Samsung 52x24x52x CD-RW

This time we got a Samsung CD-ReWriter with 52x write, 24x re-write and 52x read speeds. These speeds are the maximum available, and are in fact more than the media available in the market. The maximum we could find was 48x CD-R media from Imation, and we used a 10x CD-RW media. Interestingly, the CD burning software, Nero, also determines the maximum speed of the media and doesn’t let you burn the disc beyond this speed. So we had to do all tests at 48x only.

We compared the drive with the Liteon 52x24x52x CD-RW drive (PCQuest, January 2003). For burning 650 MB of data on a CDR, it took 2:34 mins. To make a 74 min audio CD from WAV files, it took 2:31 mins. These results were similar to those given by the Liteon. We then did a CD-to-CD copy of a 74-min audio CD, and it took just 3:42 mins for the task. In doing a CD-to-CD copy of a 650 MB data CD, it took 3:00 mins, which though is a good score, is a little more than other drives we’ve reviewed. 

On the CD-RW media front, formatting a 750 MB CD-RW disc took 11:40 mins, which is good. The average throughput for copying data on the CD-RW was 1.1 MB/sec, which again is pretty impressive.

Snapshot Price :  Rs 3,800 (1.5 year warranty) Key specs : Good performance, well priced Contact : Samsung India, Delhi. Tel : 51511234 E-mail : marketing@samsungindia.com

It seems that the CD-R/RW drives are reaching their peak in writing speeds, with most of the drives taking 2:30 mins to 4:00 mins to burn CDs. Further since the maximum performance difference between contemporary CD-ReWriters is only 30-50 secs, it doesn’t really matter. So your choice boils down to the price and availability of the drive, and if there are any extra goodies bundled like some useful software, etc. 

At Rs 3,800, it is very well priced as it costs lesser than the other drives we have reviewed in the last few months.

Anoop Mangla