Hey guys I'm looking for a reliable burner....either internal or external. I have no idea where to start or what brand is the best? Any input?

This question was already asked many and many times. There is no answer.

It is all related on what use you want to do with the burner. Some have certain features that other don't have.

What do you want to do mainly?

Do you need scanning capabilities? LightScribe?

No brand today really has a "corner" on being the best. It also depends on what you want your burner for (backing up movies, ripping audio tracks from CDs, making data backups), and what kind of media you want to use on it, like Single Layer (SL) or Double Layer (DL). The kind of burner I recommend you consider is one that can do some kind of "quality scanning" of the burn you completed, under a software package like Nero CD-DVD Speed. This way, you know how well your burner performs with each mid (abbreviation for Manufacturer Identification of the media) you use, burned at a certain speed of your choosing.

If you want an extra capability to burn DVD-RAM for example, a good burner that also doubles as a scanner is the Liteon 165p6s, which I have right now, and it uses the more (generally) accurate 1ECC scanning. I also have a BenQ 1640 (an older model), but some people have enjoyed the newer model BenQ 1655.

I can tell you the LiteOn 165p6s with the test firmware I use is a more aggressive burner than my BenQ 1640, as it burns media at 8x much faster than my 1640. You could find bargains in our CDFreaks Bargain Basement forum on such drives as these, and even find sales or even announced specials on certain media at certain stores or online stores.

Overall, the LiteOn and BenQ may be a good place to start, with their dual burning/scanning capabilities. Whichever burner you decide on, take your time to decide and get as many facts as possible. At the end of the day, you'll have to live with your purchase, after all.

LG and LiteOn would be my picks, if my arm is twisted.

I've had poor performance from Lite-on and even top-whack expensive Plextors, am now going to try the Pioneer DVR-111 since it appears to be a very good all rounder which is solidly built...

BenQ's are the best for quality and media acceptance.

Thanks for your suggestions....I was just looking to do the basics. The info has been a great help im probably going to go with a LiteOn or Pioneer. Thanks

You're welcome

Remember that pioneer drives are not reliable to do scans, so if you want to test your media the liteon is a better choice.