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Plextor
40/12/40A
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Author : Wayne
Date : 18th March 2002
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Performance :
Test Configurations :
AMD Athlon XP 2000+
Epox 8KHA+ Motherboard
256MB PC2100 Kingmax DDR SDRAM
40GB ATA-100 HDD
Windows XP Pro
First up a quick trip through
Nero's CD Speed to check the claims of 40x CD-ROM capability.
As can be seen even using a slightly below capacity 71 minute
CD gave a maximum read of 40.82x. Random seek times tagged up
at 128ms which is closer to the rated spec than I expected and
CPU usage was well controlled if a touch high. An excellent
start, things are looking good.
Next up a little confirmation from CloneCD that
the Plextor does indeed support RAW, a definite bonus for some
of you with slightly more...errrm...specialist uses.
CDDAE 99 is a useful tool for verifying the quality
and accuracy of a drives digital audio extraction (ripping)
ability. Ignore the speed ratings as these are affected by the
verification process, the important thing here is the number
of errors when the extracted audio is verified against the original.
Having performed the test on track 1 of the CD
it was then repeated on track 10. The extraction remained error
free despite the faster data stream.
No problems here then, and the overall speed will
make this an excellent choice for those wanting to rip audio
on a regular basis.
Running the burst transfer rate resulted in an
impressive 13MB/s, well below the ATA-33 ceiling but still good
going for a drive with a theoretical limit of 40x150KB/s = 6000KB/s.
Write times are what really makes this drive stand
out. Times are shown in seconds and for the multiple file write
I copied 700MB of data comprised of 7267 individual files. For
the single file write the same 700MB of data was written only
this time the file was a single *.wav file.
Awesome! 3 minutes and 25 seconds for a single
700MB data file is the kind of performance we could only dream
about even a few short months ago. Even when dealing with over
7000 individual files the Plextor turned in an impressive 3
minutes and 57 seconds.
Re-Write times were equally impressive demonstrating
the benefits of an industry leading 12x Rewrite capability.
After an initial 6 minute format the same data files used for
the write speed test were used to conduct the re-write test.
At a shade over 6 minutes for the single file
rewrite and 6 minutes 40 seconds for the multiple file rewrite
I think it's fair to say that regular system backups to CD will
no longer be the exercise in patience they once were. I've always
tended to keep away from using CD-RWs simply because of the
time involved in formatting and writing to them but at last
even I'm ready to start using them.
Just a quick note about compatibility with copy
protected CDs. I don't actually have any here but I've heard
rumors that the Plextor has problems reading some or all of
them. If I get any information on this I'll update the review.
The Bonus :
As an added bonus to those of you with black cases
Plextor have announced that this drive will also be available
with a black fascia. No longer does owning a black case mean
you have to take what you can get, you can now have a bleeding
edge burner that doesn't stand out like a sore thumb without
having to reach for the spray paint. Other manufacturers take
note!
Conclusion :
PROs
Fast
Industry leading Rewrite speed
Reliable and innovative technology
Well priced
Generally very high build quality
Quality bundle
Excellent audio copy quality
Now available with a black fascia
CONs
Problems reading copy protected CD's?
CD Tray feels flimsy
So there we have it. The Plextor 40/12/40A brings CD burning
kicking and screaming into the 21st century with a killer blend
of quality engineering and idiot-proof real time write quality
monitoring. Throw in a 2 year "collect and return"
warranty and it's hard to fault what's been achieved. The risk
Plextor face is that other manufacturers may produce faster
40x drives simply by not implementing some of the fail-safe
features Plextor have made standard, but given the choice I'd
sooner know that what I'm burning is an accurate copy of my
original rather than a marginally faster copy that's peppered
with errors. Next time you see this drive get bested for speed
check the feature set of the victor. If it's offering the same
level of monitoring and quality testing then buy it.
One of the cons I listed was that the CD tray
feels flimsy and compared to the drives I've used before it
does, but as with most things this can be a positive feature
too. I once snapped a tray clean off when I caught it with my
knee getting up from my chair to grab a CD. Chances are the
Plextor tray would have flexed enough to not break so maybe
this isn't such a negative after all, I mean CDs aren't exactly
heavy!
Plextor are considered by many to make the very
best CD Re-Writers in the business and the 40/12/40A simply
adds merit to that belief. The blend of speed and technology
feels bang on the money. Users of 24 speed drives probably won't
be quite as wowed by the speed increases as those with slower
units but if you want the fastest and most reliable around look
no further.
Special thanks go to Sarah Tokley for arranging
this drive for us to review.
.... 
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