SuperDrive Upgrade

CD+R 8X from HP. I bought them on sale at Staples 50 for $17. They work just fine.

Brad, they burn CD-R, CD-RW, CD+R, CD+RW.

Intersting.... Tnks!

Maybe so, but the article said that Apple admited that it was a misprint and changed the webpage after a week.

Could anybody who owns a mini with an internal SuperDrive be so kind to tell me exactly which type of "superdrive" Apple uses in the minis (manufacturer, product name)?

Regards,
Oliver

apple has a long standing relationship with Matshita / Panasonic for compact slot loading devices so i suspect they are continuing this relationship.

One more note: I have 4 mac systems. I've been using superdrives since apple first introduced them.

Suggestion only: if you do not have an internal compact slot loading S-Drive in you Mac Mini then by all means consider using a quality FW enclosure and buying a full size pioneer or sony superdrive. The up side to all this is that these full size ext. pioneer S-drives usually perform better than smaller internal slot loading drives.

CAUTIONARY QUESTION: heat transfer -

Don't the faster drives generate more heat?

Are we sure the mini can handle a greater heat load?

Interested in answers from users with experiene using faster drives.
How hot does your mini get?

It wouldn't surprise me if smaller units actually generated more heat proportionately than full size superdrives in terms of total surface area / per sq. centimeter. (Reason: compact devices work significantly harder to read & write the very same optical media than full size superdrives even though the latter drives consume much more power).
Here's another way to test this: load a standard dvd-r into both units and burn a 90 min. to 2 hr. movie in each device thru iDVD5.
Begin them at the same time. The larger pioneer drive often completes this task quickly (at least thru stage 4) compared to a compact slot loading drive. When completed, both medias feel warm to the touch. however the media from the compact slot loading device is even warmer (nearly downright hot) than that from a pioneer superdrive because smaller drives and computers normally have much less ventilation per square centimeter than larger units. plus the entire computer is actually warmer by several degrees on compact devices. This is not the case with a full size drive. Hence my recommendation for using an external Pioneer or Sony full size FW superdrive in a quality FW enclosure as opposed to internal compact slot loading devices.

1badDuck,

What media, exactly, do you use? I use Fuji DVD-R (8X) and can only burn at 6X max. I put in a Pioneer DVR-K04 Dual Layer DVD-R / +R Slot Loading Drive from OWC.

William

Thanks!

William

Hi 1badDuck,

Do you find the Mini is over heating?

Regs,

CJM

No, not at all. They make these drives for tight spaces like laptops. I detect no temperature change at all.

SDMacuser,
Do you know if there is an inherent problem in the Matshita 835 series? It's definitely shipped with all the new powerbooks and I think with Mac minis as well. However, although classified as 8x (for powerbooks anyway), it only gives a speed of around 2x while writing DVDs. See the thread with the title Matshita UJ-835E Request Fix Here

Neeraj

I don't have many positive experiences with slot loading superdrives in general. And my mother always taught me that if i had nothing good to say, best not to say it at all.

So i will direct my attention to your question. You asked:

"Do you know if there is an inherent problem in the Matshita 835 series?"

Answer: No. I do not.

However the bottom line is this ... Full size pioneer and sony S- drives (like those found on most Towers) simply out perform portables in my opinion. But if i had to go with a portable slot loading S-Drive, i'd pick this one:

http://www.pioneeraus.com.au/computer/dvdwriters/dvrk04/

Neeraj, if you want an internal Superdrive why not go with the Pioneer DVR-K04? It is proven to work with the Mini and is 8X and dual layer.