defacto optical drive

[bazookaman]

what is the most popular optical drive for macs right now. i.e. good combination of speed and reliability. is there one that is a standout? one to avoid etc. does it even matter anymore?

[clay]

I tend to like Pioneer drives. They seem to get better reviews than many other brands that I see around. I've had great experience with the drives personally, as well.

Sony/Optiarc drives are the default drives in MacPro's but there seem to be a large number of people who have experienced issues with their drives. I have not yet experienced any issues with mine, but I'm only one person.

[Racer X]

Pioneer has historically been one of the top 2 for a decade or so.

[bazookaman]

I was thinking pioneer too.

[jdc]

my imacs came with sonys -- but i have always bought liteons -- many other drives seem to be rebadged liteons

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6827106228&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-27-106-228-_-Product

[Racer X]

I had a LiteOn DVD burner, but it burned out the DVD portion after just a few hundred disks.

[Silencio]

Yep, I too had a premature LiteOn fatality recently. Won't even read DVDs consistently anymore.

I thought all the Mac Pros came with Sony/NEC/Optiarc drives now, but mine came with a Pioneer DVR-112 for some reason. Not complaining.