Slot load vs Tray load DVD burner

I am going to order an HP laptop, but have a choice between slot load and tray loading DVD-CD Burner. Cost is essentially the same.

What are the advantages, disadvantages of each?

 

slot
pros- sexy
cons- mostly noisy
tray
pros- quieter
cons- ugly

 

Apparently, the tray version is removable, which would make repair or replacement much easier. Is that true?

 

Both slot and tray loading are removable. You just have to find the ODD with the correct interface for replacements/upgrades.

 

boypogi summarized it well lol. I prefer slot since I don't use DVD drive often.

 

Isn't it also incredibly annoying to have to remove a stuck CD in a slot loaded drive, like the Macbook?

 

Slot-loading drives are alot cooler and look slimmer, but really get on your nerves when it decides to die on you with a DVD inside.

 

Slot loading are nicer looking but are loud. They also cant use mini disks.

I prefer Tray loading.

 

Tray load drives win. They dont look "sexy" but they are the best form of the tech, and are pretty much fool proof

 

Is there a problem with slot loads that dust and dirt will get into the slot? And do any of you have the problem when taking out the disk and your fingers get on the disk? Or does it get damaged when the slot load pulls in the disk?

 

slot loading drives jam alot more.
Meaning that the mechanism which brings the internal tray down, gets jammed, making it hard to get the cd/dvd out.

K-TRON

 

Another con of slot-loading drives is that there is no way to manually eject the drive; there is no media-release mechanism in place that requires a paper clip or anything like what the tray loading drives have.

Not true. The Studio 15's slot-loading drive can handle mini disks, although I haven't tested it myself.

 

Yes, it handles the small round ones quite well. Although I only did it once... and only once .

If I were you I would get slot load. It is louder, but I find my Slot load 8x DVD RW to work better than the tray load that I have on a desktop.

EnergyXP

 

I think this a more to do with the manufacturer than the fact that the drive is tray or slot load type.

 

the slot loading wii allows gamecube discs, but my Dell XPS M1330 slot-loading doesnt (well, if you happen to insert it right in the middle, it'd work, but theres a chance it'll get stuck

 

My MacBook has a Slot-Loading drive, and it is pretty loud, and it sounds like it is crunching something when you put a disc in or take it out. No problems with it here, also no dust or grime on the inside. I wouldn't want to be the one that finds out a gamecube disk doesn't work, that's for sure.

 

Slot loaded should logically have better dust-proof as the disc get's wiped of by the "covers" on both sides of the disc when going in. So there shouldn't really get in any dust at all.
I'd love to have a slot-in as all these trays feel like low quality, have never felt any that is really stable and firm when you pull them out.

 

Oh, ok. Sorry.

I wasnt aware. Last time I checked, they couldnt.

 

Yeah, when I first heard one. I though it really was.

 

I prefer tray load. If you inadvertently open the tray the disk will fully eject. This makes it easier to damage the disk. Tray load just opens a little bit and you manually pull open the tray.

However tray loader itself is easier to break though still highly unlikely unless you are dead drunk.

 

I wish I'd had a tray load option when I bought my laptop, I'd have paid more for that. If it jams in time I'd hope I'd be able to replace it reasonably easily.

Slot loaders are not cool.

 

Wouldn't the user's face be something when the slot-loading drive spits out a handful of plastic shards?

 

I loved the slotload drive on my Acer. Yeah they are louder, but I much prefer not haveing the tray pop out. If you are working on the confined space of a desk the tray can bump into stuff. Sure, the disc coming out of a slot loader can do the same thing, but it sits higher. There is clearence between the disc and say some homework papers or a mousepad or an ipod or a bunch of cables or... [these are my experiences with a particular model from Panasonic. This may or may not be true with other brands like Pioneer]

I find slot load drives more usable. If I could find a slot load drive for the ultrabay of my Thinkpad, I'd part with a none too small sum of money for it.

 

lololol, yeah.