Performance

We tested this drive using Nero 5.5.10.9 which comes bundled with it. We also upgraded the firmware to version 1.0.2. Apart from where stated, we used Firewire for these tests.

The first thing I noticed that was slightly misleading was that the DVD media has 4.7gb plastered all over them, when in fact, it's 4.38gb.

Test 1

For this test, we used 6 files, taking up exactly 4227942kb of space. Using the theoretical speed of 3,312kb/s that 2.4x comes with and 5,520kb/s for 4x, we should be expecting times of around 21:16 and 12:45 respectfully. But taking into account recording the TOC and sorting out other such things, we should expect it to be slightly above this.

The time difference between the +RW and +R is minimal. I would put this down to perhaps the +RW has to erase the old data as it goes along. Either way, it's hardly anything to start crying about. Not that I make a habit of crying.

At 4x, we shave a good 9 minutes off the time. Which for people in a big hurry, or if you copying a lot of DVD's, is great. But thanks to the wonders of buffer underun protection, most people will leave it running in the background while they carry on there normal tasks. So the time it takes will not make that much difference to a lot of people.

Test 2 - Firewire Vs. USB

The firewire port was that on my Audigy 2 sound card. The USB 2.0 port was an add-on PCI card. 10 seconds is next to no difference at all and not worth looking into.

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