AllUrBaseRBelong2Us wrote:

Evert wrote:

Well, there are advantages to using SATA drives over IDE ones, one of them being the newer SATA drive isn't likely to suffer from mechanical problems.

I'd agree that new drives are far less likely to have problems due to wear, but many of the older drives were made better--they sold at retail prices significantly higher than the modern $15 SATA DVD burners, which are mostly plastic and very cheap metal.

That said, I really like SCSI optical for old systems because the SCSI drives were some of the highest quality made. They also have the analog audio outputs. A nice Adaptec SCSI controller can be had on eBay for $15.

yea I've still got my plextor 2x CD-RW bought for my familys IBM Aptiva in 97, i think my dad paid 900 for it, and it still reads

Evert wrote:

Well, there are advantages to using SATA drives over IDE ones, one of them being the newer SATA drive isn't likely to suffer from mechanical problems.

AFAIK, you can still buy new IDE optical drives, although they are a bit more expensive than their SATA counterparts.