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Computer Times
Editor's Choice Hardware
Plextor PX-716SA 16X DVD±R/RW drive
Plextor's internal PX-716SA 16X DVD±R/RW drive with serial ATA (SATA) interface is simply the best DVD/CD burner on the market today. This drive achieves blazing fast 16X CAV performance on recommended 8X DVD+R media, and burns a 4.7GB DVD in less than six minutes, one minute faster than leading ZCLV competitors. This new drive also supports dual-layer DVD media which lets you burn up to four hours of high-quality MPEG-2 video on a single 8.5GB DVD disc in approximately 28 minutes. By today's standards, it just doesn't get any better than this, and the price is a steal for this type of performance. The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is $159.00 USD, but we found it priced on the Internet from $119.99 to $147.99.
After a product completes our rigorous testing and earns the Computer Times Editor's Choice award, we like to scan the Internet for comments, user reviews, etc. to be sure that we have not missed a problematic feature of the unit we are reviewing. As you might expect for just about every product, you can't please all of the people all of the time. But, with the PX-716SA drive, it appears that Plextor has so far pleased all of the people all of the time. In fact, at the time of this review, everything we could find on the Internet completely agreed with our own assessment of this gread DVD/CD burner, it is the "best of the best" and deserves five out of five stars in every rating.
The internal PX-716SA drive features an integrated Serial ATA connection, enabling OEMs and System Integrators to leverage the benefits of SATA, including 150 MB/sec bandwidth, elimination of master/slave configuration jumper issues, a substantial pin count reduction, and thinner cables to help air-flow and improve cable routing. But, while this newest 16X DVD drive from Plextor is specifically designed for personal computer manufacturers who want to integrate a DVD/CD burner that sets new standards for performance, convenience, and reliability, you can also use it in older Pentium systems that do not currently support Serial ATA (SATA).
We installed the Plextor PX-716SA on an older Compaq 7000T, Pentium 4/1400 MHz, 1.40GHz system with 128 MB of RAM running Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Version 2002, Service Pack 2. We had just upgraded the operating system from the challenging "blue screen" Windows ME and were eager to see what a difference this drive makes. With a little help from Bob Smith, Applications Engineer at Plextor America, we were able to complete our installation and add this superb DVD/CD burner with outstanding results.
Bob helped us find the best Serial ATA (SATA) interface card to use with the Plextor drive. If you are a novice to computing, it is important to understand that you cannot simply purchase a SATA drive and plug it into your older Pentium system. Chances are you do not have SATA support on your motherboard. So, you need to get a SATA interface card to plug into your motherboard to provide the proper support. This is a simple task that takes about 5 minutes. The trick is to buy a SATA interface card that is compatible with the drive you are installing.
According to Bob, "The PX-716SA drives have absolutely no problems with the ICH5 and ICH6 Intel chipsets and with most other non-RAID SATA controllers. I use a Silicon Image SATA Link card. We've also tested ok with the IWILL IS150R, the SYBA SD-SATA3112-150R, the Lycom SATA4P-Pci, and the Adaptec SATA Connect 1205SA."
In our review of the Plextor PX-716SA drive at Computer Times, we used the Sil 3114 SATALink 4-Port PCI Host SATA RAID Controller from Silicon Image. Our Technology Editor Jason Boshears assured us that this was the best one for our test. Kudos to Silicon Image as Jason is a hard sell. For you techies, the Sil 3114 host-controller is based on the namesake chip from Silicon Image. It supports up to four SerialATA-150 hard disk drives as well as any SATA 1.0 compatibles. The list of supported RAID types includes JBOD, RAID0, RAID1 and RAID10. Thanks to the controller's ability to work in a 32-bit/66MHz PCI slot, its maximum theoretical bandwidth is 266MB/s. The controller has 128KB of memory to store the BIOS; the memory can be expanded by adding in up to 4MB of external flash memory.
Now, back to the Plextor PX-716A DVD±R/RW drive. The Plextor PX-716SA is a highly versatile 9-in-1 DVD/CD burner that supports 4x DVD+R Double Layer, 16X DVD+R, and 16X DVD-R Writing; 8X DVD+RW and 4X DVD-RW Rewriting; and 16X max DVD-Reading; as well as high-speed 48X CD-R Writing, 24X CD-RW Rewriting, and 48X max CD-Reading.
The PX-716SA has an 8 MB buffer and features Buffer Underrun Proof Technology to prevent buffer underrun errors and allow multi-tasking. Lossless Linking/Zero Link technology enables users to perform basic editing tasks directly on the DVD disc.
The PX-716SA includes PlexTools® Professional software, a unique combination of user-controllable CD recording and CD/DVD media test features, including:
Other key features:
Minimum Systems Requirements
Bundled Software
Plextor's bundled software package offers ease-of-use and extensive functionality for Windows platforms. The PlexWriter PX-716SA ships with Easy Media Center 7, Basic DVD Edition. Roxio's number-one selling DVD/CD-recording software lets users create movie DVDs, data DVDs, music CDs, photo slide shows synchronized with music, data CDs, and backup copies of personal discs. The software package also includes Roxio PhotoSuite 5 SE for capturing, organizing, editing, and sharing digital photos.
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About Plextor
Plextor Corp. is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment for professionals, consumers, and enterprises. Headquartered in Silicon Valley since 1990, Plextor has introduced generations of award-winning products, including digital video converters and CD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, and DVD±R/RW optical disk drives. Plextor is privately owned by Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd., a developer and manufacturer of advanced technology hardware and precision electronic equipment headquartered in Japan. Shinano Kenshi is best known for its expertise in manufacturing motors. Contact Plextor at www.plextor.com.