Durability of CDRW/DVD combo vs CDRW

Is a CDRW/DVD combo have greater chance of a shortened lifespan than just a
plain CDRW? In other words is the moving mechanisms more heavy or
complicated that might cause a faster malfuntion?

I use to be under the impression that it was good to have a CD reader
seperate from your burner due to there not being as long of a lifespan with
a CDRW and to save your CDRWs lifespan by using your reader for reading CDs.
This may still be the case but CDRWs are so cheap now that I don't care and
will have only one. CDRW/DVD combos are cheap as well but I have such
little need for DVD that if they are less durable then I will stick to the
plain CDRW.

Thanks

ahh wrote in message
...

Is a CDRW/DVD combo have greater chance
of a shortened lifespan than just a plain CDRW?

Shouldnt have.

In other words is the moving mechanisms more heavy
or complicated that might cause a faster malfuntion?

Nope. The only real possibility is that the
laser used might not have as long a life.

I use to be under the impression that it was good to have
a CD reader seperate from your burner due to there not
being as long of a lifespan with a CDRW and to save your
CDRWs lifespan by using your reader for reading CDs.

Yes, that was a theoretical desirability when burners were so much
more expensive. The modern reality is that they arent all that much
more expensive than a basic cdrom drive, so that usage consideration
is all rather pointless now, you might as well just treat it as a cheap
drive that can be cheaply replaced if it does stop working instead.

This may still be the case but CDRWs are so
cheap now that I don't care and will have only one.

Yep, thats the fundament that has changed things completely.

CDRW/DVD combos are cheap as well but I have such little need for
DVD that if they are less durable then I will stick to the plain CDRW.

There shouldnt be any effect like that, so you might as well have the
CDRW/DVD combo in case something turns up in DVD format most
cheaply, like say Office etc that needs more than one CD.