Which is better CD-R or CD-RW?

i just use CD-R... they're so dirt cheap anyways CD-RW isn't worth it unless u plan to re-write it A LOT

I've noticed that the CD-RWs tend to get scratched easily.

Yes some data will be updated on daily basis so I will back it up again and again. However some movies, games and music I think would do on CD-Rs.

that_staples_guy, I've seen those anti-scratch or scratch-proof or whatever CDs, are they any good?

Also my quesiton remains, does writing on a CD-RW again and again lower its life?

One more, can a CD be more than 700MB, like 750MB or 800MB maximum?

How much data are you talking about here ?

With the price of DVD Burners dipping below $60 and media going as low as $.25 I really see no point in storing Data on CDs anymore.

The quality of the discs depends on the manufacturer, not really the format. You'll get the same quality with both CD-R and CD-RW. However, I personally "feel" that CD-R are safer, but I don't have actual data to back that up. And yes, writing on a CD-RW will lower its life. CD-RWs are intended to be written about 1000 times.

Most definitely CD-R discs are more long lasting than CD-Rw discs. CD-Rw are designed to be impermanent. On many occasions, I've seen CD-Rw discs lose their data, while I have CD-Rs that are a decade old and still perfectly readable.

Just make sure you don't buy some garbage CMC or Infodisc media because all you will get is a nice set of coasters. Check out the media forums at club.cdfreaks.com if you are looking for advice on getting good CD-R media.

Corizzle wrote:With the price of DVD Burners dipping below $60 and media going as low as $.25 I really see no point in storing Data on CDs anymore.

Firstly, DVDR media production is not yet a mature technology. It has been improving a lot, but still even the best media cannot be expected to be completely robust. If you are making really critical backups, I would still use a high quality CD-R from T-Y or Mitsui (with a gold reflective layer) before any kind of DVDR.

Now in practice, I do use DVDR discs for some of my rolling backups, but I don't rely on these having 10-20+ year longevity.

And while media is as low as 25c each, that is the Optodisc garbage that fails before you can say "Made in Hong Kong." Better media from Prodisc, Mitsubishi Chemicals, Ritek, Maxell, T-Y, etc. will cost you 40-50c a piece for the fastest speeds.

entralinks wrote:Yes some data will be updated on daily basis so I will back it up again and again.

For that, just use one of those external notebook hard drives you can get for cheap in the [rfdlink=/forums/autolink/redirectpage.php?linkid=28]NCIX[/rfdlink] sales. Either that or use a rolling backup, i.e. every week burn a new CD-R and throw it out once it's 3 weeks old.

entralinks wrote: However some movies, games and music I think would do on CD-Rs.

For this you should use DVDR because movies, games and music go out of date and it's not ultra-critical that they are saved. I am saving an incredible amount of physical space by burning my stuff to DVDR instead of CD-R.

entralinks wrote: that_staples_guy, I've seen those anti-scratch or scratch-proof or whatever CDs, are they any good?

While they do actually protect against some scratches, they're not so useful unless you're actually handling the disc a lot and exposing it to conditions that can lead to scratches. If it is a backup, the disc will just sit there in a binder or jewel case and not get a chance to get scratched. So IMO it is not worthwhile to pay extra money for scratch resistant discs to be used for backups.

Also my quesiton remains, does writing on a CD-RW again and again lower its life?

entralinks wrote: One more, can a CD be more than 700MB, like 750MB or 800MB maximum?

There are such things as CD-Rs of higher capacity, but those are not standard and there is no guarantee that any particular will succesfully burn them or that a particular reader will successfully read them.

Also there are technologies to squeeze more data onto a 700 MB disc available using some Plextor drives, but again, there is no guarantee the data will be readable on anything but another high end Plextor drive.

i was thinking of just exactly the same question. I have lots of photos that I like to back up. But at the moment i have about 150 Meg of photos. I'd like to back up each 100meg or so till i reach 700 meg, then i will transfer to a CD-R.

Yes, cd-r's are dirt cheap, but using only 14% of a cd-r each time i back up just doesn't make sense.

me! wrote:i was thinking of just exactly the same question. I have lots of photos that I like to back up. But at the moment i have about 150 Meg of photos. I'd like to back up each 100meg or so till i reach 700 meg, then i will transfer to a CD-R.

Yes, cd-r's are dirt cheap, but using only 14% of a cd-r each time i back up just doesn't make sense.

You can burn CD-R discs in multisession so you can add a little with every burn.

Jucius Maximus wrote:You can burn CD-R discs in multisession so you can add a little with every burn.

multisession??

I am a cd-r burning newbie, can you elaborate?

btw if it helps i have Nero.

Thanks Jucius, thanks everyone.

You know at the moment I cannot afford a DVD burner, so getting DVD-R(W) is out of the question.


So its CD-R then.

me! wrote:multisession??

I am a cd-r burning newbie, can you elaborate?

btw if it helps i have Nero.

Multisession - in days of yore it used to be called "Kodak PhotoCD"

Basically when you burn a CD-R you leave it "open" or "closed"

If it is closed, then you cannot burn anything after that. If you leave it open, you can burn again and add more data. If you left the second burn open, then you can burn again after that.

Of course once you get near the end of the disc, the software will force you to close the disc.

The open/closed settings are options in the CD Layout Settings in Nero. This will be explained in Nero's documentation.

entralinks wrote: You know at the moment I cannot afford a DVD burner, so getting DVD-R(W) is out of the question.


So its CD-R then.

The cost/MB is actually much cheaper with DVDR media, btw.

It's actually less expensive in the long term to use DVDs.

Jucius Maximus wrote:Multisession - in days of yore it used to be called "Kodak PhotoCD"

Basically when you burn a CD-R you leave it "open" or "closed"

If it is closed, then you cannot burn anything after that. If you leave it open, you can burn again and add more data. If you left the second burn open, then you can burn again after that.

Of course once you get near the end of the disc, the software will force you to close the disc.

The open/closed settings are options in the CD Layout Settings in Nero. This will be explained in Nero's documentation.

great! thanks for the tip. I'll try to add more to my CD-R tonight and see how it goes.

Jucius Maximus wrote:Multisession - in days of yore it used to be called "Kodak PhotoCD"

Basically when you burn a CD-R you leave it "open" or "closed"

If it is closed, then you cannot burn anything after that. If you leave it open, you can burn again and add more data. If you left the second burn open, then you can burn again after that.

Of course once you get near the end of the disc, the software will force you to close the disc.

The open/closed settings are options in the CD Layout Settings in Nero. This will be explained in Nero's documentation.

Thanks I did not know that ....about closure/finalizing.

Jucius Maximus wrote:The cost/MB is actually much cheaper with DVDR media, btw.

It's actually less expensive in the long term to use DVDs.

Valid point indeed. You know I've just upgraded ram, hard drive and bought a couple of games so currently I'm out of money. But definitely as soon as I save some, first thing will be a DVD burner. Thanks again.

CD-RW for burning Linux live-CDs and distros.
quality CD-R like Made In Japan Fujis for saving your precious "Kodak moments"