Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7200S 20x DVD±RW/RAM

Model: Optiarc AD-7200S 20x DVD±RW/RAM
Manufacturer: Sony NEC Optiarc
Provided By: Sony NEC Optiarc America

Sony NEC Optiarc is a relatively new name in the optical storage industry. While the company has only been around for a handful of years, it already has a lot of experience under its belt. Established as a joint venture between Sony and NEC, Optiarc combines the technologies and expertise of its parent companies with the goal to provide the best optical drives in the world. It has definitely paid off, as Optiarc is quickly becoming one of the industry's largest manufacturers with a product lineup that includes DVD and Blu-ray Disc drives for the portable and desktop markets.

One of the latest additions to Optiarc's already impressive line of DVD writers is the AD-7200S. Featuring some of the fastest reading and writing speeds available, this Serial ATA equipped "Super-Multi" drive is capable of 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD-R DL, 8x DVD+R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. Of course, Optiarc's new drive can do more than read and write DVD's. The AD-7200S also includes features like 48x CD reading and writing speeds, 32x rewriting speeds and support for buffer underrun protection.

With store shelves already full of DVD writers with similar specs and features, Optiarc's new drive is up against some stiff competition. To give you an idea of what to expect from the AD-7200S, we'll take a look at some of its features and then see how it compares to some of the 20x DVD±RW drives from the competition. Does the AD-7200S new drive have what it takes? Keep reading as we find out.

The AD-7200S we received from Sony NEC Optiarc was an OEM version. The drive did not come with any software, cables or even a printed manual.

Physical Features:

The drive Optiarc sent us for this review was manufactured in November of 2007 and came preloaded with firmware 1.06.This is the newest firmware currently available for the AD-7200S.

Optiarc's new DVD writer definitely doesn't get any bonus points for looks. Like their previous drives, they've kept the look of the AD-7200S very simple. There are no large Optiarc logos or anything advertising the drive's reading and writing speeds. If you look closely though, you can see logos advertising support for Ultra Speed CD-RW media and theDVD+ReWritable and DVD Multi specifications.

Below the tray you can see the AD-7200A's single LED. Off by default, this LED lights up green when the drive is reading or writing.

The rear of the AD-7200A is fairly straight forward. By looking at the picture below you can see the drive's SATA interface and power connector.

Technical Specs:

The specs below have been taken from Optiarc's website and by running a few simple tests.

More Features:

By looking at the picture below, you can see that Optiarc's new DVD writer is identified as a "Optiarc DVD RW AD-7200S."

Nero shows that the AD-7200S has a maximum CD writing speed of 48x and a 2048KB buffer, which is backed up by some form of buffer underrun protection. According to Nero, the drive can also write CD-Text and overburn. Unfortunately, likeNEC's earlier DVD writers, it wasn't able to recognize our 99 minute CompUSA discs at all.

Using Alex Noe's Weak Sector Utility I was able to determine that the AD-7200S is a "two sheep" burner. This means that Optiarc's new drive is capable of backing up titles protected by SafeDisc 2, including version 2.51.

Here is a screen shot from Nero's InfoTool. This program queries the drive to see what its reading and writing capabilities are. InfoTool had no problems detecting the AD-7200S's maximum reading and writing speeds, recording modes, buffer underrun protection and 2MB buffer.

InfoTool also shows that the AD-7200S is an RPC-2 DVD drive. This means that the drive's region is stored in the firmware. The region can be changed five times and after that it cannot be changed anymore. A patched RPC-1 firmware can be downloaded here. Just keep in mind that it is not supported by Optiarc nor by CDRLabs. Use it at your own risk.

While InfoTool gives us a quick glance at the AD-7200S's features, DVDINFOpro provides a little more information on some of the drive's reading and writing capabilities. By looking at the screenshot above you can see Optiarc's new drive can read and write to DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL and DVD-RAM media, it does not support the Mt. Rainier format nor technologies like LightScribe or Labelflash.

The AD-7200S doesn't let you set the book type of single layer DVD+R or DVD+RW media. However, using programs like CD Speed or Nero, you can set the book type for DVD+R DL discs to "DVD-ROM." This greatly reduces compatibility problems, especially with older DVD players.

While affordably priced, the Optiarc AD-7200S delivers a good number of features. This Serial ATA equipped "Super Multi" drive not only supports all major DVD formats, it sports some of the fastest DVD reading and writing speeds available. The AD-7200S is capable of 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD-R DL, 8x DVD+R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. Optiarc's new drive also includes features like a 2MB buffer and support for some sort of buffer underrun protection, but lacks bitsetting support for single layer DVD+R and DVD+RW media. Even then, the Optiarc AD-7200S scores a solid 8 out of 10 for its features.

Along with smaller cable size, one of the biggest benefits of Serial ATA is its ease of installation. Because it uses a point to point connection, setting jumpers has become a thing of the past. In most cases, installation is as simple as plugging in the SATA and power cables and turning the computer on. Needless to say, it took only a couple of minutes to install Optiarc's DVD writer in our test computer. After making sure that the AD-7200S was recognized by Windows, I was ready to go.

Documentation:

As I mentioned earlier, the drive we received from Optiarc did not come with any software or documentation. Fortunately, we were able to get a hold of a copy of the user's manual in PDF format. Similar to the ones included with NEC's earlier drives, this manual covers a number of different topics. It starts out by going over the various buttons and connectors located on the front and back of the AD-7200S.The diagrams Optiarc has provided are clearly labeled and easy to understand.

From here, the manual jumps right into the installation process. With no jumpers to configure, this section is relatively brief. Nevertheless, it covers all of the basics including how to install the drive in your computer and hook up the cables. The manual also has a brief section on how to use the AD-7200S. It explains how to insert and eject DVD's and how to get a disc out of the drive in case of an emergency. Last but not least, the manual finishes up with a comprehensive list of specifications for the AD-7200S.

In the end, installing the AD-7200S was pretty easy. Even with the basic manual I had, there were no problems getting the drive up and running. Just keep in mind that like with any OEM drive, it's up to the vendor as to whether or not you will receive any documentation or software. Overall, I give the installation an 8 out of a possible 10.

While CPU, memory, OS and other variables don't often make a huge difference, there are some nonetheless. We have a computer that is used only for testing hardware. We do this so all tests can be compared reliably.

Test System:

For DVD writers the performance tests are broken down into four sections: CD read, CD write, DVD read and DVD write tests. Each benchmark test has been run three times. The score given is an average of the three. DMA has been enabled in device manager for all IDE devices supporting it.

CD Read Tests: For the read performance section of the CD-ROM benchmarks, CD WinBench 99 and CD Speed are used to test transfer speeds, seek times and CPU usage. For DAE testing, CD Speed is used to give an overall speed rating and is used in combination with CD DAE to see how well a drive reads scratched and dirty discs.

CD Write Tests: To test the write speeds, Nero Burning Rom is used to write 700MB to our test media. Times are recorded. To test rewrite scores, Nero is used again to time how long it takes to write 400MB of random files and directories. Then Sonic's DLA is used to test packet writing speeds. The same files are copied and pasted in Windows Explorer and timed.

DVD Read Tests: For the read performance section of the DVD benchmarks, CD Speed is used to test read speeds, seek times, and CPU usage.

DVD Write Tests: To test the DVD write speeds, Nero Burning Rom is used to write 4GB to our test media. Times are recorded. Then Sonic's DLA is used to test packet writing speeds. The same files are copied and pasted in Windows Explorer and timed.

CD Winbench 99 Scores:

The CD Winbench test is as close as we can get to testing every day usage. It fires off eight different applications using scripts. This tries to mimic the activities of a person loading these programs onto their own computer.

Optiarc's new DVD writer gave us some mixed performance in our CD Winbench tests. While the AD-7200S's overall score wasn't as high as some of the other drives, its transfer rates were fairly good.It started reading at 18.6x (2800 / 150) and reached a maximum speed of about 42.5x (6370 / 150) on the outside.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - Pressed CD:

For this test I used a pressed CD containing one Mode 1 data track. The disc is 74:38 in size and is full of data and directories.

	Optiarc AD-7200S	Samsung SH-S203N	Lite-On DH-20A3H	LG GSA-H55L
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	35.50x 20.41x 46.96x	35.96x 20.75x 47.55x	35.81x 20.82x 47.36x	35.57x 20.47x 47.04x
Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full:	143ms 157ms 236ms	102ms 105ms 177ms	98ms 110ms 184ms	103ms 104ms 174ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	16% 1% 2% 4%	0% 1% 2% 4%	6% 1% 2% 4%	0% 1% 2% 4%

The AD-7200S didn't perform as well as I had expected when reading pressed CD's. While the drive is rated at 48x, Optiarc's new drive came up a little short of this number in our tests. Looking at the other scores, its seek times were also a little higher than we'd like to see.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - CD-R Media:

For this test I made a copy of our pressed test CD. I used 12x rated Memorex Gold 74 minute media for the tests.

The AD-7200S was a little faster when reading CD-R media.While this wasn't enough to top the drive from Lite-On, it had no problems reaching a maximum transfer speed of 48x in our tests. Unfortunately, its seek times were again a little high.

Optiarc's new DVD writer had some trouble reading our 99 minute CompUSA media. If the session on the CD was larger than 90 minutes in size, the AD-7200A would not recognize the disc correctly. Using a disc with about 90 minutes worth of data, I was able to reach a maximum read speed of about 48.03x.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - CD-RW Media:

For this test I made a copy of a pressed test CD. I used some PNY 80 minute CD-RW media for the tests.

While the AD-7200S can read pressed and CD-R media at 48x, its CD-RW read speeds are limited to only 40x. As you can see, the drive had no problems reaching this speed in our tests.

CD DAE and CD Speed v4.7.7.7 (DAE) - Pressed CD:

For this test I used Pure Funk. The CD is almost exactly 74 minutes. This helps to squeeze the maximum performance out of the CD.

Exact Audio Copy can tell us a lot about a drive's capabilities. You can see from the screen shot that while the Optiarc AD-7200Ssupports accurate stream and has the ability to retrieve C2 error information from the CD, it does not cache audio data.

CD Speed	Optiarc AD-7200S	Samsung SH-S203N	Lite-On DH-20A3H	LG GSA-H55L
Average: Start: End: DAE Quality: Accurate Stream:	30.89x 17.71x 40.00x 10 Yes	30.93x 17.76x 40.86x 10 Yes	30.30x 17.64x 40.03x 10 Yes	31.43x 18.12x 41.52x 10 Yes

The AD-7200S did fairly well in our DAE tests. While not nearly as fast as some of the other DVD writers we've tested, it hadno problems ripping pressed audio CD's at 40x.

CD DAE and CD Speed v4.7.7.7 (DAE) - CD-R Media:

For this test I used a copy of the Pure Funk CD. It's burned onto the same Memorex Gold 74 minute media I used in the CD Speed tests.

While the AD-7200S was a little slower when extracting audio from CD-R media, this didn't keep it from reaching amaximum DAE speed of 40x. So how did it do in CD Speed's advanced DAE tests? Take a look below.

Optiarc's DVD writer completed CD Speed's advanced DAE tests with an average score of 28.86x. The drive had no problems passing all of the on-the-fly tests and did not create any errors. If you look at the advanced features, you can see that the AD-7200S was able to read the CD-Text and subchannel data but failed to read the lead in and lead out sections of the CD.

To see how well the AD-7200S can read scratched and dirty discs, I used CD Speed's ScanDisc utility to see how many sectors were damaged or unreadable. This is a very rough, but good way to test the drive's error correcting abilities.

CD Speed - ScanDisc

The AD-7200S didn't handle scratched discs as well as some of the other DVD writers we've looked at recently. While there weren't any unreadable sectors on the disc, the drive considered more than 67% of the CD to be "damaged."

You can also get an idea of how well the drive can read scratched and dirty discs by using CD DAE. The application extracts the audio tracks twice and then compares them. From this information we can see what the drive's average speed was and how many errors it generated.

Unfortunately, NEC's new DVD writer was not able to complete this test. Part way through the 4th track, CD DAE would return the error you see above.

CD Write and ReWrite Tests - Nero Burning Rom 7.11.10.0 andDLA 5.20:

For this test I randomly generated 700MB of files and directories to test the time it takes the drive to write and close a CD. All of the files are between 1MB and 25MB in size and no more than 10 directories deep. All of the times below include not only the actual writing time, but the lead in and out times too. This gives a more realistic idea of how long it takes to write a CD.

The AD-7200S has a maximum CD writing speed of 48x. To reach this speed, it uses CAV, or Constant Angular Velocity. With Taiyo Yuden's 52x media, the drive started writing at about 21.37x and reached a maximum speed of 48.04x at the end of the session. This gave Optiarc's new DVD±RW an average writing speed of about 35.40x.

To test the drive's writing times, I wrote our test data to some Taiyo Yudenmedia rated at 52x. The results are below.

The AD-7200S took longer than expected to complete our CD writing tests. In our tests, it trailed behind the other drives, taking 3:12 to write an entire 701MB CD.

To test the drive's writing quality I used Lite-On IT's KProbe2. Written by Karr Wang, this utility can be used to test the number of C1 and C2 errors on a disc. For these tests I used a Lite-On LTR-52246S (firmware 6S0F) and read the discs at 32x.

Imation 52x (MBI)

Taiyo Yuden 52x

Verbatim 52x

The AD-7200S's writing quality was very good. By looking at the KProbe screenshots, you can see that the discs burned by the drive had a low number of C1 errors and there were no C2 errors at all.

For the rewriting tests I created 400MB of files on the hard drive and wrote them in DAO mode using Nero. To test the packet writing speeds I copied and pasted the same files off the hard drive onto a CD-RW disc using DLA from Sonic. Verbatim's 32x Ultra Speed CD-RW media was used for these tests.

While the AD-7200S uses CAV when writing to CD-R discs, it uses Z-CLV, or Zone CLV, when rewriting at 32x. By looking at the screenshot above, you can see that it uses a total of three "zones" to reach its maximum speed. The drive starts writing at 16x and jumps to 24x at about the 5 minute mark.The AD-7200S writes at this speed until about the 22 minute mark. When it reaches this point, its writing speed increases to 32x and stays there until the end of the session.

Optiarc's new DVD writer did very well in our rewriting tests. Thanks to its 32x rewriting speed, the AD-7200S took 2:11 to write 400MB with Nero and 2:17 to do the same with DLA.

The AD-7200S also erases at 32x. While the drive wasn't as fast as the GSA-H55L when doing a quick erase, it was able to do a full erase in a respectable 3:06.

Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - DVD-ROM:

For this test I used a single layer, single sided data DVD-ROM disc that is 4.37GB in size.

The AD-7200S was fairly quick when reading single layer DVD-ROM's. In our tests it started reading at 6.61x and reached a maximum transfer speed of 16.09x.Unfortunately, its seek times were not as low as some of the other drives.

Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM:

First, we'll look at the drive's DVD-R and DVD-RW reading performance. For this I made copies of our DVD-ROM test disc using some general use 4x DVD-R and 2x DVD-RW media from Verbatim and then ran our usual DVD read tests with CD Speed. For the DVD-RAM tests, media from Maxell was used. The results are below.

The AD-7200S performed very well when reading DVD-R and DVD-RW media. In our tests, the drive read DVD-R discs at 16x and DVD-RW media at a respectable 13x.

Verbatim DVD-R DL

Optiarc's new drive wasn't as fast when reading Verbatim's 4x DVD-R DL media. As you can see, the AD-7200S started reading at 4.93x and reached a maximum transfer speed of only 11.87x.

Maxell 12x DVD-RAM

LG's new drive has a maximum transfer speed of 12x when reading DVD-RAM discs. By looking at the screenshot you can see that it starts reading at 5.92x and accelerates, reaching 12x at the 2.9GB mark.

Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - DVD+R and DVD+RW:

Next we'll look at the drive's DVD+R and DVD+RW reading performance. For this I made a copy of our DVD-ROM test disc using some 4x DVD+R and 2.4x DVD+RW media from Verbatim. I then ran our usual DVD read tests with CD Speed. The results are below.

The AD-7200S's performance with DVD+R and DVD+RW media was very similar to what we saw with DVD-R and DVD-RW media.The drive read DVD+R discs at 16x and DVD+RW media at 13x.

Verbatim DVD+R DL

Reading Verbatim's double layer DVD+R media wasn't a problem for the AD-7200S either. Unfortunately, with a maximum transfer speed of only 11.87x, it was the slowest out of the four drives here.

Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - DVD-Video:

For these tests I am using the US version of Transformers: The Movie on DVD. The disc is over 4GB and single sided.

The AD-7200S didn't slow down very much when reading single layer DVD videos. It started out at about 6.54x and reached a maximum read speed of 15.93x. Optiarc's new drive was also fairly quick when reading dual layer discs. By looking at the screenshot below, you can see that the drive's transfer speeds peaked at about 12x.

To see how well the AD-7200S worked as a DVD player, I watched a few scenes from Transformers: The Movie and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace using Nero Showtime. The drive had no problems playing back these movies with either program and was fairly quiet.

DVD Write and ReWrite Tests - Nero Burning Rom 7.11.10.0 andDLA 5.20:

To test the DVD writing performance of Lite-On's new drive I used Taiyo Yuden 16x DVD+R, Verbatim 16x DVD-R, Verbatim 8x DVD+RW and Verbatim 6x DVD-RW media. To get the writing times, a 4.38GB image was burned to our test discs using Nero.

When writing to DVD+R and DVD-R media at 20x, the AD-7200S uses CAV. By looking at the screenshots above, you can see that Optiarc's new drive starts writing at about 8.3x and accelerates, reaching its maximum speed at the end of the disc.

The AD-7200S also features 8x DVD+RW and 6x DVD-RW writing speeds. While the drive uses CLV when writing to DVD-RW media, it uses Z-CLV to reach its maximum DVD+RW writing speed.

Optiarc's new "Super-Multi" drive performed very well in our DVD writing tests. While not as fast as the drive from Samsung when writing to DVD+R and DVD-RW discs, the AD-7200S turned in some very impressive times with DVD-R and DVD+RW media.

While Optiarc has a list of recommended media on its website, I wanted to see for myself how well the AD-7200S worked with some of the DVD+R and DVD-R discs available in my area. The media types, along with the average time it took the drive to write our 4.38GB image, are listed below.

So what about writing quality? Thanks to KProbe, we can test a disc's PI (Parity Inner) and PIF (Parity Inner Fail) rates.For these tests I used a Lite-On SHM-165H6S (firmware HS0E) and read the discs at 4x with the PI and PIF ECC sums set to 8 and 1 respectively. For comparison, I also tested the discs on a BenQ DW1640. When combined with Nero CD Speed, the DW1640 is able to report PI Errors, PI Failures, Parity Outer Failures and even jitter levels. For this test, the discs are read at 8x with both the PI and PIF ECC sums set to 8.

So what are "good" results supposed to look like? With KProbe, the PI errors should not exceed 280 and the number of PIF errors should stay below 4. When testing with CD Speed, the number of PI errors should stay below 280 as well. However, because it scans with an ECC sum of 8, a higher number of PIF errors is acceptable, as long as they do not exceed 32. Since POF errors are uncorrectable, we really don't want to see any of them at all.

I also put these discs through a "stress test" by reading them back at 16x with the DW1640. By reading these discs back at this speed, we can see if there are any readability issues caused by the number of errors or high levels of jitter.

The AD-7200S's writing quality was pretty good with most of the DVD+R media we tested. Aside from a few small spikes, the PI/PIF rates stayed well within acceptable limits.

Lastly, here are some results from our DVD-R test media. While the writing quality varied from one manufacturer to another, the results were pretty good for the most part.

To test the AD-7200S's packet writing performance I used DLA 5.20. Verbatim 8x DVD+RW, Verbatim 6x DVD-RW and Maxell 12x DVD-RAM media were used once again.

The AD-7200S performed pretty well in our packet writing tests. While not the fastest drive we've tested, it turned in some respectable times when reading and writing to DVD+RW, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM media.

Double Layer DVD Write Tests - Nero Burning Rom 7.11.10.0:

To test the double layer DVD writing performance of the AD-7200S, I used DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media from Memorex, Philips and Verbatim. I created about 8GB of random files and directories on my hard drive and then burned them to our test discs with Nero.

The AD-7200S wasn't as fast as I had expected when writing to DVD+R DL media. With Nero, it took the drive 18:48 to write 8001MB of data. If you do the math, this is a good two minutes slower than the DH-20A3H and more than four minutes slower than the drives from Samsung and LG. So what about writing quality? Take a look below.

The writing quality was pretty good with Verbatim's 2.4x and 8x DVD+R DL media. Aside from a few isolated spikes, the PI/PIF rates stayed within acceptable limits. Unfortunately, the results weren't as good with the 8x DVD+R DL media from Philips and Memorex. When scanned with the BenQ DW1640, the error and jitter rates were very high at the layer change.

The AD-7200S also features 12x DVD-R DL writing speeds. Unfortunately, media capable of these speeds isn't available yet. Once discs rated at this speed start to ship, I'll go back and rerun these tests. Until then, here are some results with media that is currently available.

The AD-7200Swasn't any faster when writing to DVD-R DL media. With its writing speed limited to 8x, the drive took 18:56 to burn 8001MB of data. So what about writing quality? Take a look below.

While the writing quality was very good with Verbatim's 4x DVD-R DL media, their 8x rated discs yielded some mixed results. The error rates stayed within acceptable limits when tested with KProbe. However, when scanned by the DW1640, the PI and jitter rates were higher than we'd like to see.

Performance Revisited:

Optiarc's new "Super-Multi" drive performed as expected throughout most of our tests.The AD-7200S had no problems holding its own when writing to DVD±R, DVD±RW and DVD-RAM media, but wasn't as fast as some of the other drives when writing to DVD±R DL discs. Reading DVD's wasn't a problem for the AD-7200S either. The drive was able to read single layer data DVD's and DVD±R media at 16x and DVD±RW media at a respectable 13x.

The AD-7200S also did relatively well in our CD read tests. While its seek times were a little higher than I would have liked, the drive was able to read pressed and CD-R media at speeds as high as 48x. When it came to writing CD's, Optiarc's new drive gave us some mixed results. The AD-7200S took longer than some of the other drives when writing to CD-R media. However, it turned in some impressive times in our rewriting tests. With all things considered, the Optiarc AD-7200S gets a solid 7 out of 10 for the performance section of this review.

The AD-7200S is a good example of what we've come to expect from Sony NEC Optiarc. While affordably priced, the drive offers a number of useful features as well as some of the fastest DVD writing speeds available.

Optiarc's new drive performed very well when writing to DVD+R and DVD-R media at 20x. At this speed, it took the AD-7200S less than five minutes to write an entire 4.7GB DVD. This level of performance carried over to our rewriting tests where the drive turned in some respectabletimes with DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM media. Writing to DVD±R DL media wasn't a problem for the AD-7200S either. However, it lagged behind the other drives it our tests, taking nearly 19 minutes to write 8GB of data.

When it came to media compatibility, the AD-7200S gave us some mixed results. While the drive wrote tomost of our test media at its rated speed or better, only two types worked at 20x. On the other hand, the AD-7200S's writing quality was fairly good for the most part. However, there is still room for improvement with some DVD±R DL media. Hopefully, Optiarc can address this in a future firmware update.

The AD-7200S also performed fairly well in our DVD read tests. While its seek times were a little higher than I would have liked, it was able to read single layer DVD-ROM's and DVD±R media at 16x. The AD-7200S also reached some pretty impressive transfer speeds with other types of DVD media. In our tests, it read DVD±RW discs at 13x and both DVD±R DL and DVD±RAM media at 12x.

Reading CD's wasn't a problem for the AD-7200S either. In our tests, the drive read pressed and CD-R media at speeds as high as 48x and CD-RW discs at 40x. Optiarc's new drive wasn't as fast in our DAE tests. However, it still ripped audio CD's at a respectable 40x. Unfortunately, when it came to writing CD's, the AD-7200S's performance was hit and miss. While the drive was fairly quick when rewriting, it took longer than expected to complete our CD-R writing tests. Nevertheless, its writing quality was quite good.

Optiarc's new DVD writer also has its share of features. To prevent buffer underruns, the AD-7200Shas a 2048KB buffer that is backed up by some sort of buffer underrun technology. While this buffer is a little smaller than what we'd like to see on a 20x DVD writer, this system worked flawlessly in our tests. The AD-7200S also offers a good number of writing and rewriting speeds to choose from and supports bitsetting for DVD+R DL discs. Unfortunately, it won't let you set the book type of DVD+R or DVD+RW media.

The Optiarc AD-7200S is shipping now and can be purchased through some of the online vendors found on Pricegrabber. Available in your choice of black, beige or silver, the OEM version of the drive can be picked up for less than $30.

Highs:

• Writes to DVD-R and DVD+R media at 20x
• Writes to DVD-R DL media at 12x
• Writes to DVD+R DL media at 8x
• Writes to DVD+RW media at 8x
• Writes to DVD-RW media at 6x
• Reads single layer DVD-ROM's at 16x
• Reads DVD±R media at 16x
• Reads DVD±RW media at 13x
• Reads DVD±R DL media at 12x
• Reads and writes DVD-RAM media at 12x
• Features 48x CD-R and 32x CD-RW writing speeds
• Good selection of writing and rewriting speeds
• Includes buffer underrun prevention technology
• Good CD-R and DVD±R writing quality
• Supports bitsetting for DVD+R DL media
• Affordably priced

Lows:

• Questionable writing quality with some DVD±R DL media
• Had a hard time reaching its rated speeds when reading pressed CD's
• Cannot set the book type of DVD+R or DVD+RW media
• Problems recognizing discs larger than 90 minutes
• Higher than average seek times