What are the differences between OEM models and retail ones?
Put briefly, this is a mess. OEM models (GWA, GMA, GCA, odd numbered 2-digit GSA models) tend to come bundled with PCs sold by various OEMs (e.g. HP). They generally differ from their retail (4 digit GSA , even numbered 2-digit GSA models) cousins in that they do not have DVD-RAM support (with the exception of the GMA). Some of them do not even use the same chipset as their retail equivalents, and so are different internally. There does not seem to be a way to tell what the exact differences are from the model number/name. There is another key difference between OEM models and retail ones : LG does not support OEM models themselves with firmware. LG has a rather odd policy on OEM writers. They seem to make custom models for OEMs which are different from retail models. As mentioned above, it usually involves leaving out DVD-RAM support. They also expect OEMs to provide the firmware support for these drives themselves. So if you have one of these OEM drives, your best bet is to look for
