Pacific Digital U-30147 USB 2.0 52x24x52 X-TREME52 CDRW

Rating:
Summary: Not the One to Buy. Below Average Hardware. Look Elsewhere.
Review: This particular unit gets 2 stars instead of just 1 only because it is recognized pretty regularly over USB2.0. That's where the redeeming qualities end.

Pacific Digital is simply not the company to purchase a CDRW from. It's as simple as that. Whatever speed you want, whether internal or external, please look elsewhere.

It may seem like a good bargain. You see a low price, perhaps they are even offering a mail in rebate. As should be obvious by other reviewers and a simple web search, they don't honor their rebates. Don't be roped in by saving a few bucks! This unit will cost you 10 times that much in frustration and stress.

Their support is non-existant. Luckily I am an advanced user and I can configure things without manuals. For those who don't consider themselves an "advanced user," be prepared to be frustrated!

Warranties are meaningless. These units are only good for occasional use. If you burn a lot, your unit WILL break. It's not a question of 'if,' it's a question of 'when.' The internal hardware mechanics are simply cheaply put together.

That said, when the unit works, it's not terrible. Although one still does recieve some bad burns, even with buffer underun protection.

Nero is nero, no matter what the drive. I think the software is comparably as good as Roxio. However that only goes for the disk copy utility. The CD compilation and custom burning software for data and music CDs are not as good. Nero has improved these features, but the lack of manuals supplied by Pacific Digital makes it hard to take advantage of that.

You might want some documentation on what kind of disk format to make your custom burns in. Good luck finding it. This drive doesn't come with it.

Save yourself some grief and invest in another drive. Sorry Pacific Digital.

Rating:
Summary: Not the One to Buy. Below Average Hardware. Look Elsewhere.
Review: This particular unit gets 2 stars instead of just 1 only because it is recognized pretty regularly over USB2.0. That's where the redeeming qualities end.

Pacific Digital is simply not the company to purchase a CDRW from. It's as simple as that. Whatever speed you want, whether internal or external, please look elsewhere.

It may seem like a good bargain. You see a low price, perhaps they are even offering a mail in rebate. As should be obvious by other reviewers and a simple web search, they don't honor their rebates. Don't be roped in by saving a few bucks! This unit will cost you 10 times that much in frustration and stress.

Their support is non-existant. Luckily I am an advanced user and I can configure things without manuals. For those who don't consider themselves an "advanced user," be prepared to be frustrated!

Warranties are meaningless. These units are only good for occasional use. If you burn a lot, your unit WILL break. It's not a question of 'if,' it's a question of 'when.' The internal hardware mechanics are simply cheaply put together.

That said, when the unit works, it's not terrible. Although one still does recieve some bad burns, even with buffer underun protection.

Nero is nero, no matter what the drive. I think the software is comparably as good as Roxio. However that only goes for the disk copy utility. The CD compilation and custom burning software for data and music CDs are not as good. Nero has improved these features, but the lack of manuals supplied by Pacific Digital makes it hard to take advantage of that.

You might want some documentation on what kind of disk format to make your custom burns in. Good luck finding it. This drive doesn't come with it.

Save yourself some grief and invest in another drive. Sorry Pacific Digital.