Plextor PX-760A

[kinghanco]

I couldn't get a PX-800A model from Fry's. They didn't have any there. So brought a PX-760A model instead. It a E-IDE ATAPI.

DVD+R DL 10x
DVD-R DL 6x
DVD+-R 18x
DVD+RW 8x
DVD-RW 6x
DVD-ROM 16x
CD-R 48x
CD-RW 24x
CD-ROM 48x

Edit #1: I want to let you guys know. This is better than the one that I use last time. I moved my old DVD+RW drive onto my other computer. I will no longer will use the old one on my fast computer. I manage getting more Playstation cds rip now.

Edit #2: I have 8 scratches Playstation cds. I can not rip these. DVD+RW drive can't read those fully. Bad cds anyway.

Blasto - SCUS-94412
Defcon 5: Peace Has A Price... - SLUS-0009
Soul Blade - SLUS-00240
Soviet Strike - SLUS-00061
Tomb Raider - SLUS-00152
Tomb Raider II: Starring Lara Croft - SLUS-00437
Tomb Raider III: Adventures Of Lara Croft - SLUS-00691
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation - SLUS-00885

I manage gotting the Tomb Raider: Chronicles - SLUS-01311 rip from using new DVD+RW drive. I will test this later.

[patrickp]

Yes, you've got one of the best drives you can buy there, kinghanco. How much do they cost in the States BTW? They're about £50 ($100) over here. Must get myself one when I've got some cash to spare...

You could try your scratched CDs is they're not too bad - my Plextor is able to read some scratched CDs that other drives can't read. Try slowing it down if you have trouble - takes longer, but enables it to read the disc more effectively.

[kinghanco]

I pay $120 at Fry's. I know that I could've got it cheaper.

[Gamesoul Master]

Yeah, there are people who refuse to rip any faster than 2x, and I suppose that their paranoia does have some basis, so it's very possible that picking a low speed like that could very well allow you to rip some of those scratched discs. If not, you could find a game store that can repair the scratched disc for like $1.50 (well, I know Game Crazy does it for about that price, which is a good deal for sure).

Are Plextor drives really that great? That isn't a pessimistic question, but rather an honest one, as I really don't know. I know that Taiyo Yuden blank discs are the best (and brands like Plextor and Verbatim are close, mainly due to also being Taiyo Yuden) with brands like Sony and Memorex also being close for discs (and much easier to find than above-mentioned brands)... but I really have no clue about disc drives. HP drives have been good to me, and so I have primarily stuck to those, but does anybody know from experience how HP drives compare to Plextor drives in terms of quality and lasting durability? And... are Plextor drives better bought online? While I have never really looked for them, I don't recall ever seeing them at the electronics stores that I frequent (which includes a couple different Best Buy stores).

[kinghanco]

Edit: Whoops I gave the wrong name of the game.

Monopoly: Parker Brothers Real Estate Trading Game is very tough to rip. I don't know how that I rip it the first time round.

There is 2 metal strips on top of it Playstation cd. I wonder that could be the problem. Anyway the speed drop when hit at 22%.

I think the strip done something to the cd.

[patrickp]

If you're using CloneCd, kinghanco, check out their forums. There are a number of extra profiles available there for improving your ripping options, including some that are intended to deal with copy protection.

@gm: Plextor do have an excellent reputation, and people buy them despite the price. As I've said, the best CD ripping drive I've ever come across is my old Plextor CD-RW. As for buying them online, I think their high price tends to make them a specialist item, as online sites probably mostly go for volume sales. Nevertheless, some places do sell them; even looking round UK sites I can find the drive kinghanco bought for not much over £50 (about $100 US). And I'd expect stuff to be sold much cheaper in the US than in the UK - usually about 1/2 price. That even goes for things made in the UK sometimes! Unfortunately, Europe seems to be a heavily protected market (protected for manufacturers and sellers, that is), as witness the use of regionalisation of DVDs and Playstation games to maintain prices at artificially high levels.

[kinghanco]

I been using my own CloneCD profile. Now if I'm doing this all wrong then let me know.

[stranger90]

Kinghanco try Isobuster if you can't rip your game with CloneCD, with that programme I can rip my scrathced Casper: Friend Around the Wordl in a Bin/Cue file, and works perfect!!!!

[kinghanco]

Your missing the point. These cds are too scratch up or have deep scratches or gotting bent when been step on in a bag case. Isobuster and Alcohol 52% can't pick on most of the files on the cds that have been damage. CloneCD will try to get the closer as it gets. (Note: Isobuster and Alcohol 52% doesn't try harder. Those just quit reading and not trying to repair some of the files.) If it stop trying to get the files then the files can't be read. But you have to stop it from trying if reading drop to 0% and not going any farther. Now you understand why I don't use Isobuster and Alcohol 52% most of time. CloneCD can repair some of the damage files. Another thing is that if the speed keep on hitting 0% and going up a little then there no need to let it keep going because it will takes hours and it might ruin your len on your burner.

[patrickp]

Well, if the CDs are that badly damaged, kinghanco, nothing's going to read them.

I'd certainly agree that CloneCD does a better job than Isobuster; both because IMHO it's a better ripper anyway, and because it reads and includes subcode information. Never tried Alcohol though.

[kinghanco]

Well sometimes a cd can be pick up after it been damaging over the years. But the burners can't read those fully. The burners only see the files that is left to be read. Try to copy a file from a bad cd. Windows will comeback and say that a file is corrupted and can't be read.

Yea if a cd pretty badly damage then it can't be read or pick up at all.