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I want to buy an external DVD+/- dual layer?

S

sAmBaL BeLaCaN

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 6, 2004
31
0
Auckland CBD, New Zealand
Hi guys,

I would like to find and buy a new external DVD burner for +/- which could burn upto 8.4 GB (dual layer). Because my eMac is need to replace with a new hardware drive which costs me a lot of money.

I surfed through internet, and I have found those Sony DRX-710UL or DRX-700UL would be a good choice.But it didn't state whether or not it will work for mac.Besides,i have found those Lite-on LDW 411SX, Lite-on SOHW-812X, and Lite-on 851SX external dvd burner,but they only burn for single-layer (4.7 GB).

What do you reckon?
 
I have a LaCie D2 CD-RW. It has a standard LiteON IDE Drive.

Any drive will work, you just need to check compatibility .. Also there is an app out there called patchburn that will add a lot of support for optical drives in your mac. Another thing is you can get the LaCie driver packs and add even more support.
 
DVD+-R DL

I Have a LaCie D2 Dual Layer DVD+-r drive it was £120 UK from the AppleStore. works brilliant, cand find anywhere with DL-DVDs in stock though? Writes to 8x-R's nice tho! ;-)
 
Well, if you're in the US, Newegg has some good deals on Pioneer 108's, which are Mac compatible right out of the box. And external FW cases are pretty cheap too, just make sure to get an Oxford case. They have some other DVD+/-Rs that will work with the program Patchburn mentioned above. Accelerate Your Mac has more info on it. You will need the latest version of Toast to burn Dual Layer though if you don't have it.
 
How about this?

Hi guys...

Thanx..
Actually i stay in New Zealand so far. Um.. I have some list that i'm looking for:

1. Pioneer DVR-107 8x DVD Writer +/-
2. Nu Tech DDW-082 Dual Format 8x DVD Writer
3. Lite On LDW-812S Dual Format 8x DVD Writer
4. Lite On LDW-811S DVD +/- RW 8x
5. Plextor PX-712A DVD +/- RW
6. Lite On LDW-411S DVD +/- RW
7. Plextor PX-708A (DVD +/- RW)
8. Lite-On SOHW-812S DVD +/- RW
9. iomega Super DVD (?)
10. Sony DRX 700UL
11. Sony DRX 710UL
12. Pioneer DVR-A08 Dual
13. Sony DRU-530A

The question:
1. Since my Combo drive in eMac is dead,and they (Apple people) say that if i wanted to replace them with a new drive,it will costs another NZ$650 (only for Combo drive), what do you think?

2. If let's say i will buy an external dvd writer, is it will be work on my eMac when let's say at notime my eMac crashed and i need to restore within their software by using external dvd writer?

3. My eMac is the old one: eMac Combo drive 700 MHz with 640 RAM.

4. Is it possible if i buy a cheaper internal drive and ask them to install the new drive on my eMac?

5. Some of the above lists, I have find that they come with no container (they meant to sell for PC i guess?),so is it possible if i buy another enclosure with a fire-wire to cover the whole drive?

6. How about the software to burn into an eMac? Is it enough if i just use a software like Roxio Toast Titanium 6?

7. Which is the recommendation drive from the above lists with a fair price?

Thanx guys..!
 
Buy the Pioneer 108, it will work out of the box with most Mac apps support and it's only a little more than most of the others (even cheaper than some). Toast is a good idea if you want to do more than Apple's built-in features. Go ahead and stick it in internally, but you can do it yourself. It's pretty easy. Just make sure to unplug it first. ;) And go to Accelerate Your Mac for more info if you need it. Also check their drive compatability database if you have any more questions. If you decide to go with a different brand that doesn't have out of the box support for Mac, use PatchBurn. It works great. Again, more info at Accelerate Your Mac.
 
Are you sure,then i will install by myself..!

Thank you solvs,

BTW i went down to the retail shop asking if they could instal my own drive. Like you said, i will probably buy a new drive like Pioneer 108. But they are afraid that the drive will not support to the internal system on eMac. So basically they won't instal any drive i bought,except the one they had.

So you say that i can install Pioneer 108 internally by myself? If so, i guess i don't need to buy another enclosure box for her.
 
Yeah, it's pretty easy. You may have to remove the bezel (the plastic thingy on the front of the drive), but if you can get the old drive out, you can get the new one in. That site I linked to has some diagrams to show you how to do it. Basically you just open it up, unscrew and disconnect the old drive, and put the new one in the same way. Just be careful, you don't want to touch the monitor part.

If you aren't feeling confident about it, just take it to a local shop and pay the installation fee. It shouldn't be too much if you have a Best Buy or CompUSA type place, and buy the 108 there. They should be able to install it for a small fee. Or if you have any technically inclined friends or relatives who owe you a favor. It's not too difficult, just laborious.

If you still can't, just buy any old external 5.25" FW case (Oxford 911 preferred) and stick the 108 in there. It will work fine, just like a regular drive. It's just that iDVD won't work on externals, but if you're using Toast it shouldn't matter. PM me if you're still stuck and I can try to help you out.
 
Can i replace 40GB internal harddrive to 120GB?

Hi solvs,

Just want add another question. BTW is it possible too if i could replace my old hardrive (40 GB) from eMac with my new Samsung 120 GB harddrive? Well.. the size is 3.5 " and I had the enclosure box to keep the old Maxtor 40GB if so?

Cheerz....
 
Yeah. A 3.5" IDE drive is a 3.5 IDE drive. Especially when you don't have to deal with over 160 GB drives in older computers. If the drive works, you just plug it into the FW case just as you would put the other in the computer. If you look, it's the same connection.

Off to karaoke, good luck.
 
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