I have read alot of posts on how to tell which drive is which, and I know how to identify the Samsung drive. What I want to know is are the Samsung drives more commonly found in the new machines or the older ones. I am looking at buying an Xbox, and am trying to decide if I should get a used one or a new one. I would obviously like to get one with the Samsung drive. Any help is appreciated.

Don't think you can tell before you buy it,think it's just luck.

If the XBOX is Manufactered Prior to August 2002 then it WON'T have a Samsung in it. In the newer ones the three different DVD Drives are stuck in at Random but the Samsung appears the least frequently of the 3 drives. There is no way of telling without at least ejecting the DVD tray (Good Luck getting a store to let you open up a brand new one and doing that before buying). I managed to snag a used one from a local videogame exchange shop. They allow you to test the system out to make sure it works. I about jumped when the DVD tray ejected and I saw it had a Samsung. $150 for a working XBOX with a Samsung drive isn't too shabby:D Anyway if you have a place in town that will let you do this you might want to go this route as it will be very easy to check before buying.