which one should i recommend my friend for a new build. the NEC 3550a or the Liteon SHM-165H6S or the SHW-165P6S

Either one will work. Both support bit-setting -- the NEC only with modified firmware. I have an NEC 3550a but I ordered an SHM-165H6S to replace it. I am hoping to get better results. The NEC burns are of somewhat lower quality (they still play back okay) than the ones from my BenQ drive. I have mixed results when reading DVD movie for backup from the NEC. Sometimes the speed is good, sometimes it just slows to 1X or 2X. This happened recently. I stopped the read, switched to the BenQ and 6x plus all the way through. Unfortunately, BenQ drives are no longer available (except in Asia??). Look at the Lite-On and NEC forums..........note that the Lite-On forum has nearly 13,000 threads, while the NEC forum has nearly 7,000.......Both have lots of activity and support. And both can be found in the US for under $40 shipping included -- and the NECs can be found for under $30. regards, gamma1