Don't overlook this great bargain!
Written: Apr 09 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Quiet, fast and inexpensive
Cons: Adaptec software
The Bottom Line: The LG CED-8120B (12x8x32) CD-RW drive has the performance and features of brand name high speed drives, but costs half as much.
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| richardchiu's Full Review: LG Electronics CD-RW Recorders |
If you plan on buying a new high speed CD-RW drive, do a lot of research before spending more money than you have to. This review is on the LG's top of the line CD-RW drive, the CED-8120B. The 8120B records CD-Rs at 12x, CD-RWs at 8x and reads CD at 32x. With a claimed access time of 110ms and a large 8MB buffer, the 8120B has similar specs to drives costing twice as much.
OEM vs. Retail
The 8120B is quite a popular model in Canada. Flipping through local computer magazines and newspaper, almost every retailer stocks the 8120B. The average price for the oem model as of April 2001 is about $200 Cdn (~$130 US). The retail model sells for about $40 Cdn more. Doing some research, I found out that the 'extras' you get with the retail model are an audio cable, screws and of course, a box. Both oem and retail models come with Adaptec software (Easy CD creator 4 and Direct CD 3.5). So, for a savings of $40, I bought the oem model for $199 Cdn. Just a word of advice, remember to asks for screws so you can actually mount the drive in your case! Most dealers will provides the screws free of charge.
Installation
Installing the CED-8120B was straightforward except my oem model didn't come with instructions on how to set up the jumpers. A visit to LG's web site resolved this and I connected the 8120B as a slave device on the secondary channel. My DVD-ROM was the primary device. This configuration makes the most sense since you probably have a UDMA33 CD-ROM or DVD-ROM connected to the secondary IDE channel, while your UDMA66 or UDMA100 hard drive is on the secondary channel. Since my primary "CD" drive was my DVD-ROM that I use to play CDs, I didn't bother purchasing a separate audio cable for the 8120B CD-RW drive.
Adaptec Software
The Adaptec software made it very easy to create CDs. I burned my first CD flawlessly at 12x. It only took a little over 6 mins to burn 650MB of data (Just remember to get high speed CD-R media rated at 12x and above). Burning audio CDs was just as quick and simple. You don't even have to convert MP3s to WAV files before burning; Easy CD creator does it for you! However, while the Adaptec software is easy to use, it has some limitations. The 8120B is fully capable of burning the 80 min/700MB CD-Rs but the Adaptec software doesn't allow you to burn more than 650MB. Using Nero Burning Rom software, I could easily burn 700MB without errors.
Error free and hush quiet
I've owned the 8120B for 4 months now and I burned quite a few CDs. Amazingly, I've only ended up with one coaster, and this was due to an error on my part. I attempting to burn 800MB on a 700MB CD-R (I forgot the capacity was 80 min audio, not 800MB data!!). The Nero software didn't complain, but 20 secs later, the CD pop out saying it was created successfully. Very odd that the Nero software didn't prevent me from doing this! One of the greatest feature of this drive (aside from price and speed) is how quiet it is. You can barely notice that CD is actually spinning in the drive. This is in drastic contrast to my Pioneer 16x DVD which makes a hugh racket during spinup.
Conclusion
Before you buy a high speed CD-RW made by Plextor, Sony or HP, consider the LG CED-8120B. It's not a well known drive but you'll won't be disappointed by it's performance, features and great value.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
richardchiu
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Location: Calgary, AB, Canada
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 1 member
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