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Apple!Fre@k

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 25, 2006
520
7
What in the hell is going on here? I just went to burn my first disc since I got my 24" iMac and the max speed is 6X. That'd down from the highest speed on my previous 20" iMac of 8X!?! What's the deal? And for one, why does Apple have the slowest writing drives in the world? Sony has 16X and higher DVD-R drives.
 
What in the hell is going on here? I just went to burn my first disc since I got my 24" iMac and the max speed is 6X. That'd down from the highest speed on my previous 20" iMac of 8X!?! What's the deal? And for one, why does Apple have the slowest writing drives in the world? Sony has 16X and higher DVD-R drives.

what is the max speed of the dvds? mine runs at 8x I just burned a couple of backup disks at 8x on the dvd on my 24"
 
What in the hell is going on here? I just went to burn my first disc since I got my 24" iMac and the max speed is 6X. That'd down from the highest speed on my previous 20" iMac of 8X!?! What's the deal? And for one, why does Apple have the slowest writing drives in the world? Sony has 16X and higher DVD-R drives.
# 17-inch model with 2.0GHz processor, 20-inch model and 24-inch model with slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

* Writes DVD+R DL discs at up to 2.4x speed
* Writes DVD-R and DVD+R discs at up to 8x speed
* Writes DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs at up to 4x speed
* Reads DVDs at up to 8x speed
* Writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed
* Writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x speed
* Reads CDs at up to 24x speed

Read this part?
 
What in the hell is going on here? I just went to burn my first disc since I got my 24" iMac and the max speed is 6X. That'd down from the highest speed on my previous 20" iMac of 8X!?! What's the deal? And for one, why does Apple have the slowest writing drives in the world? Sony has 16X and higher DVD-R drives.

Your iMac uses a slot-loading drive. Slot-loading drives that burn DVD±R at 16x do not exist.

If you buy a Mac Pro, you get 16x.
 
Also apple tend to use matsushitty superdrives in its slot loading devices.

They tend to be very fussy about DVD dye type/manufactuerer.

Often burning DVD's at a lot lower speeds than it 'officially' supports.
 
I kind of blew this thread off a couple days ago because I let DVD's burn overnight and don't really worry about speed. That changed last night when I went to rip a CD into my iTunes library...something I will be doing a lot of. Now, I was ripping a burned CD mix from a friend, but to only get 7x read speed was rediculous...is anyone else getting that slow read speed off of CD and CD-R media???

My PC at work will rips at a minimum of 24x in iTunes...is there a firmware update out there somewhere for this "Superdrive"???
 
I kind of blew this thread off a couple days ago because I let DVD's burn overnight and don't really worry about speed. That changed last night when I went to rip a CD into my iTunes library...something I will be doing a lot of. Now, I was ripping a burned CD mix from a friend, but to only get 7x read speed was rediculous...is anyone else getting that slow read speed off of CD and CD-R media???

My PC at work will rips at a minimum of 24x in iTunes...is there a firmware update out there somewhere for this "Superdrive"???
Get the model number and boot into Windows if there's a firmware update.
 
I rarely can get my mini's Superdrive to burn at 4x (it's max rated speed). Usually just 2x. It's all about the discs, though. I usually buy cheap DVD-Rs, but I recently ran some decent ones through (Sony brand, if I recall) and they all were recognized at 4x.

I KNOW the mini uses a slim laptop DVD-RW, and I think the iMacs do as well. This, plus the upgright orientation in the iMac, is why they have subpar optical drive performance.
 
GOD I HATE THE FVCKING SUPERDRIVE!!!!! Why can't apple figure out how to make a slot loading drive to write CDs at 48x, DVDs at 16x etc... like all other CHEAP windows boxes!?!?!?
 
GOD I HATE THE FVCKING SUPERDRIVE!!!!! Why can't apple figure out how to make a slot loading drive to write CDs at 48x, DVDs at 16x etc... like all other CHEAP windows boxes!?!?!?
You mean, to meet space requirements these slot drives aren't as fast as the HUEG 5.25" bay ones. :rolleyes:

I'd like to know where you found an optical drive made by Apple itself.
 
GOD I HATE THE FVCKING SUPERDRIVE!!!!! Why can't apple figure out how to make a slot loading drive to write CDs at 48x, DVDs at 16x etc... like all other CHEAP windows boxes!?!?!?

1) Apple doesn't make optical drives. They buy them.
2) It's more a function of the drives size - slim laptop drives aren't as fast as full size ones. Probably something to do with balancing the disc at high velocities, or something. Apple chooses to make stylish machines that require the use of smaller, slot loading drives, so this is what we end up with.

I never got the big whoop about fast DVD burning. A 4x burn takes a whole 15 minutes. If you are churning out so many discs that 15 min is too long to wait, get a high capacity duper. :confused:

I can see wanting, say, an 8x DL burner, so you can do a full DVD9 in 15 minutes, but since those discs are still fairly costly it's not an immediate concern.
 
You mean, to meet space requirements these slot drives aren't as fast as the HUEG 5.25" bay ones. :rolleyes:

I'd like to know where you found an optical drive made by Apple itself.

No need to be a douchebag. Apple doesn't make optical drives - perhaps they should start. If it gets me a fast SLOT LOADING drive - on par with larger bay drives - I'll be happy:rolleyes:
 
That doesn't make sense to have a slower drive in the 24' iMac of the same design. Super "Slow" drive.

The original iMac G4 introduction from Steve Jobs noted that having the drive flat will allow it to perform much faster than having it in the monitor sideways. I think that is a bad decision to include it in the display but for the average joe, it isn't that slow. You can always use an external drive if you need a faster burner.
 
I always burn my DVD's at slow 4X speed anyway, even if my drive can write faster. I have found overall that by doing this I get better burns with less errors over the long run.
 
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