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HotHardware Test System |
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A
small form-factor powerhouse |
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Drives Compared:
ASUS
DRW-0402P/D 4x DVDR/RW
(firmware 1.07)
ASUS DRW-0402P 4x
DVD-R/RW (firmware 1.3)
Plextor PX-708A 8x
DVD+R/RW (firmware 1.04)
Common Hardware:
Shuttle
SB61G2 865G SFF
Intel Pentium 4
3.06GHz (533MHz) with HT
1GB Corsair PC3200
Memory
160GB Seagate SATA
7200RPM HDD
ATI RADEON 9800 XT 256MB
(CATALYST 4.1)
On-board Realtek AC'97
codec
Windows XP Professional
SP1 with DirectX 9.0b |
Utilities and Media Used For Testing
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4,448 MB
of large CD images and ~4MB .mp3 music files for DVD Data Tests
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Saving Private Ryan DVD
for DVD Movie Tests
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698MB of
MP3 files for CD Data Tests
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Apollo 13 Original Soundtrack used
for CD Audio Tests
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CD &
DVD Performance Tests |
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Playing in the real-world |
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Nero
InfoTool:
In addition to
its suite of burning software, Ahead's Nero also offers a
slew of utilities for exploring the various features
supported in hardware. Among those capabilities
measured are read/write speed, read features, write
features, and general DVD features.
ASUS DRW-0402P/D |
ASUS DRW-0402P |
Plextor PX-708A |
ASUS' current
flagship, the DRW-0402P/D is similar to its predecessor, the
DRW-0402P with one major exception: the former supports both
DVD+R and DVD-R formats, while the latter is exclusively
limited to DVD-R. Both drives feature a 2MB buffer, in
addition to 32x CD read and 16x CD write speeds. Also
note that neither drive supports the Mt. Rainier write mode,
though they do have buffer underrun protection.
DVDINFOPro:
DVDINFOPro is
very similar to Ahead's InfoTool utility, but as its name
suggests, the little utility is intended for use
specifically with DVD drives.
ASUS DRW-0402P/D |
ASUS DRW-0402P |
Plextor PX-708A |
Most of
DVDINFO's checkboxes merely confirm the results of InfoTool.
However, it's certainly interesting to note that the "Extra
Info" tag identifies both ASUS drives as Pioneer hardware.
Indeed, the DRW-0402P/D is remarkably similar to the Pioneer
DVR-A06, so it wouldn't be surprising if the two brands
share internals.
While it isn't
exactly a relevant contender, Plextor's PX-708A demonstrates
the features offered by a more modern drive, including Mr.
Rainier support and significantly faster burn capabilities.
DVD X Copy
1.4.1:
The most
important benchmark metrics are, of course, real-world
applications that showcase performance in an actual usage
scenario. DVD X Copy is a particularly interesting
piece of software because it allows you to completely copy
your CSS-encrypted movie collection for personal backup.
In terms of actual implementation, it's a bit controversial
among the community devoted to making legal copies of movies
because it doesn't offer complete control over the process
and it inserts its own warning screen at the beginning of
each movie, which is admittedly slightly inconvenient.
Nevertheless, it does provide inexperienced users the means
to copy their movies without worrying about stripping files
from a protected disc. Its burning process also serves
as a useful benchmark for gauging the length of time you'd
need to write a decrypted movie stored on your hard drive to
disk.
DVD X Copy turns
out a somewhat disappointing finish for the DRW-0402P/D,
which isn't even able to finish the test. For some
reason, the application repeatedly spit back a media error,
exposing either a compatibility issue with the software or
media. Yet, the drive's predecessor didn't have a
problem burning Saving Private Ryan, finishing a
scant two minutes after the speedy 8x Plextor drive.
Nero Tests |