Is Lite-On Still Considered One of the Better Burners?

[skeezix]

I need to replace my DVD drive - mine won't close out CDs anymore. I rarely burn DVDs, but I do need to read them. I'm really big on burning MP3s though. Several years ago I used the Lite-On 52x CD burner with great success, and Lite-on had a great reputation.

For somebody whose main concern is burning MP3s to CDs, but who still needs a DVD burner for the occasional backup, is Lite-on still a good choice? I'm looking in the $50-$75 range.

Running Windows Vista

[Dartman]

I personally don't really like their DVD burners but many do. I think the top favorites now are the Optiarc/Sony 7240/7260 drives and the Samsung's.
I have a few of the Sony drives and really like them myself. I also have a older Samsung S203b and it's OK but is a very fast ripper with it's speed lock removed through hacked firmware.
There are other popular drives but those are mine, mainly the Optiarcs now for me. I'm sure others will jump in with other good suggestions and I also used a 52x LiteOn CD burner back in the day and they were great drives. I started with their 32x one and upgraded as they added faster burners.

[Ian]

If you just want a simple DVD writer that works well and doesn't cost a lot of money, the Optiarc drives that Dartman recommended are excellent.

Lite-On drives are fine too but I find that most people buy them for the enthusiast oriented utilities available.