Some of the ones i found at staples were benq 1620. even though all the boxes were the same, there was just one way to tell. on top of the box where they are taped, the benq had io magic tape on top of the tape that was on the box originally. it seems like io magic opened the boxes and then retaped them with the circle tape that has io magic all over it. i bought 2 like this and got both benqs. i even checked 12 others that came outside the store and out of the 12, 7 had benqs and had the io magic tape, 5 had just the regular circle tape without the io magic tape and they were all magic spin. so it seems that if u can see the words io magic on the tape it might just mean its a benq!! Hope this helps you all! i found out while purchasing today.

how about scanning the box, so we know exactly what you are talking about?
thanks,
coadman

its hard to scan as it is clear tape, but if u look clearly you will see io magic all over the tape

tried scanning it, but since its clear tape, its hard to tell on a scan, but if you had the box in front of you its on the lip of the box that keeps the top from opening. its covered with tape and you will clearly see the io magic all over the tape in almost holigraphic lettering. plus the io magic tape is smaller then the tape that originally taped the box shut.

so the other "circular" tape, has no "I/O Magic" written on it, correct? If so, that should be easy to detect. I was at an Enid Oklahoma store earlier this week, and they had quite a few, but they all said 48x cd write speed so I "assumed" they were all BTC. What did yours say for the CD write speed(one the box)?
thanks,
coadman

so it still says 16x instead of rw on the front plate?

it said 48x cd write speed. the tape says io magic on it. if it doesnt say io magic on it, then i assume its either a btc or magic spin.

Hmm, the ones I saw at my store, could possibly been BenQ, as I remember them saying 48X CD write speed, and once I saw that, thought they had to be BTC. But, now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure it said "2.4X" DVD+R DL. I thought the box had to indicate "40X" CD write speed, and also, "2.4X" DVD+R DL/
coadman

It's easy to tell which is the BTC. Just look at the serial # and on the BTC box it'll say firmware A07 which is a BTC.

so which theory is correct? The one we all heard of(no firmware sticker, 2.4x dl write speed, cd 40x write speed), or the one studmonkey just came up with?

Btw, studmonkey, does the boxes have the sticker on the top that says something like "Firmware: A07M"?

I'd like to know as well. My Staples has 4 left - 2 with the I/O Magic and 2 without. All indicate made in China in November or December and have the BTC firmware version on a label which would have made me think BTC unless they repackaged some BenQ's in BTC boxes.

Some older I/O boxes had 2.4X/40X on the label. These should be the BenQ. The BTC firmware is another give away since the S/N and firmware should be consistent with the content.

OK, decided to take the plunge as they said I could return it without a stocking fee within 14 days. The box certainly has all indications that it is a BTC drive/box from the posts that I've read with the following speeds listed:

Write speeds Read speeds
DVD+R 16x CD-ROM 48x
DVD-R 16x DVD-ROM 16x
DVD+RW 8x
DVD-RW 4x
DVD+R DL 4x
CD-R 48x
CD-RW 24x

Sticker shows the following:
S/N P4490016641
P: 6067700075
U:78806900897
F: A07F
P: 0.95
Manufactured: 2004/11
China

I did pick one that had the I/O Magic circular seal placed over the original circular seal.

The other thing that I noticed as different between the 2 with I/O Magic seals and those without was that the ones with had serial numbers that started with P44900xxxxx versus P44700xxxxx. I'm guessing these were ones that got repackaged (returns/restocks?) and all they had were the newer boxes. So much for truth in advertising. Manufacturing dates on the ones with I/O Magic seals was 2004/11 and 2004/12. I picked the older one hoping that would improve my odds.

In the box was a BenQ 1620-20I with a manufacturing date of October 2004 and made in China. Hope this helps somebody. If I can give you any more information let me know!

Scott

In my case it wasn't consistent, and I'm not complaining if the BenQ is a half-decent burner.

Scott

You cant go by the sticker on the box. everyone at the staples store had a sticker with serial number and firmware. the serial number doesnt even match the burner in the box.

Mine had the exact same thing. You cant just give up if it has a sticker on it. I think maybe io magic saw or heard that we were able to pick out the benq and just repackaged them to try and confuse us. But keep looking for the I/O Magic circular seal and chances are you may just end up with a benq like we did. Hope this all helps.

I am thinking more that the circular sticker is a sure sign of a benq. Glad I figured that out.. LOL... patting myself on the back...LOL....hope every one ends up with a benq and not bad for 40 bucks after all rebates.

I own now 3 benq 1620s and i love them all. Just make sure you use good media. I use riteks and Tys.

At my Staples, all that had the BTC firmware sticker were BTC's.

Did you purchase one to check?

Hmmm...S/N not matching? Refurbished components. Avoid this garbage.

I dont think they are refurbished products. I think that IO magic got smart and saw that everyone was purchasing the benq and leaving everything else alone so they repackaged them to try and throw us off.

That seems like a lot of trouble to just throw off a small group that is "in the know" ? BTW: Anyone know who "Magic Spin" is? Is this another drive with the Magic Spin name on it?

sounds like the magic spin is a OptoRite DD0401

Some stores will check S/N when you return the drive. You're screwed if the S/N don't match. I have never seen non-matching S/N on 1st quality products.