Plextor PlexWriter 52/24/52A PX-W5224TA Review

[dang]

Checkout our latest review of the Plextor PlexWriter 52/24/52A PX-W5224TA (http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review339.html)Plextor is targeting the bottom end of the price scale with the introduction of their PlexWriter 52/24/52 drive and while it might not live up to its 52X writing claim, the PlexWriter 52/24/52 still proves to be a solid performer at a very tempting price

[Ioman]

I am suprised how cheap CD/DVD drive manufacturers are getting. There was no Audio Cable, or recordable media present in the package. Heck, they did not even include software for Mac users. Even at $75 dollars I want to feel like I got a complete package, not an OEM drive in a box.

[Cloud]

Why would you want a CD -Writer anyways? Arent DVD/CD-R/RW combo drives around the same price? That seems to make more sense to me.

[questionlp]

I think CD-RW/DVD-ROM drives are still a bit more expensive than the barebones CD-RW drives like the one reviewed (ie: limited software, no media).

I personally would rather have a separate DVD-ROM drive from the CD-RW drive so that I could dupe CDs faster or at least compare an ISO burn to the original. Of course, having both optical drives on the same IDE channel negates all of that :(

[Ioman]

I also have never heard of a 52X DVD/CD-R/RW combo drive. I just don't think they are the same. I have heard that the combo drives use a different type of laser as well so they can read from the thicker density of a DVD-ROM. I wonder if there is any truth to that.

[dang]

dvd+/-rw's are a lot more expensive then $75. At least double that, and you get a much slower cd-r burn rate (usually 16x).

[Ioman]

Originally posted by dang
dvd+/-rw's are a lot more expensive then $75. At least double that, and you get a much slower cd-r burn rate (usually 16x).


I mean DVD-ROM/CD-R/RW drives, not DVD writers. Sorry for the confusion.

[questionlp]

I think DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drives and DVD/CD/SACD players have different heads to read from DVD (and SACD) and CD media... or at least two different light sources on a single head.