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Stecchino · 12:22 PM

...will you click on the Apple Menu, then "About this Mac", then the "More Info..." button and tell me the exact model number of the SuperDrive you have so I can upgrade my iMac G5 (combo drive). Thanks!

You'll probably have to expand the "Hardware" arrow and select "ATA." For example, in my eMac I pull up the following information for my SuperDrive:

PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-107D:

Capacity: 7.27 GB
Manufacturer: PIONEER
Model: PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-107D
Revision: A707
Drive Type: CD-RW/DVD-RW
Disc Burning: Apple Supported/Shipped
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk1
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal
OS9 Drivers: No

Thanks for your help in advance.

EDIT: I just saw another thread referring to the Pioneer DVR-K04f as the SuperDrive model in the iMac G5's, can someone confirm this?

tooki · Apr 22, 2005, 05:43 PM

That refers to an iMac G4. The current G5 iMacs have a Matsushita (Panasonic) UJ-835.

tooki

Stecchino · Apr 22, 2005, 06:14 PM

Thanks for the input, tooki, He just confirmed that he was talking about his iMac G5, so it appears that Apple used at least 2 different SuperDrive models on their iMacs G5's. His is the 20", which iMac do you have?

Two potential replacements so far:
Matsushita (Panasonic) UJ-835
Pioneer DVR-K04

discotronic · Apr 22, 2005, 06:38 PM

I have the MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-825 in my 17" 1.8GHz. It is a first run machine so I don't know if that has anything to do with the different numbering.

Stecchino · Apr 22, 2005, 06:44 PM

Thanks.

Updated list:
Matsushita (Panasonic) UJ-835
Matsushite (Panasonic) UJ-825
Pioneer DVR-K04

tooki · Apr 23, 2005, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by Stecchino

Thanks for the input, tooki, He just confirmed that he was talking about his iMac G5, so it appears that Apple used at least 2 different SuperDrive models on their iMacs G5's. His is the 20", which iMac do you have?

Well I'll be darned, the K04 is a notebook slot-load drive. I thought that model was a desktop drive.

I do not own an iMac, but I have worked on them. Plus, the iMac G5, the Mac mini, and all the Apple laptops use the same drives, so what they install in one, they may also install in the others (which specific model depends on what drive vendor gave them a better deal that month, I suppose!).

The UJ-825 is an obsolete model, a 4x unit. I think it is what Apple is still putting in the iMacs, but you can't even get them any more. The UJ-835 is what is in the PowerBooks, and is an 8x writer (though people have found its real-world write performance to be the same as a 4x unit

). That model, too, is obsolete, having been replaced with the UJ-845, which Apple has yet to install in any model of Mac.

In any case, any of the models in your list are known to be fully supported by the OS, and will work as well as if it had come from the factory that way. Considering how finicky people have found the UJ-835 to be, you might want to give the Pioneer a shot.

tooki

tooki · Apr 23, 2005, 10:12 AM

Oh yes, to clarify then:

UJ-815/816: 2x write
UJ-825: 4x
UJ-835: [lousy] 8x
UJ-845: [lousy] 8x, not yet supported by Mac OS

DVR-K04: 8x

Stecchino · Apr 23, 2005, 10:56 AM

Good to know, tooki. May I ask where you get your information so that in the future when I'm ready to upgrade I know where to look. i.e. Where did you hear that the UJ-835 is "lousy"?

Thanks!

discotronic · Apr 23, 2005, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

Oh yes, to clarify then:

UJ-815/816: 2x write
UJ-825: 4x
UJ-835: [lousy] 8x
UJ-845: [lousy] 8x, not yet supported by Mac OS

DVR-K04: 8x

I just wanted to add something here. I have the UJ-825 and have yet to get a DVD to burn above 2x. I have tried multiple brands of DVDs without success but other than that it works. The SuperDrive that was in my iMac G4 1.25GHz actually burned at 4x on any 4x media.

P · Apr 24, 2005, 03:49 PM

My burner (an UJ-825) has burned 4x discs from the first batch I bought, but the current batch, which is also labelled 4x, only burns at 2x. There is some sort of incompability going on here...

PBG4 User · Apr 24, 2005, 10:31 PM

Originally Posted by P

My burner (an UJ-825) has burned 4x discs from the first batch I bought, but the current batch, which is also labelled 4x, only burns at 2x. There is some sort of incompability going on here...

I've burned at 4X using Sony DVD-R discs on my UJ-825 drive.

P · Apr 25, 2005, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by PBG4 User

I've burned at 4X using Sony DVD-R discs on my UJ-825 drive.

Good idea. My UJ-825 drive burns Ritek RiDiscs 4x at the stated 4x speed, but Princo 4x discs at 2x speed. This is 100% by the way - all RiDiscs and Princos work at 4x.

Avon · May 2, 2005, 12:53 AM

Originally Posted by P

Good idea. My UJ-825 drive burns Ritek RiDiscs 4x at the stated 4x speed, but Princo 4x discs at 2x speed. This is 100% by the way - all RiDiscs and Princos work at 4x.

I picked up the middle of the road iMac on Friday, here is what it came with:

PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-K04F:

Firmware Revision: I437
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipped/Supported)
Cache: 2000 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +RW
Burn Underrun Protection CD: Yes
Burn Underrun Protection DVD: Yes
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO
Media: No

Stecchino · May 2, 2005, 08:49 AM

Thank you all for your responses thus far. It will be handy in the future for me and others who want to upgrade their optical drive and save a few bucks by doing it themselves.

Eug Wanker · May 2, 2005, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by tooki

UJ-845: [lousy] 8x, not yet supported by Mac OS

Macs are already shipping with the UJ-845.

tooki · May 2, 2005, 08:19 PM

Indeed, I figured it was about time for Apple to start shipping it. (Note that my info was correct-to-my-knowledge at the time I posted. Your linked thread was started after posted.)

tooki

tooki · May 2, 2005, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by Stecchino

Good to know, tooki. May I ask where you get your information so that in the future when I'm ready to upgrade I know where to look. i.e. Where did you hear that the UJ-835 is "lousy"?

Thanks!

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?t=245720

tooki

Eug Wanker · May 3, 2005, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by tooki

Indeed, I figured it was about time for Apple to start shipping it. (Note that my info was correct-to-my-knowledge at the time I posted. Your linked thread was started after posted.)

I suspect this is the 8X DL drive in the new iMacs.

Originally Posted by Stecchino

Good to know, tooki. May I ask where you get your information so that in the future when I'm ready to upgrade I know where to look. i.e. Where did you hear that the UJ-835 is "lousy"?

It's not a lousy drive. It just needs good media to burn at its full speed, and its 8X isn't a true 8X. But the burned discs should be fine if the media is good.