Acer CD-RW -- Feedback / Opinions ??

[tjaymadison]

Anyone have an Acer CD-RW? Particularly the model CRW1208A ?? (12x8x32)

Feedback / Opinions / Comments on experience with any Acer drives?
Support? Reliability? Problems? Successes?

The specs are here (http://www.acercm.com.tw/global/products/cdrw/1208a.htm). It has a Burn-Proof feature.

At Best Buy through Sat 5-26 for $100 after $20 rebate. Good price?

Thanks. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

------------------
"I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
-- Charles Babbage, mathematician, computer pioneer, analytical engine designer (1791-1871)
-- (Question: 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?')

"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand."
-- Homer Simpson

[JesH]

I have an Acer CD RW although it's not the same model as you are looking at. I can't remember the model, but the speed is 6x4x32. Aside from buffer underuns (I dunno what causes that) unless copying at x2 speed it has worked fine.

[AwARe]

Heya tj,

Id wouldnt buy one, and thats about all I have to say about acer heh

Get a Yamaha CRW2100E (has an 8MB buffer) saw one on pricewatch for $132, or buy a plex.........or something closer to one of those......
Compare these specs for yourself -> http://www.yamaha.com/cgi-win/webcgi.exe/DsplyModel/?gCRA00001CRW2100EZ

What is burn Proof:
Burn proof slows the burning process to allow the buffers to catch up.....if you have a big enough buffer and a good enough drive you dont need burn proof <- speaks for itself (I burn 8x on a "166" with a yamaha, rarely if ever get an error http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif )

I buy yamaha because they have had a cd writer in the top 3 rated drives ever since they started making them <- speaks for itself as well

There are also some other drives with good track records etc, but Acer? ..... Id spend the extra $30 and get the Yammy

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 05-21-2001).]

[AwARe]

Extra Note:

The 12x Plex is going for about $150
Here are the Specs for that drive http://www.plextor.com/english/products/12_10_32.html

Notice while you're looking these specs over, this drive also has "Burn Proof" but also notice the small 2mb buffer..........

Either way.....both of these drives are well worth the extra cash

Just in case you didnt notice, that Yamaha is 16x Write 40x Read 8mb Buffer for $132
Compared to 12x - 32x - 4mb Acer for $120 minus Rebate

Also......Part of what I was trying to say about "Burn Proof" and probably didnt explain clear enough is...............

It "Slows" the Burning Process.......Not that you'd really notice all that much........

Point being, its nothing more then a way to trick the public into thinking they have a faster drive, when in fact the hardware "Can't" maintain the rated speed, and needs something like burn proof in order to actually work....

Yeah sure the motor can spin fast, but can the drive actually write at 12x?.........nuff said?.........

If you have something faster then a 300mhz cpu and a reasonably fast HDD I recommend get the Yamaha.......If your comp is slower etc....get the Plex...........

Well......Get what you want hehe......but thats what Id recommend

Hope this helps http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 05-21-2001).]

[tjaymadison]

Thanks, JesH and AwARe. Hope some others chime in too.

I've also got a $25 gift card from BestBuy, so that's why I'm looking at this.

Hard to beat getting any burner for $75 net, if it's at all decent.

------------------
"I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
-- Charles Babbage, mathematician, computer pioneer, analytical engine designer (1791-1871)
-- (Question: 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?')

"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand."
-- Homer Simpson

[Hockeye]

I bought a cheap cd-rw back some time ago and I'll never regret it.
It does what I want it to and that is the main thing. If you not into
the fastest latest burner by all means get the cheaper one.
My main point is get the one you comfortable about purchasing
and think will fill your needs.

Hockeye http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[AwARe]

Well tj,

For that price, ($75) might be worth a shot...........

The capabilities of that drive arent bad (I took a min and checked a few other sources, capability wise it looks pretty good), and its supported by clone cd, it's not yet supported by cdrwin, but I imagine it will be at some point (The guy that writes that software is a bit slow sometimes in adding support for new drives).......

In short "supposedly" it can do just about anything any other drive can do....

Id still recommend while in best buy take a look and see if they have a Yamaha 8824 or something else you can get for about the same price......its only 8x, but since most cd's only take between 3 and 9 minutes to write at 8x, I'd probably take the time to concider it (and any other Yamaha or Plex they may have in there). "If" (and thats a BIG-> "IF" heheh) they have one in stock, it would probably only be a little over $100 ($129 "maybe")-(the 8824) so it "might" not end up being all that much more with your $25 gift card..........and I can promise you, you wont be sorry if ya buy a Yammy.......worth strong concideration......

Good Luck!
Hope whatever drive you buy it turns out a good one! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

Just don't forget, its all about "Value" not "Price" http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

EDIT: But honestly if it were me, Id buy that 16x Yamaha on pricewatch for $132 and save my Gift Card for CD's heh

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 05-22-2001).]

[tjaymadison]

While I appreciate the differences between Acer and
Yahama or Plextor, etc., that's not really the focus
of my question. You'll find that many CD-R's and RW's
are re-badged anyway, and not actually manufactured by
the company who puts their name on the front.

I'm more interested in people's direct experience with
Acer, preferably with this model. Thanks, though. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

------------------
"I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
-- Charles Babbage, mathematician, computer pioneer, analytical engine designer (1791-1871)
-- (Question: 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?')

"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand."
-- Homer Simpson

[AwARe]

Aight tj, after this Ill leave ya alone I guess heh

Keep in mind though, this is a very stong area for me, and Im just trying to keep you from making a mistake, all for the idea of saving yourself $25

To your point about CD Writers being repackaged.......

Yamaha's are exclusively made by Yamaha
and the same goes for Plextor being made by Plextor

Im not certain who currently makes Acer drives, but historically they have been made by either Phillips or Ricoh, which is another reason to avoid Acer

Generally Ricoh and Phillips arent very high on the performer list in Cd Writers....and its also why I pretty much only recommend Yamaha and Plextor, because Ricoh and Phillips are responsible for making drives for "many" other brands.........

I cant offer you a personal review of the Acer, which seems to be what you're looking for, because "I Wouldnt Buy One! They Aren't That Good!" <-To say it rather nicely, Ive been trying to keep my posts constructive, and not pubically bash on Acer, but thats what Ive been trying to tell you hahaha ->"Acer=Big Mistake"

I have never seen the words "Quality" and "Acer" In the same sentence on any review Ive ever read "other than on the Acer homepage, or from someone paid by Acer to say so" and Ive never heard anything good about Acer from anyone Ive ever talked to, and like I said at the beginning of this post, "this is a very stong area for me"........

Hopefully this has made what Im trying to say a bit clearer http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

Sony has recently been making some ground and a real effort, but there are still a few issues with sony drives, so I wouldnt recommend one until maybe the next generation of drives or so come out, depending on what they actually put out...........Sony also exclusively make their own drives

For the extra $25 it would cost you, you'd be a "FOOL" to buy that Acer....

***Now that I've completely gotten out of hand, I think Im done http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif heh***

I also hope I havent offended you tj, or anyone else.........
My only intention was to help you choose a good drive http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

EDIT: Just FYI alot of TDK Drives are actually Plextor in disguise

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 05-24-2001).]

[AwARe]

Sorry for the extra post, but I thought Id share a few things I have still in bookmarks on reviews for Ricoh and Philips...........Kinda funny some of the things Ive read about them........also Im pretty sure one of these mfg's are going to be responsible for building the Acer......

Ricoh.......
"We were surprised to find that Ricoh hasn't got the details right on simple hardware-level things like the CD tray-loading mechanism. During testing, the tray would sometimes slide in askew and fail to close properly"

Woohoo! Imagine what else is probably wrong with that drive

Philips..........
"Unfortunately, the drive was one of the two slowest in this roundup on our Data CD Duplication test"........

The list goes on........

EDIT: This is most likely the Acer in its original form...its a philips http://www.pcstuff.phi lips.com/prd/product_details.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1874333317.09 90749365@@@@&BV_EngineID=eallcjgglkgbedbfjhcechl.0&product_id=15021 (http://www.pcstuff.philips.com/prd/product_details.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1874333317.09 90749365@@@@&BV_EngineID=eallcjgglkgbedbfjhcechl.0&product_id=15021)


[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 05-24-2001).]

[AwARe]

Well sorry again about filling up your thread with post's tj

Maybe that Acer isnt a philips, I hear they may be making their own drives now posibly (still truthfully dont know)
I do still however think it is a philips, but want to be clear im not 100% sure........

From what im reading seems to be some problems with a firmware update that is available for that drive that eliminates that drives ability to copy certain copy protections after its installed, so if you get it, beware of that.......

Also beware that some of those drives seem to have 2mb buffers and some have 4mb so beware of that as well..........

It also seems to be very slow at reading certain types of disk images, and Ive been reading alot of posts on CDR forum's where people are seriously complaining about that drive for several reasons........

Honestly I wouldnt get it, but Ill "try" shut up now hehe

EDIT: My link above doesnt seem to work anymore, but it was a link to a philips 1208k 12x8x32 with close to if not identical specs as the Acer...doesnt seem to be avialable for sale in the US though and I couldnt figure out if it were even at all posible to buy it period......But I have a strong belief this is the same drive guts as that Acer.......

This is quoted from one of those posts I mentioned earlier from someone that actually owns one of those writers

"I have an Acer and this drive sucks. This writer is Philips based and the only positiv thing is that the Acer is able to write SD2. The first drive died after one day. The second one is still running but it burns only with very few cdr brands. Of course it likes the Philips cdr´s and all the other expencive cdr´s. This writer is the worst drive on the planet"


And from another post

"Here are some more bad points.

The Acer is a very slow safedisk reader.
When i switch on the computer the acer make strange noises.
(the same for the first acer i had)
The drive doesn´t like my 80min cdrw´s.
The drive doesn´t like media produced by postech or ritek.
Sometimes the Acer is not able to erase it´s own cdrw´s."

[This message has been edited by AwARe (edited 05-24-2001).]

[AwARe]

tj,

Wanted to share with you, that a friend of mine told me last night, that Best Buy seems to carry at least (2) off the wall brand CD Writers (Actually are Plextor's), and they are supposedly pretty cheap if you can find them in stock. He couldnt remember the exact brand name they are going under, but might be worth checking into. He mumbled a couple names off, and he wasnt 100% sure what the names were anyways, and I cant remember what he was mumbling exactly either hehe, but hes pretty good at knowing this kinda stuff, so probably worth checking into.

If you find an HP in best buy pretty cheap (usually they are expensive though), HP historically are made by Sony, probably still are, and like I said earlier, Sony is making some ground so might be one to concider if the price is right.

CDR FYI. "Burn Proof" was Desingned by Sanyo. Plextor and other mfg's use "Burn Proof" under license from Sanyo. Several other mfg's have come up with "Their Own Cheap Imitation" of "Burn Proof" and have incorporated it into their hardware....IE the Seemless Link Technology incorporated into that Acer. Unless it specifically says "Burn Proof" its not really "Burn Proof".......Its a "Rip Off"......

So point being.......If you find an off brand 12x CD Writer in best buy with the same specs as the Plextor and it says "Burn Proof" on the label theres a good chance it might actually be a Plextor.........

I Hope Im Helping You tj hehe
cause that is what Im trying to do.....