Your affordable alternative to DVD movies for your computer.
Written: Dec 03 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, Excellent DVD playback
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: If you want to transform your computer system into an entertainment system, this DVD ROM is one part of your solution.
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| lavoisier's Full Review: Toshiba SD M1502 Internal DVD Drive |
Overview
When I decided to build my new computer about 3 months ago, I decided that my computer is not just for the Internet or word processing anymore. It was meant to be an entertainment system as well as a work system for my computer. Therefore I decided to go have a look at the DVD ROM selection that is offered at my local computer store. This is because, with the local computer store is much cheaper than the ones you¡¦ll buy at bigger stores such as Circuit City and Computers 4 Sure.
Installation
Before installation, I took off the side and top covers for my tower, then the plastic and metal covers off the 5.25-inch bay. Once I got the drive out of its plain anti-static packaging, I put the drive into the open 5.25-inch bay and sliding it in was a snap. Then I secured the drive with the screws that came along with it and plugged the data cable to the secondary IDE plug to my motherboard. For the jumpers, if you¡¦re going to use this drive as a Master Drive, plug the drive side of the ATA cable where the manual or the installation guide stated. Once I got the drive cables plugged in, I got the audio connector into my Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Digital and it was also a snap. As long as you follow the manual carefully, installation will be lesser of a hassle. Once I got the drive installed, I went into the BIOS program to check for settings and modify my BIOS if necessary. But for building my new computer, I won¡¦t bother going there, since it¡¦s off topic. Once, I left the BIOS settings my computer was restarted and I entered Windows 2000 and installed the DVD decoding for my ATi Radeon 7000 video card. Again since it¡¦s off the topic, I won¡¦t go in there either.
Experience
After about 6 weeks of using my new computer equipped with the Toshiba SD-M1502 EIDE 16X DVD-ROM & 48X CDROM, I¡¦m very pleased with Toshiba for delivering excellent DVD drives. My friend also has a DVD drive by Toshiba and it was a pleasant experience for her. After about 10 to 12 DVD movies, the drive didn¡¦t skip or even go into buffer underrun. The reading of the DVD discs are also very clear and it doesn¡¦t really hesitate to really start whenever it senses a DVD movie. After seeing this, I would really recommend Toshiba to all my friends out there who are looking forward to watching DVD movies on their computer.
While I¡¦m also using it as my main CD ROM, I also find it fast, not like my old CD ROM. It even read my Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 2001 flawlessly and it doesn¡¦t stall like my old CD ROM did for my encyclopedia. In addition, even adding software such as the Norton Utilities (I won¡¦t bother even mentioning all the software from Symantec) is a breeze with this drive here. I think that it¡¦s due to the nature that I¡¦m using a fast CD ROM along with an 850MHz Duron that explains why it doesn¡¦t really skip or stall.
Who is it Ideal For?
This drive here is ideal for those who are into 3D games, educational software and most importantly of all DVD movie fans. I also recommend this for those who are living in small spaces and yet want to be able to watch DVD movies, such as college dorms. Combine your DVD ROM with a sound card that can support 4.1 (4 speakers + 1 subwoofer) or 5.1 (5 speakers + 1 subwoofer), like Sound Blaster Live! and a speaker system like Cambridge SoundWorks Four Point Surround 1600 speaker system; man you talk about your own entertainment system out of your computer.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 65
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
lavoisier
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Member: Hugh Jazz
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 180
Trusted by: 26 members
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