I have a gateway pentium 3 500 system which i have had for nearly two years now. I have always had a 4x4x24 burner which came with the system but in the last six months it has really been crapping out on me. I am thinking of getting the 24x burner by plextor but i want to be sure that my computer and its power supply can handle it. Does anyone know if what i have right now will be enough power to repalace my burner??? I know that i will not be able to take advantage of the full 24x speed with this computer but I think i am going to buy a new computer within a year so i will be using it then too. Thanks for any help.
#2. "RE: Can my computer handle this burner?" In response to Paul (Reply # 0)
As MrMan says, your system should be fine. Here's the info from Plextor.
Minimum Systems Requirements: CPU Pentium II 300 MHz RAM 64 MB HDD 1GB of free space for writing in CD to Image mode ATAPI DMA must be set to ON in every OS. IDE controller must be set to PIO Mode 4 or Auto (Auto will select DMA Mode 2)
#3. "RE: Can my computer handle this burner?" In response to Paul (Reply # 0)
Paul,
A CD-RW drive (i.e., burner) usually works better when it's not on the same IDE controller as the CD-ROM.
Your computer should support the Plextor CD-RW, but I don't know anything about the Gateway power supply. You might want to upgrade the power supply before you install the burner. Does Gateway have a forum? Try to find out about replacing the power supply and if it's required.
#5. "RE: Can my computer handle this burner?" In response to Paul (Reply # 4)
Boy are you lucky. My Gateway 433 only has a 90 watt power supply. I have a burner on my system and it does a good job. It doesn't burn at a break neck speed though only 8x.
#6. "RE: Can my computer handle this burner?" In response to Speedy (Reply # 5)
Man, I can't believe how mfg's such as Gateway, Hp, and Comcrap can cheap out so much on PS's. 90 watts!! My dad's original Pentium 100 came with a 175w PS..... and we're talking ancient stuff here. ( Complete system built by local retailer ).
Paul: 200w probably OK if you're running the factory Gateway video card ( Onboard or not ). If you've added any Retail video card such as a GeForce2 or anything similiar you're probably borderline.
#7. "RE: Can my computer handle this burner?" In response to Paul (Reply # 0)
The recording speed of a burner has no bearing on its power consumption. The new one will draw about the same power as your old one. The speed of your computer, could well determine how fast you will actually be able to record.