As I said in my 303S review, these DVD-ROMs are manufactured by Pioneer - they are repackaged and sold by HI-VAL.

Unlike its older brother - the 303S - the Pioneer 105S actually lives up to the name Pioneer sets for itself. After being fed up with the POS 303S, I sold it and then bought the newer 105S from Mwave.com for about $120. All I can say is WOW!

- The skipping experienced from the 303S is gone
Now anytime I watch a movie, it goes from start to end w/out any inconsistencies

- Eject time is what it should be - one second
When I push the button, the media comes out instantly! (again, you will only understand the "pain" I went through if you read my 303S review)

- Quiet as a mouse
Another savior! I could play a movie while I sleep and not be disturbed. It can be compared to the quietness of a hard drive.

- Fast, faster, and fastest!
Currently, it is the fastest IDE DVD drive out there - 16x DVD and 40X CD-ROM. As soon as DVD games come out, this DVD will be sufficient enough to run them. The older 1x, 2X, and even 6X won't give a smooth performance.

Previously, I had one con to this drive - no support from Pioneer (as far as firmware updates and/or drivers go). However, Xelloss42 informed me that Pioneer remodeled their website (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com) and therefore provided the necessary support for this drive as well as their previous models. So going against what I said previously, you do not have to buy the retail version anymore! Go ahead and save money buy purchasing the OEM version!

What a product! Many pros and no cons!

Good luck.
Updated: 4/23/01

Recommended: Yes