Would an external DVD writer be quicker

OK I've a nice new Mac Book Pro. However I've noticed that it takes longer to write DVD's than my 3 year old Dell running XP.

Now part of the problem is that the Dell has a 16X writer, and a faster Hard Drive.

To write a 3.2Gb DVD the Mac takes 17 mins ( write and verify) whilst the Dell takes 11mins ( same parameters). Limiting the write speed to 8x on the Dell it's still quicker by about 4 mins.

Now my question is would an external DVD writer help speed things up. Or would using different DVD writing software such as Toast help?

You are bottlenecked by the limitations of the DVD drive, not the software.

An external DVD writer would be the solution if you want to burn at faster speeds. I have a LaCie LightScribe that was replaced under warranty after about 8 month and they gave me the latest and greatest version at the time, but shortly after the warranty period expired on the replacement it started acting erratic. Shame because they typically have nice hardware.

I would stick with name brands, Pioneer, Sony, HP, NEC, even LaCie. Stay away from anything Dynex or Insignia if you go to Best Buy.