I previously owned a Sony 4x burner and then an NEC 8x burner. The Sony was fine, and the NEC was great, especially for the price. So I decided to upgrade to 16x. I was thinking of going with NEC again as it s a very good burner and the newest 16x version can be found for just over $40. But since I most likely won't be buying a burner for awhile and considering there simply is no better brand than Plextor, I decided to get the PX-716. Obviously it works great. Very fast with everything, some very nice features (the 8mb buffer seems to actually help) and great support. I had a problem with CDs I burned wouldn't work in my car CD player, and emailed tech support in the night and received a response by 6:00 the next morning (the problem wasn't the burner's fault). If you want the best quality and features you won't find in any other drive and you are not on a budget, this drive is a clear choice.