As you see in the link, this is the question many new people want to know when they start their burning adventure. Which is the better burner for games?

1. Pioneer DVR-A05 (or)
2. Sony DRU500A

Both have their strengths and weaknesses. But one thing in common is that they burn good quality games(if burned correctly).

What we would like to know is..........which is the better burner?!

I got the sony and i burn games using datawrite 4X media and i do it on the fly and i have had no problems what so ever. it so kool burning at 4X as well you have the buffer protection so its all good.

True but both drives have burn proof technology so the memory buffer isn't as big of a deal. Burning on the Fly is more dependant on the PC itself than the burner (either way I wouldn't recommend burning on the fly to anyone). Both burners are 4x. The only real difference between the two is that Sony writes -/+ while the Pioneer only writes -, however only some PS2s will read DVD+R but virtually all PS2s will read DVD-R. The point being that with the dual format Sony you will essentially be paying a fair bit of extra money to have +R/+RW capabilities that you probably won't ever use. The other thing is that -R media is a bit cheaper if you order online. Just use quality DVD-R and you will be in good shape. Don't get me wrong both drives are excellent but with the Sony you will be paying more money for the + format which really isn't going to give you any advantage. One other HUGE advantage that the Pioneer has over the Sony is the 2x4all firmware hack which will allow you to write just about any cheap 1x DVD-R disc at 2x. The Sony will do this for a few 1x discs but isn't nearly as comprehensive as the Pioneer. I would definitely get the 105 instead of the Sony.

they both are 100% food burners i got a a05

100% food Burners? Man I knew my Pioneer/Cendyne 105 was an awesome drive but I didn't know that it could cook as well.:laugh:

thanks for the reply guys!! I decided to purchase the pioneer 105. JESTERRACE made a good point. Although both burn at 4x, you increase the chance of a bad burn, if burnt at 4x. And I found a pioneer (OEM) 105 online for $215 which was an awesome price!! And the lowest OEM I can find for the Sony was around $260. And I can trust pioneer because they have been around longer than Sony has, being that their burner is their first to hit the market. Thanks again guys.

Actually, I have one more question. I have two computers. An AMD Athlon 500Mhz processor and a new Athlon XP at 1.6 Ghz. I would really like to pu it in the old one( I know that sounds stupid, but don't ask), and I was wondering if the pioneer 105 will work in this old comp?

The 500mhz will really be pushing the limit. My Cendyne's bare minimum specs (exact same drive as the Pioneer105) say 450mhz, 64 megs of ram. As we all know however the bare minimum specs are BS as in most cases the hardware won't fuction very well unless you have more than the bare minimum specs. The other thing to consider is that DVD burning does eat up a fair bit of HD space so I wouldn't recommend doing this unless you have a bare minimum of 30 gigs available to do burning with. We really do need more specs besides the 500 mhz before being able to make a decision as to wether or not you should even try it. BTW I think you made a wise decision in getting the 105 as the OEM Sony seems to have more problems then it's fully loaded 500ax counterpart. The 105 on the other hand is every bit as good as the fully loaded A05. I hope this helps.

well my cd burner reckoned i needed a 500mhz cpu and 64 mb's a ram
but it works extremly well with 233mhz processor and 30mb's a ram
im sure itll be fine but make sure u leave it be when it burns

an AO4 on a 33Mhz .. with 256 MB working great ..

we discussed this before in CO forum.....

500a wins. THe point is the same, where can you find one? They were usually all sold out but now you can find them easily.

How about this:
Cendyne 4X DVD+RW Drive and
Scanner for $120 Shipped
spoofee.com front page today

jesterrace777, thanks for the info. Here is a more detailed spec on my old comp.

Compaq AMD K7 Athlon Processor
500Mhz
384MB SDRAM
60 GB Hardrive
Toshiba SD-M1712 DVD-ROM Drive
TDK 48x12x24x CD-RW Burner

my new comp practically has the same stats but wwith a 1.6 Ghz Processor.
Hope that helps any. Thanks for the reply guys!

Well it should work in your 500mhz comp. then although that processor is really cutting it close. Seeing as how you have tons of RAM and a 60GB Harddrive I think you should be okay though. Give it a shot and if it doesn't work then remove it and put it in your other PC.

Thanks for the consideration jesterrace. I can't wait to receive it!! : )

jesterrace777

Excellent post, ***** stars