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Secrets of choosing a CD-ROM for your computer. What is a CD-ROM and DVD drive? CD rw drive is designed for

The current state of the optical drive market is such that “read-only” drives have almost completely outlived their usefulness functionally. The reason for this was a significant reduction in prices for disc recording devices. Moreover, modern CD-RW drives have already reached the peak of their development, which is reflected in their functional and speed characteristics. Most likely, the innovative potential of manufacturing companies in this area is almost exhausted. DVD burners are coming into circulation more and more every day.

However, you shouldn't write off CD burners too early. Only now they have become available to absolutely everyone. Almost everyone new computer is equipped with at least a CD-RW drive. That is why in our review we tried to explore as widely as possible the line of recording optical drives available on our market. Therefore, below we consider both low-, mid-, and high-end devices, a total of 11 copies.

AOpen CRW-5232

AOpen drives belong to the budget sector of the disc reader and writer market - their price is quite acceptable for many consumers. At the same time, the AOpen CRW-5232 optical drive has enough high quality manufacturing, and also meets modern requirements for speed characteristics.

The front panel has a discreet design, but is not without its own style. It contains a headphone output, a volume control, a drive operation indicator, and buttons for rewinding/playing audio tracks and ejecting the tray.

On the back of the drive there is a Molex power connector, an IDE interface connector, digital and analog audio outputs, and two sets of pins for positioning the drive and its factory testing.

Technical Specifications:

CD-ROM: 4x, 8x, 10x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 48x, 52x;
CD-R: 8x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 48x, 52x;
CD-RW: 4x, 10x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x;
CD: CD-DA, CD-Extra, CD-RW, CD-Text, Video-CD, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-I, Photo-CD;
CD-ROM: 100 ms;

JustLink
JustSpeed- technology that optimizes the recording speed of discs to minimize errors that occur when burning at speeds above 16x.

As you can see, the drive supports quick formatting of Mount Rainier rewritable CD-RW discs.

ASUS CRW-5232AS

Famous Taiwanese manufacturer computer components, ASUS, has long been producing optical drives under its own brand. The company's products in this category are positioned as mainstream solutions. However, their quality and technical specifications have always been up to standard.

The front panel design is simple and tasteful. It contains an audio output for headphones, an audio volume control, two LED indicators indicating the drive status (read/write), as well as a button for moving through audio tracks and a button for loading/unloading discs.

On the back of the case there are interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, and two sets of pins for drive positioning and factory testing.

It is also worth noting that, thanks to the single-chip design, the drive has reduced dimensions and weight, which can greatly facilitate its installation in the now fashionable barebone systems.

The drive was tested in OEM version without any accessories.

Technical Specifications:

CD-ROM: 4x, 8x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 48x, 52x;
CD-R: 4x, 8x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 48x, 52x;
CD-RW: 4x, 10x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x.
CD: CD-ROM, CD-ROM/XA, Photo CD, CD-I, CD-Extra, CD-Text, Video CD, Audio CD, I-Trax;
CD-R/RW: DAO, TAO, SAO, Multisession, Packet Write;
CD-ROM: 100 ms;

The drive also supports the following proprietary technologies:

DDSS II- Double Dynamic Suspension System, the second generation of disk stabilization system during operation;
AFFM– AirFlow Field Modification, air flow modification technology that reduces noise during read/write processes;
FlextraLink- technology for preventing errors associated with underloading of the buffer;
FlextraSpeed- technology for selecting the optimal recording speed to reduce the error level to a minimum.

Label on top panel gives general information about the place and time of production of the drive:

Now let's move on to studying the information about the drive obtained using utilities. To do this, we will use the programs NeroInfoTool and DVDInfoPro, with their help you can roughly learn about supported technologies, formats and types of discs.

BenQ 5232P

During its presence in our market, the young company BenQ has managed to establish itself well as a manufacturer of high-quality and relatively inexpensive LCD panels, computer peripherals, scanners and optical drives.

The BenQ 5232P drive has a simple, unremarkable design. Under the tray, on the front panel, there is an audio output for headphones, an audio volume control, a button for moving through audio CD tracks, and a tray eject/load button.

On the rear panel of the drive you can find a power connector, an interface connector, pins for positioning the drive, analog and digital outputs.

The drive was tested in OEM version without any accessories.

Technical Specifications:

CD-ROM: 40x, 52x;
CD-RW: 4x, 10x, 12x, 16x, 20x, 24x, 32x.
CD: CD-DA, CD-ROM (mode 1 and 2), CD-ROM XA, CD-I, CD-I Ready, Video CD, CD Extra, Karaoke CD (VCD format), Enhanced CD, Photo-CD, CD-RW, CD-WO;
CD-R/RW: DAO, TAO, SAO, Multisession, Packet Write;
CD-ROM: 80 ms;

By default, the drive's CD reading speed is limited to 40x. However, after holding down the Eject button for three seconds, the speed was set to 52x.

The drive also supports the following proprietary technologies:

Seamless Link- allows the CD-RW drive to remember the address of the recording end point and stop recording while a buffer error occurs - it is empty.

The label on the top panel gives general information about the place and time of manufacture of the drive:

LG GCE-8522B

LG optical drives are widespread in our country. They have a reputation for being cheap and not very high quality products. We will be able to see later whether the LG GCE-8522B drive that took part in testing will confirm its reputation later, but now about the design and declared functionality.

The drive tray, on which you can read the name of the manufacturer and the speed formula, is made in the usual LG style - it has rounded lines that give a “soft” shade to the entire design. Under the tray there is an audio output for headphones, a volume control, a drive operation indicator and a disc eject button.

On the back of the drive there is a power connector, an IDE cable connector, pins that determine the position of the device on the interface cable, analog and digital audio outputs.

The drive was tested in OEM version without any accessories.

Technical Specifications:

CD-ROM: 52x;
CD-R: 8x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 52x;
CD-RW: 4x, 10x, 16x, 24x.
CD-R/RW: DAO, TAO, SAO, Multisession, Packet Write;
CD-ROM: 90 ms;

The drive also supports the following proprietary technologies:

A.F.T.- Anti Flutter Technology, reduces the error rate when writing discs at high speeds.

The label on the top panel gives general information about the place and time of manufacture of the drive:

As you can see, the drive supports quick formatting of Mount Rainier rewritable CD-RW discs.

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

The drive from Mitsumi has a strict, classic design. The set of elements located on the front panel is standard: a headphone output, a volume control, an LED indicator of drive operation and a tray eject button on which the speed formula is applied.

Looking at back panel drive, you can find a Molex connector, interface connector, drive positioning pins, analog and digital audio outputs.

The drive was tested in OEM version without any accessories.

Technical Specifications:

CD-ROM: 4x, 16x, 32x, 40x, 54x;
CD-R: 4x, 16x, 32x, 40x, 54x;
CD-RW: 1x, 2x, 4x, 10x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x.
CD: CD-R/RW, CD-ROM Mode 1,2, CD-ROM XA, CD-Plus, CD Extra, CD Text, Mixed CD, CD-I FMV, CD-DA, Video CD, Photo-CD, Video CD;
CD-R/RW: DAO, TAO, SAO, Multisession, Packet Write;
CD-ROM: 120 ms;

The drive also supports the following proprietary technologies:

ExacLink- technology to prevent errors due to buffer underruns.

The label on the top panel gives general information about the place and time of manufacture of the drive:

As you can see, the drive supports quick formatting of Mount Rainier rewritable CD-RW discs.

MSI CR52-M

The Taiwanese company MSI has been producing optical drives relatively recently. However, its products for this market segment have already gained well-deserved popularity. And not the least role was played here by the original design solutions that the company implements in its drives.

The drive was tested in full retail. And the first thing that catches your eye when opening the box is the three replaceable front panels, which give the drive an original and stylish look. It is for this reason that the MSI CR52-M wins the Best Design Award.

The rest of the package includes the drive itself, an analog audio cable, a CD with the Nero Burning Rom program and a manual for its use. It's a pity, of course, that the equipment optical devices MSI's performance falls somewhat short of the level of its video cards, but still, it's better than nothing.

On the back side of the drive there are three rows of pins (two for factory testing, one for positioning), digital and analog audio outputs, interface and power connectors.

Technical Specifications:

CD-ROM: 40x, 52x;
CD-R: 4x, 8x, 12x, 16x, 20x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 48x, 52x;
CD-RW: 2x, 4x, 10x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x.
CD: CD-R/RW, CD-ROM Mode 1,2, CD-ROM XA, CD-Plus, CD Extra, CD Text, Mixed CD, CD-I FMV, CD-DA, Video CD, Photo-CD, Video CD;
CD-ROM: 80 ms;

The drive also supports the following proprietary technologies:

ABS- Anti-Bumping System, technology that reduces disk vibration, which allows you to read data with greater accuracy;
SoftBurn- noise reduction technology;
SuperLink- protection technology against data buffer underrun;
HyperGuard- provides protection for low-quality disks from destruction when reading/writing at high speeds.

The label on the top panel gives general information about the place and time of manufacture of the drive:

As you can see, the drive supports quick formatting of Mount Rainier rewritable CD-RW discs.

MSI CRE52-M

External optical drives are not very common in our market and are not in great demand. The reason most likely lies in the lack of demand for these devices, as well as the high price relative to domestic analogues. However, their presence should not be completely ignored; external drives have one undeniable advantage - there is no need to disassemble the computer in order to use it. Often this opportunity turns out to be decisive when choosing a drive - after all, sometimes the selling company prohibits opening the computer case until the warranty period expires.

The external “burner” is represented in this review by a drive from MSI. The drive has a nice looking (and touching;)) design. On the front panel you can see a tray eject/load button and a button for skipping audio tracks. It’s immediately worth noting that both buttons act as LED indicators. When a disc is inserted, the "Eject" button glows a pleasant blue color. During reading, the second button has the peculiarity of blinking blue, and when you try to write something down, the blue color changes to green. The developers have not forgotten the audio output for headphones, coupled with a volume control.

On the rear side, the drive has an output for connecting a USB cable, an audio output, an on/off switch for the device, and an output for the power supply.

In addition to the MSI CRE520-M drive itself, the standard package includes: a power supply along with the necessary adapters for connecting it to the drive, a USB and audio cable, a quick installation guide, a disk with Nero Burning Rom software and a small booklet on its use.

Technical Specifications:

CD-ROM: 40x, 52x;
CD-R: 4x, 8x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 48x, 52x;
CD-RW: 2x, 4x, 10x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x.
CD: CD-R/RW, CD-ROM Mode 1,2, CD-ROM XA, CD-Plus, CD Extra, CD Text, Mixed CD, CD-I FMV, CD-DA, Video CD, Photo-CD, Video CD;
CD-R/RW: Disc-at-Once, Track-at-Once, Session-at-Once, Multisession, Packet Writing, RAW Mode;
CD-ROM: 80 ms;

By default, the drive's CD reading speed is limited to 40x. However, after holding down the Eject button for three seconds, the speed was set to 52x.

As you can see, the drive supports quick formatting of Mount Rainier rewritable CD-RW discs.

NEC NR-9400A

NEC drives are widespread in our market and have a reputation for inexpensive and high-quality devices. In our review, the Japanese company is represented by the NR-9400A model - today it is the most modern in the NEC line of CD-RW drives.

As you can see in the photo, its design is no different from other products of the company. If my memory serves me correctly, the design has not changed for 3-4 years. However, the drive doesn’t look bad anyway - strict straight lines, the name of the manufacturer printed on the tray, an audio output, a signal volume control, a drive operation indicator and a tray eject button - everything is done simply and tastefully.

The rear panel of the NR-9400A is also unremarkable. It contains connectors for connecting power, interface, analog and digital cables, as well as three rows of pins for positioning.

The drive was tested in OEM version without any accessories.

Technical Specifications:

CD-ROM: 4x, 8x, 10x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 48x;
CD-R: 4x, 8x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 48x;
CD-RW: 4x, 10x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x.
CD: CD-R/RW, CD-ROM Mode 1,2, CD-ROM XA, CD-Plus, CD Extra, CD Text, Mixed CD, CD-I FMV, CD-DA, Video CD, Photo-CD, Video CD;
CD-R/RW: DAO, TAO, SAO, Multisession, Packet Write;
CD-ROM: 110 ms;

The manufacturer's official website does not say anything about the drive's support for any proprietary technologies. However, protection against buffer underrun is mentioned, which, however, is not at all surprising - drives without it have not been produced for several years now.

The label on the top panel gives general information about the place and time of manufacture of the drive:

As you can see, the drive supports quick formatting of Mount Rainier rewritable CD-RW discs.

Plextor PlexWriter Premium and PlexTools

The Japanese company Plextor has been present on our market for a very short time. However, its products are in wide demand around the world and have a reputation for functionality and quality.

The Plextor PlexWriter Premium model is presented in our review in two colors: black and white. The front panel of the drive has a strict, unremarkable design, however, like most of the company's products. Under the tray, which bears the model name, there is an audio output for headphones, a volume control, an LED indicator and a disc eject button. The indicator is orange, indicating that the disc is being read/written, and green when a disc is simply inserted into the drive. The rear side contains interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, as well as a set of pins for positioning the drive. Let us also draw your attention to the fact that the drive tray is black, which, according to the company, reduces the level of C1 errors and reduces jitter.

As for the drive with a black front panel, the color is the only thing that distinguishes it from its white counterpart, as you can see by looking at the photo:

The delivery set includes the following components: the drive itself; two disks with software; CD-R disc from Verbatim(???), certified for recording at 52x speed; 40-wire interface IDE cable; a bag with mounting screws, a jumper and a device for emergency removal of the drive tray without turning on the computer; a small insert containing instructions for mounting the drive and installing the main software; very good user manual English language describing the installation, configuration and use of the drive.

Despite the complete identity of both devices, the configuration and packaging of the “black” one has some differences:

Instead of one 700 MB CD-R disc Verbatim, the kit includes 700 MB CD-R and 650 MB CD-RW disks produced by Plextor itself, there is also no interface cable. Perhaps, this is where all the differences between the drives end.

The drive comes standard with the following software:

Easy CD Creator 6 (program for burning CD/DVD discs);
PlexTools.

And perhaps we’ll dwell on the latter in more detail.

Plextools

The proprietary PlexTools utility allows you to configure various drive parameters, as well as perform some tests on the quality of writing and reading disks.

We believe that the capabilities of this program should be examined in more detail. Therefore, below we provide a more complete description of each of its sections.

General Information:

Displays information about installed IDE devices, as well as information about the firmware and buffer size of optical drives.

Drive Settings:

Basic: allows you to adjust the speed of reading CD/DVD discs, the speed of stopping discs and the volume of audio output.

Advanced: turns on/off buffer underrun protection during recording, allows you to “hide” the “origin” of inserted CD-R discs from other programs, initializes support for DMA mode, etc.

VariRec (CD): Enables/disables the use of VariRec mode, which allows you to manually adjust the laser power when recording (disabled by default).

GigaRec: turns on/off GigaRec technology, which allows you to write up to 1 GB of information onto one standard 700 MB disk; however, very few drives can then read data from it.

Silent Mode: adjusts the maximum disk read/write speed, access speed (Access time) and drive tray eject/load speed (!).

SecuRec: allows you to set a password to access the recorded disc at the hardware level.

Drive Information:

Displays information about supported speed modes, as well as the types of discs readable and writable.

CD/DVD Info:

Shows information about the disc inserted into the drive.

Multimedia Player:

The simplest player for various multimedia files (WAV, MP3, MPEG4, etc.).

AudioCD Player:

The simplest AudioCD player.

Digital Audio Extraction:

Quite a functional "ripper" of AudioCD discs.

Audio CD Maker:

"Burner" of AudioCD discs.

CD/DVD-ROM Maker:

Burns CD/DVD discs.

CD/DVD Copy:

Makes an exact copy of a disk to another disk or to an image on a hard drive.

CD/DVD RW Functions:

Performs quick/full formatting of CD/DVD RW discs.

CD/DVD Test:

Searches for fatal errors on the disk and also identifies potential read errors.

Read Transfer Rate Test:

Performs sequential reading of data from the disk to calculate the data transfer rate over the interface.

Write Transfer Rate Test:

Performs sequential recording (in emulation mode) of data to disk to calculate the data transfer rate over the interface.

Q-Check C1/C2 Test:

Test the quality of the recorded CD-R/RW disc, checks for C1, C2 and CU errors.

Q-Check FE/TE Test:

Test of mechanical characteristics of blank CD-R/RW discs (carried out in emulation mode).

Q-Check Beta/Jitter Test:

Test the quality of the recorded CD-R/RW disc, checks for Beta and Jitter errors.

Q-Check PI/PO Test:

The quality test of the recorded DVD±R/RW disc shows the number of Parity Inner and Parity Outer errors (available only for Plextor DVD burners).

Technical Specifications:

CD-ROM: 4x, 8x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 52x;
CD-R: 4x, 8x, 16x, 20x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 52x;
CD-RW: 4x, 10x, 16x, 20x, 24x, 32x;
CD: CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM + CD-DA, CD-ROM XA, CD-I, PHOTO-CD, VIDEO-CD, CD-Extra, CD+G, CD-TEXT;
CD-R/RW: DAO, TAO, SAO, Multisession, Packet Write;
CD-ROM:<65 мс;

The drive also supports the following proprietary technologies:

GigaRec- allows you to record up to 1.2 GB of data on one standard 99-minute disc or 1 GB per 80-minute disc. However, in the future very few drives will be able to read data from it;
SecuRec- allows you to protect data at the hardware level;
Silent Mode- allows you to configure access time, read and write speed, as well as disk ejection time at your discretion;
Q-Check- provides support for error checking (C1/C2 test, FE/TE test and Beta/Jitter test) before and after the recording process;
BURN-Proof- buffer underrun protection;
PowerRec II- technology that regulates the recording speed of discs to minimize possible errors;
VariRec- allows you to manually adjust the audio tone settings when recording audio CDs.

The label on the top panel gives general information about where and when the actuators were manufactured:

As you can see, both devices are practically the same here - both were made in China in August 2003. Even the first five digits of the serial number are the same, which indicates that the drives belong to the same batch.

Now let's move on to studying information about drives obtained using utilities. To do this, we will use the programs NeroInfoTool and DVDInfoPro, with their help you can roughly learn about supported technologies, formats and types of discs.

Let me make a reservation right away that all the results of both Plextor drives are almost completely identical. For this reason, diagrams and table data are presented in a single copy.

As you can see, the drives support the quick formatting function of Mount Rainier rewritable CD-RW discs, and also have the largest buffer compared to the rest of the review participants.

Sony CRX230E

In fact, the Sony CRX230E drive is a rebranded product from LiteOn. This fact is evidenced by both its design and its characteristics. On the front panel there is an audio output for headphones, an audio volume control, an LED drive indicator and a tray eject/load button.

On the back of the drive there are analog and digital audio outputs, drive positioning pins, Molex and IDE connectors.

It is also worth noting that the length of the drive allows it to be mounted even in the smallest housings - it is only 170 mm.

The drive was tested in OEM version without any accessories.

Technical Specifications:

CD-ROM: 4x, 8x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 52x;
CD-R: 4x, 8x, 12x,16x, 20x, 24x, 32x, 40x, 48x, 52x;
CD-RW: 4x, 10x, 16x, 24x, 32x.
CD: CD-R/RW, CD-ROM Mode 1,2, CD-ROM XA, CD-Plus, CD Extra, CD Text, Mixed CD, CD-I FMV, CD-DA, Video CD, Photo-CD, Video CD;
CD-R/RW: DAO, TAO, SAO, Multisession, Packet Write;
CD-ROM: 100 ms;

The drive also supports the following proprietary technologies:

Power-Burn- technology to protect the buffer from emptying.

The label on the top panel gives general information about the place and time of manufacture of the drive:

As you can see, the drive supports quick formatting of Mount Rainier rewritable CD-RW discs.

resultstesting:

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Write Transfer Rate

To carry out the test, eight discs were recorded in emulation mode: CD-R Digitex 52x, CD-R Verbatim 48x, CD-R e-ProFormance 24x (800 MB), CD-R Philips 48x (800 MB), CD-RW e- ProFormance 12x, CD-RW Verbatim 10x, CD-RW Verbatim 24x, CD-RW Verbatim 32x.

CD-R Digitex 52x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

The disc from Digitex is certified for recording at 52x speed. However, not all drives were able to record it at such a speed. In particular, this applies to BenQ, LG, Mitsumi, NEC and Sony. If everything is clear with the NEC NR-9400A (it is capable of recording discs at a maximum speed of 48x), then the reason why the others refused to “accelerate to full speed” is not entirely clear. We will assume that these drives themselves know better what and at what speed they write. It is also worth noting the external MSI CRE52-M - at the very end of the disk there was some kind of “jump”. However, later the same disc was recorded without any problems. The “fastest” representative of the review, Mitsumi CR-485GTE, coped with a 52x drive at the lowest speed relative to other drives - 16x.

CD-R Verbatim 48x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

As for the Verbatim disk, the high quality of its production was once again confirmed. Seven out of ten presented drives were able to record it at their maximum speed - 52x. However, on the other hand, everyone else burned it at a lower speed than it is certified. Otherwise, there are no complaints. We can only once again note the device from Mitsumi, which refused to write even a higher-quality disc at the maximum speed declared for itself - 54x.

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

800 MB disks are not in very wide demand in our market, however, their presence should not be ignored. Moreover, it is always useful to know how drives can handle non-standard media. As you can see from the graphs, only the LG GCE-8522B was able to correctly recognize an 800 MB disk. Everyone else stubbornly “claimed” that no more than 700 MB (±3 MB) would fit on a “blank”. However, all the drives were able to write 800 MB to this disk without any problems, despite all the assurances of the Nero Burning Rom program that overburning disks is “not good.” I would also like to assure you that there were no problems reading them on other drives.

I would also like to note both devices from MSI - they were able to burn a certified 24x disc at speeds of 32x (external MSI CRE52-M) and 52x (MSI CR52-M).

CD-R Philips 48x (800 MB):

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

In addition to the 800 MB 24x e-ProFormance drives, the testing also included Philips' more expensive 800 MB drives certified for 48x recording. And I want to say right away that not all drives were able to record it at such a speed. Representatives from AOpen, ASUS, MSI (external and internal) and Sony coped with the task “as it should.” Moreover, AOpen CRW-5232 and MSI CRE52-M completed burning (or rather, its emulation) at a speed of 52x. As for the LG drive, it was again the only one that correctly recognized the volume of inserted media. It is also worth noting that the “fastest” drive (Mitsumi) coped with recording a Philips disc again at the lowest speed among all others - 16x.

CD-RW e-ProFormance 12x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

All drives produced by e-ProFormance represent budget storage media in our review. After all, any drive must be capable of recording not only high-quality and expensive discs, but also cheaper ones, the demand for which, as we know, is often higher. It is for this reason that in addition to the three rewritable Verbatim discs, a 12x disc from e-ProFormance was added.

Now comments on the recording emulation graphs. Actually, nothing interesting can be said about them. You just have to pay attention to drives from LG, NEC and Plextor - they recorded the test disc at 10x speed. And this is a clear indicator that subsequently a 32x Verbatim disc will not be able to be recorded. And if this is nothing unusual for LG and NEC (their maximum burning speed of rewritable media is 24x), then Plextor should have been able to cope with all the “blanks” without any problems.

CD-RW Verbatim 10x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

All drives that support rewriting 32x RW disks were able to write 10x Verbatim media at 12x speed. Which once again indicates the quality of manufacturing of this company’s products.

CD-RW Verbatim 24x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

Absolutely all review participants coped with dubbing a 24x Verbatim disc without any problems. The average speed and recording time for all drives are approximately equal.

CD-RW Verbatim 32x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

Both Plextor drives, like BenQ, refused to write to a 32x Verbatim "blank" and gave an error. It is likely that the problem will be fixed with the release of new firmware. As for NEC and LG, as noted above, their characteristics are not capable of recording such discs.

It was very surprising to observe such a phenomenon as burning a rewritable CD, certified for recording only at 32x, with a drive that does not support such speeds. This all concerns the representative from NEC, NR-9400A. He did an excellent job recording the above-mentioned media at 16x speed.

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Overburning Test

Drive unit	Digitex 52x	Verbatim 48x	e-ProFormance 24x (800 MB)	Philips 48x (800 MB)
AOpen CRW-5232	82:39.23 (726 MB)	81:01.13 (713 MB)	95:50.17 (845 MB)	92:19.01 (811 MB)
ASUS CRW-5232AS	84:16.35 (740 MB)	83:28.09 (731 MB)	95:06.47 (835 MB)	93:06.29 (818 MB)
BenQ 5232P	80:07.45 (704 MB)	81:49.09 (719 MB)	80:07.45 (704 MB)	92:36.30 (813 MB)
LG GCE-8522B	93:37.35 (822 MB)	93:34.32 (822 MB)	93:47.08 (824 MB)	--:--.--
Mitsumi CR-485GTE	82:41.42 (726 MB)	83:34.18 (734 MB)	95:15.31 (837 MB)	93:02.13 (817 MB)
MSI CR52-M	82:41.42 (726 MB)	83:34.18 (734 MB)	95:15.31 (837 MB)	93:02.13 (817MB)
MSI CRE52-M	82:32.33 (725 MB)	83:01.72 (729 MB)	95:02.25 (835 MB)	109:35.42 (958 MB)
NEC NR-9400A	83:53.29 (737 MB)	85:42.60 (753 MB)	99:47.08 (874 MB)	96:43.54 (850 MB)
Plextor Premium	83:19.52 (732 MB)	83:59.60 (733 MB)	96:55.18 (847 MB)	94:05.24 (822 MB)
Sony CRX230E	82:48.66 (725 MB)	81:00.42 (711 MB)	95:05.53 (835 MB)	91:55.54 (806 MB)

It is quite difficult to determine a clear winner in this test - all drives are approximately at the same level. And again, it is worth noting the LG GCE-8522B - only it was able to correctly recognize all 800 MB disks, and only it was able to write more than 800 MB of information to both 700 MB disks. On the other hand, the drive failed this test with the 800 MB Philips disk, the program produced the following error:

We should also mention the external drive MSI CRE52-M - it can record up to 950 MB of information on an 800 MB Philips drive!

To check the quality of disc recording, the KProbe utility version 2.2.3 was used. With its help you can track the level of C1/C2 errors.

CD-R Digitex 52x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

Judging by the results of this test, the 52x disc from Digitex was the worst recorded by MSI drives. According to the graph, you can observe a very high error level in the second half of the disk. Everything would be fine, but these two drives have a slightly higher price compared to other participants.

As for the most expensive representative of the review, Plextor Premium, this drive took an honorable fourth place. From the end. Of course, the error rate on the disc it records is not very high, but its price is twice as high as all other drives.

The best performance in this test is from ASUS, BenQ, Mitsumi, NEC and Sony.

CD-R Verbatim 48x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

Very contradictory results can be observed in this test. On average, all drives showed poorer recording quality compared to the Digitex disc. However, some still improved their results - LG, external and internal MSI. The worst results were from Mitsumi, MSI, Plextor and Sony. The best results again come from BenQ, NEC and ASUS drives. However, a fairly low error rate can also be observed with LG.

CD-R e-ProFormance 24x (800 MB):

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

Now let's look at the recording quality of 800 MB blanks. It is immediately worth noting the huge level of errors at the beginning of the disk of the AOpen CRW-5232 drive. Otherwise, all other participants in the review showed very good results on average. However, although MSI drives turned out to have a significantly lower error rate, it is still higher than the others. Plextor Premium is again fourth and again from the bottom. Everyone else has very good results.

CD-R Philips 48x (800 MB):

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

It seems that all drives are partial to Philips drives. The average error rate is the lowest among all other drives used. Oddly enough, even recording devices from MSI showed quite good results for themselves. Otherwise, for the most part, the number of errors for all participants is approximately the same. Sony and NEC drives only let us down a little.

CD-RW e-ProFormance 12x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

As you know, rewritable discs are always written at a lower speed and read worse than write-once discs. The error rate on such media is also usually higher than that of CD-R discs. This is confirmed by the diagrams shown here.

So, on an e-ProFormance CD-RW disc, which is certified to write at 12x speed, many drives show very high error rates. The worst results can be observed with the Sony CRX230E. The diagram for the beginning of the MSI CR52-M drive also looks very bad, but towards the end the number of errors drops to the level shown by other drives. For the rest of the review participants, the picture is approximately the same: a high level of errors at the beginning and end of the disk and a lower one in the middle.

Separately, it is worth noting the Plextor Premium drive. This time he is the first. And from the beginning. The number of errors on the disc he recorded is record low - about the same as on well-recorded CD-R blanks - on average 10-30 times lower than others.

CD-RW Verbatim 10x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

Strangely, the number of errors on a Verbatim disk is on average higher than that of e-ProFormance. However, it is possible that such indicators were “achieved” due to some drives recording this disc at a speed of 12x, instead of the required 10x.

You should immediately pay attention to the burner from Sony - the level of errors is simply enormous. The worst result in the entire review. The rest showed approximately the same results, with the exception of drives from MSI and ASUS. CRE52-M also has a lot of errors. ASUS shows poor results only at the beginning and end of the disc.

And again I was pleasantly surprised by Plextor - the error rate shown is very low compared to the others.

CD-RW Verbatim 24x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

The results for the 24x Verbatim CD-RW disc are on average better than for the previous two. Sony again has the worst result, but without a doubt it is better than the 10x Verbatim. The remaining drives have very good performance. Some (AOpen, LG, both MSI, NEC and Plextor) have a spike in errors at the beginning of the disk and a fairly low level in the rest of the disk.

CD-RW Verbatim 32x:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

It's nice to note that, compared to other rewritable discs, the Verbatim 32x "blank" was received very well by the drives. Naturally, this only applies to those drives that were able to record it.

I would like to note the device from Sony - this time it showed one of the best results. The drive from ASUS also showed good results.

As for Plextor and BenQ, as mentioned above, they were unable to burn this disc. But, we believe that such a problem can be solved by simply changing the firmware.

Burning time of test CDs

CD-R discs:

Drive unit	Digitex 52x	Verbatim 48x	e-ProFormance 24x (800 MB)	Philips 48x (800 MB)
AOpen CRW-5232	2:29	2:46	5:24	2:51
ASUS CRW-5232AS	2:46	2:50	5:56	2:54
BenQ 5232P	4:00	2:35	4:44	3:05
LG GCE-8522B	5:37	6:19	6:25	3:38
Mitsumi CR-485GTE	5:20	3:45	6:00	5:00
MSI CR52-M	2:50	2:46	3:03	3:11
MSI CRE52-M	2:52	3:16	3:32	3:23
NEC NR-9400A	2:41	3:15	6:13	4:40
Plextor Premium	3:44	5:34	5:06	4:49
Sony CRX230E	3:21	2:40	5:32	-:--

As you can see from the table, the AOpen and both MSI drives were the fastest to write CD-R discs. The slowest were the LG GCE-8522B and the fastest according to the stated characteristics - the Mitsumi CR-485GTE.

It is worth noting that when burning an 800 MB Philips disc on a Sony CRX230E drive, the Nero Burning Rom program produced the following error:

However, the disc subsequently passed the KProbe test.

CD-RW discs:

Drive unit	e-ProFormance 12x	Verbatim 10x	Verbatim 24x	Verbatim 32x
AOpen CRW-5232	7:13	7:16	3:49	3:07
ASUS CRW-5232AS	7:14	7:15	3:58	3:18
BenQ 5232P	7:32	7:22	5:04	-:--
LG GCE-8522B	9:00	9:08	4:41	-:--
Mitsumi CR-485GTE	7:21	7:28	3:50	3:11
MSI CR52-M	7:21	7:15	3:53	3:14
MSI CRE52-M	7:25	7:14	3:53	3:13
NEC NR-9400A	8:31	7:16	4:20	-:--
Plextor Premium	8:44	8:36	4:08	-:--
Sony CRX230E	7:21	7:06	3:48	3:18

I think this table does not require any explanation. The writing time of rewritable discs is approximately the same for all drives.

CD-ROM Drive Analyzer

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

CD-R 800 MB:

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

This test clearly shows that the Plextor drive has the lowest search time. We are also pleased to note the fact that this search time corresponds to the stated one (<65 мс) - для штампованного компакт-диска оно составило 64 мс. В остальном же все участники обзора показали одиноково хорошие результаты.

AOpen CRW-5232

ASUS CRW-5232AS

BenQ 5232P

LG GCE-8522B

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

MSI CR52-M

MSI CRE52-M

NEC NR-9400A

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

Sony CRX230E

The Plextor and AOpen drives showed slightly uncertain reading at the end of the test CD-R disc. The results for other drives are equally good and require no comment.

CD-R 800 MB:

AOpen CRW-5232

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Disk Quality Check

Drive unit	Quality Score	Speed	C2 Errors (Total)
AOpen CRW-5232	0%	32.60x	1745
ASUS CRW-5232AS	0%	32.20x	606
BenQ 5232P	0%	32.60x	1923
LG GCE-8522B	-	-	-
Mitsumi CR-485GTE	-	-	-
MSI CR52-M	0%	4x	44816
MSI CRE52-M (40x)	0%	32.82x	349190
NEC NR-9400A	-	-	-
Plextor Premium	100%	4x	0
Sony CRX230E	94%	4x	0

Only two drives passed this test to the end: Sony and Plextor. Moreover, Plextor Premium passed it, without exaggeration, perfectly. The rest either simply did not finish it, or “refused” to take it altogether. In particular, this applies to the drive from Mitsumi. After running the test, the program happily froze and did not respond to any requests. At the same time, the drive did not show any signs of activity. The same applies to the LG GCE-8522B. It normally recognized the inserted disk, but after the test began, it did nothing with it - the disk was stopped and absolutely nothing happened. As for the NEC NR-9400A, the program generated the following message when trying to start testing:

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Advanced DAE Quality Test

The Advanced DAE Quality Test was used to determine how well the drives can extract tracks from audio CDs.

Drive unit	Average Speed	Data Errors	Sync Errors	Quality Score	On the Fly Copying	Offset Bytes (Samples)	Read Leadin	Read Leadout	Read CD Text	Read Subchannel Data
AOpen CRW-5232	36.17x	0	0	100	16x	-2448 (-612)	+	+	+	+
ASUS CRW-5232AS	37.45x	94	0	100	16x	-2448 (-612)	+	-	+	+
BenQ 5232P	35.18x	0	0	100	16x	0 (0)	+	-	+	+
LG GCE-8522B	27.28x	0	0	100	16x	2636 (659)	-	-	+	+
Mitsumi CR-485GTE	29.29x	0	0	100	16x	2812 (703)	-	-	+	+
MSI CR52-M	29.81x	0	0	100	16x	-96 (-24)	+	+	+	+
MSI CRE52-M	29.51x	0	0	100	16x	-96 (-24)	+	-	+	+
NEC NR-9400A	29.59x	2	0	100	16x	460 (115)	+	-	+	+
Plextor Premium	37.17x	0	0	100	16x	0 (0)	+	+	+	+
Sony CRX230E	29.25x	0	0	100	16x	-96 (-24)	+	+	+	+

Based on the results obtained, we can say that all drives will cope more or less well with the task of accurately copying audio data. However, the Offset parameter, which allows you to determine the positioning accuracy on audio discs, does not have the same value on all discs. You should immediately pay attention to BenQ and Plextor drives - they have the best values for this indicator. Also, good values can be observed from both MSI and Sony.

It is also worth noting that not all drives can work with specific service information. Here the best results were demonstrated by AOpen CRW-5232, MSI CR52-M, Plextor Premium and Sony CRX230E. As for the rest, their ability to accurately extract data from AudioCD is lower.

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Advanced DAE Error Correction Test

This test shows how well the drives can handle C2 errors, if at all.

Drive unit	C2 Accuracy	Quality Score	C2 Errors	C2 Missed	Compare Errors	Sync Errors
AOpen CRW-5232	6.55%	0.0	2118311	6969015	7457565	28639
ASUS CRW-5232AS	40.46%	0.0	7554202	10743156	10842871	14321
BenQ 5232P	20.65%	0.0	6754272	8747652	12862751	9674
LG GCE-8522B	51.91%	0.0	9697369	7719346	16050589	5536
Mitsumi CR-485GTE	46.81%	0.0	366962694	144907434	272430710	314356
MSI CR52-M	72.25%	0.0	5301568	1976819	7124327	5880
MSI CRE52-M	83.81%	0.0	75554146	14102357	87113312	41201
NEC NR-9400A	0.0%	0.0	0	12322466	12322466	5897
Plextor Premium	16.37%	0.0	8531797	42497860	50816663	46275
Sony CRX230E	70.37%	0.0	11772766	3111865	14530691	5753

Paradoxically, absolutely all drives could not cope with the test disk. Most likely, the reason is too severe mechanical damage on its surface. Also worth noting are NEC and Mitsumi drives. The first one cannot work with C2 errors at all, and the second one showed a record high number of them.

Exact Audio Copy

The EAC program is used in our review to check the quality and speed of extracting audio tracks. Let me remind you that EAC uses all the capabilities of the drive to produce the most accurate copies. Its functionality also allows you to define such drive parameters as data caching, “precise flow” and the ability to work with C2 errors.

Drive unit	DAE Time	Caching	Accurate Stream	C2 Error Info
AOpen CRW-5232	11:32	-	+	+
ASUS CRW-5232AS	46:39	-	+	+
BenQ 5232P	5:40	+	+	+
LG GCE-8522B	13:23	-	+	-
Mitsumi CR-485GTE	6:32	-	+	-
MSI CR52-M	2:47	-	+	+
MSI CRE52-M	4:45	+	+	+
NEC NR-9400A	16:56	-	+	-
Plextor Premium	22:25	+	+	+
Sony CRX230E	6:26	+	+	+

As can be seen from the table, all drives support the “precise stream” function. As for caching, this feature is only available to BenQ, external MSI, Plextor and Sony drives. The picture is almost the same with C2 errors - only AOpen, ASUS, BenQ, both MSI, Plextor and Sony can recognize them.

Drives from BenQ, MSI and Sony coped with the task of extracting data from an audio disc the fastest, which, in my opinion, is a little strange - these drives are capable of working with C2 errors, and this should have slightly reduced the copying speed. The slowest result was demonstrated by a representative from ASUS.

Having carried out all the tests, unfortunately, it is impossible to single out a clear winner. All drives have their advantages and disadvantages. However, if Plextor Premium had performed at least a little better in recording tests and had cost less, then we could easily give it the title of “Our Choice”.

Also, drives from MSI did not fully live up to expectations. On average, their recording quality is slightly worse than that of other drives. However, these shortcomings are offset by one of the best write/read speeds and minimal noise characteristics.

As for the recording quality, after a series of tests, a new firmware version was posted on the official Microstar website, which solves problems with not very good recording quality in MSI drives.

I would like to separately mention the drive from ASUS. Considering its cost, it showed very good results, for which it receives the “Best price/quality ratio” mark.

And now about each drive separately:

AOpen CRW-5232

In general, impressions of this decision were positive. The drive wrote all types of media without any problems. Moreover, he did this at a very good speed relative to the other participants in the review. As for the recording quality, it is generally not bad, however, the e-ProFormance 800 MB CD-R disc was recorded with a large number of errors. The quality of burning rewritable discs with the CRW-5232 is generally a little worse than with the others, but still the result is not the worst. There are also no special complaints about reading optical media.

ASUS CRW-5232AS

So, as noted above, the drive performed very well. Good write quality (one of the best in testing) and good burn/read speeds make this drive a better buy. It is worth mentioning the low noise level and shortened body.

BenQ 5232P

BenQ 5232P performed very well. The recording quality is excellent. However, the ideal picture was spoiled by the inability to record a rewritable disc at 32x speed. Let's hope that the new firmware will solve this problem. There are also no special complaints about the quality of reading. In general, we can say that the device from BenQ justifies its cost.

LG GCE-8522B

I would like to immediately note the “jagged” recording schedule for all media. However, the drive can burn all discs with the exception of 32x CD-RW Verbatim. Also, a very good result was shown in the reburning test of blanks. The recording quality is generally good. Reading is also not satisfactory. But, on the other hand, the drive could not pass the Nero CD-DVD Speed: Disk Quality Check test, or rather did not even start it.

Mitsumi CR-485GTE

Honestly, it was a lot of fun to see how the fastest drive according to its stated characteristics showed the lowest results in terms of writing speed (this only applies to CD-R blanks). However, the recording quality turned out to be at a quite acceptable level. As for reading, the drive refused to read the 800 MB disk, interrupting the test at the 80th minute, and this does it no credit at all. And finally, it should be noted that the noise level is very high. Despite the fairly strong hum from the entire system, the drive was perfectly audible from another room.

MSI CR52-M

The write/read speed of this drive turned out to be one of the best in the review! The reading quality and noise characteristics were also impressive. It seems to us that the originality of the drive design, which is achieved due to the replaceable panels included in the delivery kit, is why the drive receives the award for the best design. The only disappointing thing is that despite the good design and support for many proprietary technologies, the drive did not perform well in recording quality tests. However, the new firmware already mentioned above should solve these problems.

MSI CRE52-M

After the tests, we can say that an external CD-RW drive from MSI can serve as a replacement for a desktop one. The speed characteristics are exactly the same as those of internal models, moreover, the burn time is also one of the best. But, as we already wrote above, the recording quality of the drive is by no means the best (which is again resolvable in light of the released firmware for MSI drives). It is also worth noting that the CRE52-M refused to record on 4x rewritable discs from SKY and TDK. Which cannot be counted among its advantages. The quality of reading is at a fairly high level. The noise level was also pleasing - this drive turned out to be the quietest in the review.

NEC NR-9400A

There was nothing special or outstanding in the results shown by the NEC drive. However, nothing bad either. The only complaints I have are the slightly uncertain reading of low-quality discs. Otherwise, it's an average drive with an average price.

Plextor PlexWriter Premium

As noted above, the drive from the Japanese company Plextor is the most expensive in the review - about twice as expensive as all the others. However, we believe that he is not earning his money at all. Yes, good equipment, proprietary technologies and software are always good, but for that kind of money there should not be any problems with the quality of recording and reading discs. And in terms of burning discs, the drive did not perform at its best. However, it’s nice to note that this drive reads discs better than anyone else. We can safely say that he reads everything! Even handwritten text from paper ;). But still, if it weren’t for these blatant “blunders,” we could safely give the “plekstor” “Our choice.”

Sony CRX230E

The drive is an OEM version of the LiteOn device. I think based on its results one can judge the capabilities of this company’s drives. The recording quality of CD-R discs is at a fairly high level. However, the drive failed when writing rewritable media - it had the highest error rate among the rest. The CRX230E reads discs quite well; even a low-quality disc was read a little worse than Plextor did. I think the drive can be recommended for purchase - it fully justifies its cost.

GreenLine for the MSI CR52-M, MSI CRE52-M drives provided for testing;

Rongbuk for providing AOpen CRW-5232 and NEC NR-9400A drives for testing;

CD-Life for providing ASUS CRW-5232AS, BenQ 5232P, LG GCE-8522B drives for testing;

UltraPrice for the provided Plextor PlexWriter Premium and Sony CRX230E drives.

Information is read using a focused beam of a laser beam.

Now let's see how this DVD Rom works. Today it is still relevant, since many people still use disks as storage media. Therefore, you need to navigate this issue. But we won’t pay attention to other drives for now.

In general, only the advent of high technology made it possible to create such a thing as an optical drive. The disk has a reflective layer on which the laser beam is focused. It must be impeccably accurate and targeted. The layer on the disk seems smooth and shiny to us, but there are microscopic depressions there, which are nothing more than recorded information. The laser beam reads the reflected light from these “irregularities.”

First of all, order

But to make it clearer, we will consider everything in order.

Does everyone know what the abbreviations we already know stand for? I think not. So let's get this out of the way first.

The abbreviation for CD Rom is compact disc. The full name is Compact Disc Read-Only Memory and it is used for reading only.
Also, a short DVD Rom is a more universal disc. However, it is also used for reading only. Full name Digital Versatile Disc read only memory.
There is her “blue ray” or Blu-ray. Information is recorded on this disk using a short-wavelength blue-violet laser beam.

The picture clearly shows what exactly we call a DVD optical drive.

Installing DVD Rom yourself is easy. Usually it does not cause any difficulties. But it is important that the connection standard matches the device. There are two standards: “SATA” and “IDE”.

The first is considered the most modern, and the second is already outdated.

The most important things are indicated by numbers in the order of one to three.

The first is the “master/slave” section of the jumper on the disk.
The second number is the pin interface for connecting “ATA/ATAPI” devices. All nineteen holes.
The third connector of four contacts is where “molex” is connected.

Now let's turn our attention to the back side. This is a SATA standard DVD Rom drive.

The first connector is connected to a power cable consisting of fifteen contacts.
The second connector is where the data cable is installed. It is flat and short. The connection occurs to the “SATA” controller located on the motherboard.

It should be noted that not all devices have a DVD Rom drive. For example, a netbook or tablet. In this case, an optical drive such as a USB DVD Rom will help out. After all, if you change the operating system, for example, there is nowhere to insert the disk. Then the optical drive is connected via a USB port.

Situations when this type of optical drive is necessary are not uncommon. For example, this netbook requires installation of an operating system, which can be done using this USB drive.

How is information recorded?

Many people more or less understand how recording on gramophone records occurs. At first, recording onto CDs happened in a similar way. And the name of the records was CD-R (Recordable). It was impossible to record something a second time on such a record. But then the disks became more and more advanced and it became possible to rewrite information several times. These are CD-RW (ReWritable) discs. And it's all about the nuances of production. Previously, recording took place directly onto a layer of plastic. Now a layer of metal alloy was made. And this layer under the influence of a laser beam is capable of changing its properties. You may even notice dark and light stripes on the surface. This technology allows you to rewrite information many times, maybe even a thousand times.

The disk platter has a layer onto which recording is made. This layer can be seen on all recording and rewriting discs. If the disc cannot be rewritten, then this can be determined by the layer on the platter. If the disc is recorded, the layer will change color. The process occurs from exposure to a laser beam and is irreversible.

Rewriting discs are equipped with an alloy layer that can change the reflective layer under the influence of the same laser beam.

All discs have a standard diameter of 120mm. The thickness does not exceed 1.2 mm. In the center there must be a hole with a small diameter of 15 mm. Under no circumstances should the surface of the disc have any scratches. And to prevent this, there is a protrusion on the outside of the disk. It is small 0.2 mm, but strictly performs its functions. On a flat surface the disc will not receive any damage.

Any disc is a multi-layer cake. But the pie is a little more than a millimeter thick. However, each layer has its own function and performs it. Look at what the disk looks like in the diagram and how many layers it has of different materials.

No matter how complex the information is from our point of view, all of it will be recorded in the form of pits and landings. In fact, these are recesses (pit) and surface (lands). In general, the result is a wavy path. The recesses are pressed into the polycarbonate layer, and the plane remains unchanged. When the beam is focused on a track, the light from the plane and the bumps is reflected differently. And the difference can be barely noticeable, but all this is recorded.

In simpler terms, all information looks like zero - a plane and one - a tubercle.

Notice how it looks under high magnification.

Now see what's on the surface that seems perfectly flat?

DVD Rom writes and reads information using a red laser. The wavelength is measured in nanometers and is 650 nm. But the pitch is only 0.74 micrometers. For comparison, in CD discs all indicators are twice as large. It is clear that reducing the laser wave made it possible to more accurately “examine” the surface of the disk and record all the pits. The constant reduction made the DVD disc almost dimensionless. At one time, when more than 4 gigabytes of information began to fit there, it looked fantastic!

Here are some numbers for comparison.

In a DVD disc, compared to a CD, the pit size is 0.4 microns versus 0.83.

A CD disc has a track width of 1.6 microns, while a DVD disc has only 0.74.

Some disks can simply hold a huge amount of information. For example:

bilateral,
two-layer.

Some discs can be either double-layered or double-sided. This sandwich will hold all 17 gigabytes.

More details about each

Double-layer DVDs are produced by pressing the first layer. Then the second layer is sprayed on top. The coating is translucent. The laser beam, when reading information, focuses on each layer, moving from one to another automatically.

If a DVD disc has two layers, then the thickness of each layer reaches 0.6 mm. When gluing the layers, the same 1.2 mm is obtained. It's very similar to a record; after listening to one side, you can turn it over.

In the diagram it looks like this:

Disk layout

blue beam

Remember Blu-ray discs? They are somehow different from the usual DVDs and CDs. They are read using a blue-violet laser beam. Its length is less than that required to read DVD Rom and CD Rom (RW) discs. They use a beam length of 650 and 780 nanometers, respectively. But for a Blu-ray disc, the beam is only 405 nm long. And all because technology using a red laser beam can be said to have reached its limit. But the blue-violet ray is a real leap in development.

For such a beam, the width of the track is required less, therefore the amount of information can be recorded more. However, due to the thinness of the relief on the information layer, it has become more difficult to read records at high speed. Therefore, it was necessary to reduce the protective layer of polycarbonate. Previously it was 0.6, but now it is 0.1 mm. As a result, the speed of work and the accuracy of reading information have increased.

In the era of the massive advent of flash drives, many thought that the time of disks was over. But no, disks will always serve as a place for permanent storage of information. Let's look at the types of drives and their characteristics.

Drive CD-R

Drive CD-R is a disk drive with the ability to record information once on a special disk. Recording on CD-R discs is carried out due to the presence of a special light-sensitive layer on them, which burns out under the influence of a high-temperature laser beam. This process is similar to regular photography.

There are several types of media - “blanks” for CD-R drives, which differ in the color of the inner layer. The yellow discs are called "gold", while the blue and green discs are called "silver" and "platinum", respectively. These names cannot be taken seriously - of course, “blanks” are not coated with precious metals. Experts often argue about what type of discs are suitable for a particular task - for example, “golden” discs are most often accused of making AudioCD copies made on them difficult to read on some music centers.

It is important to select blanks for recording, the recording of which coincides with the recording speed of the drive (10x, 12x, 14x, 20x, etc.).

CD-RW drive (ReWritable)

Today CD-R drives actually left the market. They have been replaced by new standard drives that allow you to burn not only CD-Rs, but also reusable discs - CD-RW. These discs use a completely different technology to record from CD-Rs, and they are different devices.

CD-RW discs also have areas that absorb and reflect light. But these are not bumps or pits, like in CD-ROM and CD-R drives. A CD-RW disc is like a layer cake, with a working, active layer on a metal base. It consists of a special material that changes its state under the influence of a laser beam. Being in a crystalline state, some parts of the layer scatter light, while others - amorphous - transmit it through themselves, onto the reflective metal substrate. Thanks to this technology, information can be written to the disk, and not just read.

At the same time, CD-RWs easily cope not only with discs of their own format, but also with CD-ROM and CD-R discs. At the same time, the recording speed of CD-R discs can reach up to 52 times, and CD-RW discs - up to 24 times. Speed characteristics are indicated in the name of the drive - for example, 12x8x32, where the lower value corresponds to the CD-RW write speed, and the maximum corresponds to the read speed.

Disk drive interface. Like any drives, CD-R and CD-RW are available in several versions - USB, SCSI and IDE. The fastest and most expensive devices use the SCSI interface; mid-priced disk drives are available in IDE versions.

The most popular PC upgrade continues to be a CD-RW drive, which allows you to repeatedly read, write, and delete files on optical discs costing $4-$7. It can also read files stored on standard CD-ROM drives, as well as read and write files onto CD-Rs costing $1.

Modern CD-RW drives write information twice as fast as last year's ones, and cost $100-150 less. Manufacturers indicate their speed in three numbers. For example, a 6X/4X/24X drive transfers files to CD-R discs at a maximum speed of 6X, to CD-RW - 4X, and reads from a CD-ROM at a maximum speed of 24X. And the faster the recording is done, the higher the cost of the drive.

External models connected to a parallel or USB port are much slower than internal IDEs, but they are easier to connect. Internal and external SCSI drives provide better performance, but they are more expensive and more difficult to connect.

Here's how to connect the most popular internal IDE CD-RW drives, costing between $150 and $250, and external parallel port drives, costing between $250 and $300.

Stan Miastkowski

1) Prepare to connect. Before upgrading, make a backup copy of your hard drive as usual. Some internal IDE CD-RW drive models come with software that checks your PC's IDE settings and offers options for connecting a new drive. If your drive comes with such software, use it and print the results. When installing an internal IDE drive, go to step 2, and if it is connected to a parallel port, go to step 4.

2) Make a plan for connecting the internal IDE drive. Turn off the PC, disconnect it from the power source and open the case cover. When working, use an antistatic wrist strap. On the motherboard you will find a primary and secondary IDE header (A). Typically, in a PC, data cables are used to connect the hard drive to the primary drive and the IDE CD-ROM drive to the secondary drive. If so, all you need to do is connect the new CD-RW drive to the cable connecting the CD-ROM drive. And when the cable does not have an additional connector, use the one that comes with the CD-RW drive instead. On some PCs, the hard drive and CD-ROM drive are connected to the primary IDE channel. And then, if there are no other devices connected to the secondary (for example, an internal IDE Zip drive), disconnect the CD-ROM drive from the primary and connect it along with the CD-RW drive to the secondary channel. Select the external bay where you will install the CD-RW drive. Most PCs have the CD-ROM drive in the top bay, so it's best to place your new CD-RW drive directly below the CD-ROM drive. At the same time, check whether the data and power cables are long enough for the connection. However, be aware that certain types of PC cases may require special mounting brackets to secure the drive.

3) Set jumpers, connect cables, and secure the internal CD-RW drive. Make sure the CD-RW drive jumpers are set to Master. If you plan to continue using the CD-ROM drive, then set its jumpers to the Slave (additional device) position - you may have to remove it and then return it to its place. Insert the new CD-RW drive into the bay and secure with screws. Next, connect the data cable. Check to see if the colored wire on the cable (usually red) is connected to the first pin closest to the power connector (some connectors have a plastic tab to prevent misconnection of the cable). Now connect the power cable to the CD-RW drive. If your CD-RW drive came with an audio cable and your audio adapter has an unoccupied connector, connect one end of the audio cable to the audio adapter and the other end to the CD-RW drive. If there is no free connector, you can disconnect the audio cable from the CD-ROM drive and connect it to the CD-RW drive. Do not close the PC case until you are sure everything is working properly. Go to step 6.

4) Set the parallel port (printer port) to the desired operating mode to connect an external CD-RW drive to it.

5) To get the best performance from a CD-RW drive connected to a parallel port, the parallel port should be set to EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port) mode. Turn on your PC and enter the BIOS setup menu. The procedure for starting the BIOS configuration program varies from manufacturer to PC, but generally requires a key press during boot. You will most likely find the printer port settings under Integrated Peripherals. Check if the operating mode is set to EPP (there are BIOS configuration programs, like the one shown in the figure, that do not have a separate EPP mode setting). In such cases, use the combined ECP/EPP mode. Connect the cables.

6) Install the software. Turn on your PC and install the drivers and applications that came with your new drive.

Test your drive to make sure it can read standard CD-ROMs and music CDs, and write and read both CD-R and CD-RW discs. Copy several files to a CD-RW disc and try to delete them. If the CD-RW drive is connected with an audio cable to a sound adapter, check the sound by playing a music CD. If your disk drive is not detected in the system, turn off the computer and check all connections again. Click the “Start” button, select “Settings? Control Panel”, double-click the “System” icon and go to the “Device Manager” tab. If you see an exclamation mark next to your drive icon, it may mean there is a conflict that is preventing your device from working properly. In the Start menu, select Help, enter “hardware troubleshooter” in the search bar and follow the recommendations that appear on the screen. If you are unable to resolve the problems, contact technical support.

It would seem like a banal thing: an optical drive (aka CD Rom, Dvd Rom or Blu-ray). All of these are devices of different generations for reading and writing optical laser discs. Laser because reading and writing to them is carried out precisely by a focused laser beam.

In this article we will consider the DVD Rom device, since it is the most common at the moment, but we will also touch on other types of drives. In fact, an optical drive is quite a technological thing. The laser beam must be very precisely and precisely focused on the reflective layer of the disk in order to read the reflected signal at its microscopic depressions.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves! We will move forward gradually.

First, let's look at abbreviations (accepted abbreviations).
CD Rom - (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) - read-only CD
DVD Rom - (Digital Versatile Disc read only memory) - read-only digital universal disk

Blu-ray - (blue ray) - recording using a short-wave blue-violet laser

Here is a photo of the DVD optical drive:

The (RW) itself will not cause any difficulties. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the connection standard of the device. This can be either the “IDE” (outdated) connection option, or the modern “SATA” connection option.

Let's look at the back panel of the DVD Rom optical drive with an “IDE” connector, which is shown in the photo below:

Let's take a quick look at the numbers:

Master/slave section
19-pin interface for connecting “ ” devices
Four pins for molex power connector

Now let's look at the back of the SATA DVD Rom drive:

Long flat (15-pin) power cable
Short flat (7-pin) data cable (cable connecting to the SATA controller on)

One cannot ignore such a type of optical drive as USB DVD Rom (RW). Such devices, for example, are very helpful in situations where you need to install an operating system on a device that does not have an optical drive. These include all kinds of tablets and netbooks.

In our IT department, we regularly use this USB drive. Here is a photo of installing Windows XP on a netbook from Asus.

This, in fact, could be the end of this article, but I would also like to consider the very principle of recording laser discs and their structure. To complete the picture, so to speak :)

The structure of optical DVD discs and the recording principle.

The first CDs were recorded like gramophone records: once and forever. They were called CD-R (Recordable). But very soon discs for repeated rewriting appeared - CD-RW (ReWritable). Their manufacturing technology is different. Information is recorded not on a layer of plastic, but on a film made of a special metal alloy, which changes its properties under the influence of laser heating and forms alternating dark and light areas. They can be rewritten up to a thousand times.

Recordable and rewritable discs have a thin recordable layer on the top side of the platter. In write-once discs, it consists of an organic dye that irreversibly changes its properties under the influence of a laser beam. In rewritable ones, instead of this layer there is a film of a special alloy, which changes its reflectivity depending on heating and cooling (under the influence of the same laser).

Externally, all (standard) laser discs look the same. They are based on a polycarbonate plate, which has a diameter of 120 mm and the thickness of everything 1.2 mm. In its center there is a hole with a diameter of 15 mm. In addition, on the outer surface of the carrier there is an annular protrusion with a height 0.2 mm, allowing the disk, placed on a flat surface, not to touch it, which prevents scratching the surface.

What's amazing is that just over a millimeter thick can accommodate a variety of reflective layers and different types of surfaces. Inside, the carrier is like a layer cake, each layer in which performs a strictly assigned role. Here's a schematic diagram of a standard optical disk.

Information on the disk is recorded in the form of a spiral track. This path consists of pits (pits) pressed into a polycarbonate base. The spaces of a flat surface between the pits are called land.

An optical drive focuses a laser beam onto the surface of the disc. Pits and lands reflect light differently, and the optical sensor records this difference. Measurement results can be converted to their original digital (binary) form. Roughly speaking: the tubercle is a digital unit, and the depression is zero.

This is what the surface of a DVD optical media looks like under an electron microscope.

Here we clearly see these same depressions and tubercles.

To read and write DVD Rom uses a red laser with a wavelength of 650 nm. (nanometers) and track pitch - 0.74 microns. (micrometer). This is more than half the cost of a regular CD. It was the reduction in the laser wavelength (which makes it possible to read finer details of the disc surface) and the size of the “pits” that made it possible, at one time, to fit 4.7 gigabytes of data on a DVD disc.

To imagine how miniature things an optical drive (DVD Rom) deals with, we present some digital data. In a DVD disc (compared to a CD), the size of the “pits” has decreased from 0.83 to 0.4 microns, and the width of the spiral track has decreased from 1.6 to 0.74 microns. Hence the increase in recording density.

Moreover, disks can be:

bilateral
two-layer
double-sided and double-layered at the same time

This increases the total volume of one such “sandwich” to 17 gigabytes!

The technology for making two-layer DVD discs comes down to the fact that the first layer is obtained by pressing, and the second, additional translucent, is sprayed on top of it. As the recording is played back, the reading laser moves from one layer to another, automatically changing focus.

The optical drive can also handle double-sided discs. Each of them has a thickness of 0.6 mm (with two layers), then with the help of a reinforcing compound they are glued together, which gives a total of the required thickness - 1.2 mm. It turns out something like a double-sided, two-layer vinyl record that can be turned over.

Here's how everything described above can be depicted schematically:

In conclusion, I would like to say a few words about Blu-ray optical disc technology. Here, a blue-violet laser with a wavelength of 405 nm is used for reading and writing. Conventional DVD Rom and CD Rom (RW) use red and infrared lasers with wavelengths of 650 nm and 780 nm respectively. But this red laser technology was gradually approaching its physical limits, so a new quantum leap forward was required.

Reducing the laser beam width made it possible to narrow the recording track by half compared to a conventional DVD disc, thereby further increasing the data recording density. Since the relief of the information-carrying surface of the disk became even smaller and data at high speed became more difficult to read, the developers had to reduce the thickness of the protective polycarbonate layer by six times (from 0.6 to 0.1 mm). This made it possible to physically bring the information layer closer to the laser itself, increasing the speed and accuracy of the latter.

The operating speeds of Blu-ray optical drives are presented in the table below:

After this, TDK developed a special protective coating called “Durabis”, which made it possible to protect this type of optical media from mechanical damage.

A single-layer Blu-ray can store 25 gigabytes of data, a double-layer Blu-ray can hold 50 GB, and a double-layer double-sided can hold 128 gigabytes. The Japanese company Pioneer demonstrated experimental 16 and 20 layer structures!

As you can see, the topic of DVD Rom and optical drives is not as boring as it might seem at first glance :) Let's hope that the developers will continue to delight us with technical innovations in this area. And with that, let me take my leave for today :)

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