GearBits

DVD±RW < $100

Saturday, I was on a mission to replace my CD-RW drive that had been demolished from within by an exploding CD. I came home with much more...a new OptoRite DDO401 internal 8X DVD±RW drive for less than a Ben Franklin.

Granted, it's not a brand name (unless you consider OptoRite a brand name), but when it comes to most computer parts, I'm much less concerned about that. A few things, however, convinced me this was a pretty decent piece of hardware for a heck of a nice price.

First, the instructions were clearly written and provided (hardcopy) in 10 languages. Second, the drive worked exactly as expected with no extra effort. Windows XP recognized it by name immediately...always a good sign. Third, and this is the clincher, OptoRite included in the box an extra black face-plate for those fashion-conscious users who might have black cases -- a really nice touch, I thought.

What I thought was worth mentioning was the economics. A plain CD-RW was around $40. A combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW was around $70. For only $30 more than that, you get the extra capability of burning to DVD. It's amazing how quickly we've come down from the not-too-distant days of $400 DVD-R drives.