replacement drives

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

Hi all. My beloved xbox is giving me the "your disk may be dirty or
damaged" error almost constantly and many dvd movies break up and end
up unwatchable. After a little googling I'm led to believe that my
original Thompson drive is the culprit and needs replacing. There's a
shop here that will fit a new drive for AUS $120. I asked him what
drive he uses and he told me "I only fit Thompson drives, as they're
the best for the xbox".

I thought these were the ones to avoid? Maybe he's just saying that
because that's all he has in stock. Anyway, through EBAY I can get a
replacement Thompson drive for AUS $42.98, including postage. Or, I can
pay a little extra and get a Phillips drive for AUS $56.98.

What do you think? Is it worth the extra money for a Phillips, or are
they all pretty much the same? Anyone care to share their experiences?
Also, is it really as easy as they say to swap the drive over?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

hugebum@gmail.com wrote:

> Hi all. My beloved xbox is giving me the "your disk may be dirty or
> damaged" error almost constantly and many dvd movies break up and end
> up unwatchable. After a little googling I'm led to believe that my
> original Thompson drive is the culprit and needs replacing. There's a
> shop here that will fit a new drive for AUS $120. I asked him what
> drive he uses and he told me "I only fit Thompson drives, as they're
> the best for the xbox".
>
> I thought these were the ones to avoid? Maybe he's just saying that
> because that's all he has in stock. Anyway, through EBAY I can get a
> replacement Thompson drive for AUS $42.98, including postage. Or, I can
> pay a little extra and get a Phillips drive for AUS $56.98.

Yes, Thompsons are the ones that are notorius for failing.

> What do you think? Is it worth the extra money for a
> Phillips, or are they all pretty much the same?

I'm sorry to say that all that I've heard has been rather
anecdotal/speculative about the relative reliabilities of these drives.
I suspect the the age of the drive, outside of it's manufacturer,
would also be a major factor.

> Anyone care to share their experiences?

Of the 25-30 xboxes that I and my friends have, there have been two that
have gotten flakey cd-drive syndrome. They were both Thompsons, and
both were replaced by a non-Thompson drive.

> Also, is it really as easy as they say to swap the
> drive over?

As long as we're talking about a drive designed for the xbox, yes. You
can also get a replacement drive that is not specifically designed for
the xbox, but it is generally costlier, and requires modification to
work properly.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

hugebum@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi all. My beloved xbox is giving me the "your disk may be dirty or
> damaged" error almost constantly and many dvd movies break up and end
> up unwatchable. After a little googling I'm led to believe that my
> original Thompson drive is the culprit and needs replacing. There's a
> shop here that will fit a new drive for AUS $120. I asked him what
> drive he uses and he told me "I only fit Thompson drives, as they're
> the best for the xbox".
>
> I thought these were the ones to avoid? Maybe he's just saying that
> because that's all he has in stock. Anyway, through EBAY I can get a
> replacement Thompson drive for AUS $42.98, including postage. Or, I can
> pay a little extra and get a Phillips drive for AUS $56.98.
>
> What do you think? Is it worth the extra money for a Phillips, or are
> they all pretty much the same? Anyone care to share their experiences?
> Also, is it really as easy as they say to swap the drive over?
>
> Thanks for any help.

I was in the same predicament a few months ago, and I just ended up
buying another (albeit brand new) Thomson drive (it is Thomson and not
Thompson incase you search for one). I figured since they are much,
much cheaper and if it can last another 3+ years then it will be enough
for me.

Using your figures though, your difference isn't as huge as it was for
me. My difference was like $40 for a Thomson one, or $80 for Philips
one. With only a $14 difference maybe the Philips is worth it? I
dunno.

Anyway, I also installed it myself and was no more difficult than
replacing a CD-ROM on a PC.

Good luck.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

hugebum@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi all. My beloved xbox is giving me the "your disk may be dirty or
> damaged" error almost constantly and many dvd movies break up and end
> up unwatchable. After a little googling I'm led to believe that my
> original Thompson drive is the culprit and needs replacing. There's a


Here's my chance to pass on my experience.

A few weeks ago, my thompson drive started giving me the same trouble.
I tried to fix it by changing the pot but in the process killed it.

Then I was in the market for a new drive. I bought a replacement
Thomson from Ebay for USD 20 (the first one was unfortunately damaged
in mail or something and got a replacement that works perfect).

I bought a Thompson as

1. The new thompsons are supposed to be better than the old Thompsons.
2. I need it to last for a year or so now as by then I would have moved
on to some next gen system. I can buy a cheap xbox then if this dies
too.
3. I did not want to spend USD 60-70 on a Philips/Samsung.
4. Philips drives fail too eventually.
5. The guy I bought it from had two more pros for Thompson. Thompsons
are best for DVD media. They will read DVD-R and DVD+R better than the
other too. They will not read CD-R as well but if you want that then
you should get a Samsung.
He said that Thompsons fail more as they have been used a lot more than
other two (first drives, used by hardcore gamers who bought at launch).
We might see failures in Philips drive one year from now.

Considering all these points, I saved about USD40 by buying a thompson
and have a working xbox. If you are willing to wait, xbox prices will
go down when 360 launches. But you do not sound like you can wait.

In a nutshell, it depends on the type of media you want to use it with
and the amount you want to spend on it and the urgency with which you
want to see it up and running.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.xbox (More info?)

<hugebum@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1125010870.058386.137890@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hi all. My beloved xbox is giving me the "your disk may be dirty or
> damaged" error almost constantly and many dvd movies break up and end
> up unwatchable. After a little googling I'm led to believe that my
> original Thompson drive is the culprit and needs replacing. There's a
> shop here that will fit a new drive for AUS $120. I asked him what
> drive he uses and he told me "I only fit Thompson drives, as they're
> the best for the xbox".
>
> I thought these were the ones to avoid? Maybe he's just saying that
> because that's all he has in stock. Anyway, through EBAY I can get a
> replacement Thompson drive for AUS $42.98, including postage. Or, I can
> pay a little extra and get a Phillips drive for AUS $56.98.
>
> What do you think? Is it worth the extra money for a Phillips, or are
> they all pretty much the same? Anyone care to share their experiences?
> Also, is it really as easy as they say to swap the drive over?
>
> Thanks for any help.
>

Weren't Samsung drives supposed to be the best ones? That's the one with a
large chunk out the middle and two circles either side, right?