Please recommend DVD BUrner upgrade for Vostro 1500

The current DVD burner is absolutely awful. Pathetically slow read/write. Fed up with it.

It is a TSST Corp TS-L632H with the latest firmware, etc. Nothing ever makes this thing perform even as well as the worst DVD burner I have ever installed in any desktop. Surely there must be better for a Vostro 1500. I think the drive is ATA.

Any recommendations?

Thanks,

John

 

One of These

 

That's just a bunch of different ones and some of them are the same exact model I have. Won't any of the slimline burners fit the Vostro 1500 and if so, which are good performers?

Thanks,

John

EDIT: I am looking at the front of the TS-L632H. It's not flat and not rectangular so I guess the answer is no. The Sony AD-7700s, for example, has a good rating; but it won't slide into and conform to the shape of the Vostro 1500. Sounds like I am screwed.

Take a look at the front of this thing:

http://www.impactcomputers.com/ts-l632h.html

In the photo, it's missing the faceplace, but the right side of the faceplate conforms to what you see here to allow room for the SDHC card slot to fit under the "L"-shaped part on the right. In addition the faceplace isn't flat. It is angular to conform to the angular shape of the right side of the Vostro.

John

 

If you're after performance, is using an external 3.5" drive an option?

 

I am looking for a drive / burner that won't take forever to read / write. The one in the Vostro is truly pathetic. If external is the only choice I'll get one.

Thanks,

John

 

One of the main reasons for slow writing with burners is low power. This is why when you burn discs with an external writer that's powered solely by USB, it's recommended that you burn at the slowest speed possible to reduce the chance of burning errors. If you really want fast burns, get a burner (not slim and light, probably something desktop (5.25") sized) that plugs into the wall.

 

Thanks for the reply.

It's also a pathetically slow reader. Piece of junk really.

John

 

Yes, I only commented about burning, because that was something I knew about. I can't speak for read-speeds, as Ive never really paid much attention. The Vostro 1500 originally came out 3 years ago... have you tried looking or asking in the Dell Latitude, Vostro, and Precision subforum?

 

???

I don't remember the DVD drive in my Vostro 1500 being any different from any other. It was the same TSST L632H I remember that serial (don't ask me why...)

I always burn at slow speed, hangover from low speed audio CD days, it's not like you can't multitask these days anyway. From memory it took sometimes 30-40 mins to burn a DL but that's been the same no matter what drive I've used.

Even if something (re read speeds) is abnormal, make sure it's the drive:

- Bench it to make sure it's not the DVDs you're looking at (google and find something good) with a production-quality DVD.
- There was a firmware update - have you done it.
- Do you have an AV program - I did notice extreme slowness a few times when looking at the contents of a archive DVD (lots of ZIPs and 7Z etc.) as AVG was doing silly things. Once I fixed that up (remedy = Avast) no probs.

 

I think your best bet might be removing the DVD drive altogether, and putting in a full-size one connected to the SATA port in the ODD bay.

 

Sounds like a great suggestion. Do you mean that there is an "adapter cable" of some sort that would allow me to plug and unplug a full size DVD burner in that bay? The connector is in there several inches is it not? Or do you mean plug the adapter cable in there and leave the other end hanging out to connect the drive as needed.

Thanks,

John

 

A. aint no sata port in the odd bay. its a PATA drive

B. theres probably just something wrong with it, or its worn out

C. there is NO chance in heck any of those drives on ebay WONT work for you.

to reiterate:
PATA optical drives are the single easiest thing to upgrade and swap out. I have 4 of them, dont remember which laptops they came from, and i stick a different one in my laptop whenever i need to use one.

the faceplates come right off.

you could practically buy one at random and have no problems installing it and notice an improvement.