Unsatisfied with Optiarc AD-7260S,is there something better?

[Nordstorm]

Recently I've acquired an Optiarc AD-7260S DVD-Writer without doing any research.

The problem is that this unit is noisy when there's a DVD inside, even when it doesn't read it( I don't know how to call it precisely, so I'd say "the idle period" before the spin down).
I also have an IDE Optiarc AD-7203A unit, and this one makes less noise in that "the idle period".

I've tried Nero DriveSpeed to calm the drive, but I couldn't set any other speed, because it was stuck on 16x(although in that "idle period" it isn't spinning at 16x). I've also tried CD Bremse and I got the same result. BTW, my OS is Win7 x64.

This flaw made me realise that I should choose a DVD-writer wisely, since I use to burn DVDs frequently.

My questions are:

1) Is there anything that I could do to this drive, in order to set it's reading speeds?

2) are there better writing DVD-writers?[ I use to write Verbatim DVD+R discs at 4x-8x speeds. ] If there are, I'd return this one in the following days.

Regards,
Nick

[Ian]

The AD-7260S is a very good writer but, as you noticed, it is a bit noisy. Most drives are though. Companies are using cheaper materials and, to save a few pennies, they don't bother with any sort of noise deadening.

[Nordstorm]

Indeed, I've noticed those cheap, flimsy materials, too.

So, I'm looking for the best DVD-Writer for writing DVD+R Verbatim's at 4x-8x, that can be controlled via Nero DriveSpeed.
Which one should that be?

[Ian]

Anyone know if Lite-On's drives can be controlled with DriveSpeed? Then again, they have Smart-X so it might not be needed.

You may also want to look at some of the drives from LG and maybe Pioneer. The quality of these drives is better than most and some of the Pioneers still have noise deadening technology in them.

[SithTracy]

I'm fond of LG drives when it comes to burn quality and build quality. Firmware support has historically been lacking but I don't think it matters anymore.

[Nordstorm]

Could you point some specific LG/Pioneer models, please?

[Ian]

LG has about a million different 20x and 22x DVD writers. If you're looking for a 24x DVD writer, then they have the GH24LS50 and GH24NS50.

The last Pioneer I used was the 116/216 series. These drives were excellent. Since then though, Pioneer has started making their drives in China and I really haven't heard much, good or bad, about the DVR-117 or the newer 118/218 series.