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The system requirements of an internal/externsal DVD/Blu-ray writer that I bought don't match those of my laptop/desktop PC/computer

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CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive/writer problem: System requirements of an internal/external DVD/Blu-ray writer don't match those of laptop/desktop PC/computer

[April, 2009. - Note that any recently-purchased desktop PC or laptop PC with a single-core, dual-core or quad-core processor will be able to use any DVD or Blu-ray writer and the software that comes with it, or any third-party disc-writing software. However, the following problem still applies to using an external DVD/Blu-ray writer with a netbook laptop computer, which usually has a slow single-core Intel Atom processor, none of which currently runs faster than 2.0GHz. Also note that most of recent AMD and Intel processors that run at a clock speeds lower than 2.4GHz, due to design improvements, run faster than 2.4GHz processors did in 2005.]

In May 2005, a computer magazine gave a five-star review to the LG GSA 4163B DVD writer, so I had a look at the specifications on a supplier's and LG's websites. My computer runs an Intel Celeron 1.7GHz processor. I found nothing to suggest that my computer wouldn't be able to use the drive. However, when it arrived, I was highly annoyed that a minimum processor speed of a 2.4GHz Intel Pentium 4 or higher was listed in the system requirements. That information wasn't provided in the computer magazine or on those websites.

Answer

That kind of information is both inaccurate and confusing. Inaccurate because the slowest AMD Athlon 64 3000+ single-core processor (first available in 2005) only runs at 1.80GHz, but is rated by AMD as having an equivalent clock speed of 3000MHz+ (3.0GHz+). An Athlon 64 3000+ processor running Windows XP Home Edition and 512MB of DDR400 RAM in dual-channel mode could easily run that LG DVD writer and any of the software that comes with it.

Therefore, whoever wrote the information on the websites or the drive's packaging must have had only Intel processors in mind - and even then it is inaccurate.

Any fairly recent computer (purchased as far back as 2001 when Windows XP first became available) should be able to use any DVD writer. (However, note that Windows XP only comes with CD-writing, not DVD-writing software buit into it. Windows Vista and Windows 7 , the successors to Windows XP respectively, can write to recordable DVDs) If an Intel processor is slower than 2.4GHz, or the rating of an AMD processor has a lower rating than 2400+, the computer may not be able to burn data at the drive's top burning speed, but it should still be able to burn data at an acceptable speed very close to the top-rated speed.

I think that the reason that a 2.4GHz processor is specified could have more to do with the fact that it comes with DVD-authoring software that requires a processor with that kind of clock speed in order to do things such as edit video files or capture video from a camcorder and convert it into a digital file. Therefore, you have to take the software that comes with a drive into consideration when buying a drive. If you don't want to use DVD-authoring software, your computer shouldn't have any problem using the drive to burn DVDs. Indeed, your computer should be able to run that DVD-authoring software, but not at the optimal speed that it is capable of running at.

The best advice is to ignore the required system specifications and remember that to be able to edit video requires the minimum of a 2.0GHz Intel single-core processor, or an AMD single-core processor with a 2000+ rating.

Note that AMD Phenom and Phenom II triple-core and quad-core processors no longer use speed-rating to compare them to Intel's equivalent processors; they just have model numbers like Intel's processors. As can be seen on this page:

CPU Benchmarks - Common CPU's - "This chart comparing common CPU's is made using thousands of PerformanceTest benchmark results and is updated daily. This chart mainly compares Desktop CPUs, from high end CPUs (such as Intel Core2, Intel Core2 Quad and AMD Phenom Quad-Core processors) to mid-range and lower end CPUs (such as Intel Pentium 4 and AMD Athlon processors)." -

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html