Is the CD writer dead - or is it just cheap discs?

[nannynick]

I keep having issues writing CD Audio discs. My laptop has a built in DVD+RW drive which writes CD-R discs. Got some CD-R's from Woolworths, but when writing the discs were sometimes unplayable. Dropped the write speed to 2x and it seems happier. But when playing back the CD, there is a lot of noise in the background.
The source files are in MP3 format and play find directly off hard disk.
Any thoughts... is it worth trying better CD's - Sony, 3M, Berbatim etc - rather than own-brand. Or is the problem likely to be writing software (have tried MediaPlayer and iTunes, and got same result with both), or the disc drive itself (it is close to 4 years old).

Hi Nick,
I always use Asdas own Audio discs, and i have to say i've never had any problems with them. The sound quality is excellent.
At the moment i've got Tescos own as Asda were sold out when i needed them. They are 52x speed and 700 mb, and are also quite good ones.

It might be worth getting your laptop looked at though, as it does sound very strange!

I've not had issues with own-brand discs in the past, Tesco ones have worked fine. As I'm now resorting to writing at 2x speed, and the problem still occurs, I don't think it can be the discs at fault. It must be more likely to be the drive itself. Not sure it is sufficient reason to get myself a new laptop... tempting though!

There are some really good deals around at the moment

I don't suppose it would pay to just get it fixed would it?

I doubt it would be worth fixing... I used to repair laptops in the past. If an exact drive match could be found then yes maybe, but I don't fancy the hassle quite frankly. I'd like a new laptop and deals are certainly around at the moment.
Yep, think it's time to look for a new laptop. Another NEC perhaps, as this laptop has done well given the bashing it gets from kids.