quicksh0t's Full Review: LG GWA-4082N DVD±RW Dual Layer Burner
Introduction
After two and a half years, I decided to look into upgrading my laptop's dvd drive (Panasonic UJ 811B). This turned out to be an extremely challenging problem partly because I wanted to get something better and partly because the laptop drives are considerably overpriced. As an example, Ebay turned up the Panasonic UJ 850 for around $160 including shipping. Finally I located the LG GWA-4082n drive which is an OEM drive without DVD-RAM support with a black faceplate for less than $80 at ZipZoomFly.com, Newegg.com, and MWave.com. It is manufactured by the Hitachi-LG Data Storage (http://www.hlds.co.jp) joint venture between Hitachi and the LG Group.
Firmware Modifications
Although this drive has the usual "maximum of 5 region changes" there are region free firmwares available on the Internet. I have not tried these and I suggest those who own this drive to not try these but use at your own risk. Some alternative firmwares can enable DVD-RAM support but again use at your own risk.
Acquiring Matching Laptop Panel
In several cases, laptops will have a custom panel which blends in with the case design. In these instances it may be important to obtain a matching panel for the end user. Usually, laptop manufacturers produce several different panel types for the different drives that are included with different models. From my own experience the Panasonic UJ-811B panel will not work with the Hitachi-LG GWA-4082n panel. However a compatible Hitachi panel may be available either from the factory or from a laptop parts supplier but expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $40 for it.
Advantages/Disadvantages
+DVD+/-R Support 8x
+DVD+RW Support 8x
+DVD-RW Support 6x
+DVD+R DL Support 2.4x
+DVD-R DL Support 2x
+CD-RW Support 16x
+CD-R Support 24x
+Buffered burn
-No DVD-RAM support (with default firmware)
-Panasonic drive panel not compatible with Hitachi-LG
-Region can only be changed 5 times (with default firmware)
My experience
I used this drive to successfully burn some 4x DVD media at 4x rate and things went smoothly. Ripped a few of my music CDs to mp3 so I could listen to music at work and the quality measured in Exact Audio Copy was either 100% or near 100%.
Conclusion
I have been pleased with this upgrade. It's additional speed greater than 2x burns for -R and support for +R media and Dual Layer media is a big plus for me. I recommend this drive as a replacement for those who have worn out their old drives and for those who cannot afford a new computer system. In addition if it is important that the drive blends in with your laptop then you should investigate if there is a compatible panel. Also if DVD-RAM support is an absolute necessity then another drive such as the Pioneer DVR-K16 would be a better investment.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 77.99 Operating System: Windows
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