I’m buying a new computer soon. I want it to include a DVD RW drive. Should I get +RW, -RW or a combo. Does it really matter?
Also, some budget units feature 160 GB drives but they operate at 5400 rpm instead of 7200. If a computer has plenty of RAM, say 512 mb so it is not constantly swapping data to the hd, does that really slow the computer down that much?
Go for the combo - it’ll help future-proof in case the world decides to abandon either the “dash” or “plus” format. I’ve been happy with my Plextor PX-708A drive. It reads, writes and re-writes both CD and DVD.
As for the 5400 RPM drive, yikes, that’s gonna be either old stock or a laptop. Even with 512 MB RAM, it can be hard to avoid a swap file, and applications and files will be slower in loading.
Another vote for a Combo DVD unit here - My Sony VAIO arrived with one built-in, and it works great. I’ve been using it to convert old VHS tapes of family Christmases to DVD - some of our family members have DVD readers that can only handle the -R type, some have units that can only handle the +R type, but I don’t care because I can build either type.
I also recommend a multi format DVD burner. I got THIS ONE for Christmas and it has been working great!
Check out the Lite-On LDW-811S. It is very well regarded, and quite inexpensive. It burns DVD+Rs at 8X, and DVD-R and +RW at 4X, as well as DVD-RW at 2X. Lite-on has traditionally produced some of the best CD-RW and DVD-ROM drives on the market.