Hi all, a few weeks back I asked for some recommendations on a drive that would read CDR media not just at least CONSISTENTLY but also read them VERY WELL. I couldn't get many definitive answers, so I ordered a few top rated drives that I didn't already have and conducted some tests (to reflect my type of usage) that may be of interest and help to some of you.
The drives tested were the highest rated CDROM or DVD drives at various testing sites. Currently, the LiteOn LTD-163D DVD is the highest rated DVD drive and has the fastest DAE of any drive, even CDROM drives, (except for the Kenwood TrueX 72x) so the LTD-163 was included in the tests.
All tests were conducted on the first PC listed in *My Rigs* in my sig. file. All were connected as the stand alone secondary master. (My OS is Windows 98, NOT NT, and I cannot change that on the *My rigs* page for some reason. Regardless, it keeps stating *Windows_NT* and that is incorrect).
After every drive's test, the drive was 'removed' from the device manager and the registry cleaned of all entries for the specific drive.
All drives were perfect in reading CDRW media.
CDR media read speed tests were conducted with an Imation 12X CDR disk and dragging a 54mb zipped file from the CDROM drive to the desktop in 7 attempts. (FYI, the file was burned on the CDR disk @ 16x by a Yamaha 20x16x40 LiteSpeed II drive [BurnProof & 8mb buffer]).
1. Asus S520 = 9.9 - 16 sec.
2. *LiteOn LTN-526N 52x = 10.8 - 24.5 sec.
3. Artec CHA-56 56x = 18 - 24.5 sec.
4. **LiteOn LTD-163D 16x/40x DVD = 8 - ? sec.
* - The LiteOn LTN-526N is the unit with the *Smart X* technology.
** - The LiteOn LTD-163D gave the fastest time in one attempt, however had an average time of ?, because it was VERY inconsistent. 3 times the drive would 'lock up' after it would spin down, and took more than a minute to speed up & initialize again. Twice the PC had to be restarted.
Benchmark tests were done with "SiSoft Sandra Pro". The (2) suffix on the file names represent test results with the "Bypass Windows disk cache" box CHECKED. Media was just a CD that was handy that had the required data on it to initiate the test ("Merlin VR").
Artec CHA-56
Artec CHA-56(2)
Asus CD-S520
Asus CD-S520(2)
LiteOn LTD-163D DVD
LiteOn LTD-163D DVD(2)
LiteOn LTN-526N
LiteOn LTN-526N(2)
(I don't know why the LiteOn 526 read the CD's title as *soft key* when the others did not).
No question about it, the Asus was the best at reading CDR media, and since that's what I was looking for, this is my first choice hands down. It instantly initialized and even after spinning down, and was able to pick up the CDR disk immediately. Even within a second it could read a 'problem' CDR that would take the other drives more than 30 sec. to 'see' again! It had the second fastest overall time at delivering the 54mb zipped file to the hard drive (after the inconsistent LTD-163), and the fastest average time of that test over the rest of the pack. In actual use, it was by far the fastest on all media types, it's access time even seemed faster than the rest. Another note; it was the quietest of the bunch. In fact, I couldn't even hear it!! I have never *heard* a CDROM drive be sooooooo q-u-i-e-t!
I don't impress easily, and I AM impressed with the Asus CD-S520 drive. I am ordering more of them. Best price is still $32 shipped @newegg.
The drives tested were the highest rated CDROM or DVD drives at various testing sites. Currently, the LiteOn LTD-163D DVD is the highest rated DVD drive and has the fastest DAE of any drive, even CDROM drives, (except for the Kenwood TrueX 72x) so the LTD-163 was included in the tests.
All tests were conducted on the first PC listed in *My Rigs* in my sig. file. All were connected as the stand alone secondary master. (My OS is Windows 98, NOT NT, and I cannot change that on the *My rigs* page for some reason. Regardless, it keeps stating *Windows_NT* and that is incorrect).
After every drive's test, the drive was 'removed' from the device manager and the registry cleaned of all entries for the specific drive.
All drives were perfect in reading CDRW media.
CDR media read speed tests were conducted with an Imation 12X CDR disk and dragging a 54mb zipped file from the CDROM drive to the desktop in 7 attempts. (FYI, the file was burned on the CDR disk @ 16x by a Yamaha 20x16x40 LiteSpeed II drive [BurnProof & 8mb buffer]).
1. Asus S520 = 9.9 - 16 sec.
2. *LiteOn LTN-526N 52x = 10.8 - 24.5 sec.
3. Artec CHA-56 56x = 18 - 24.5 sec.
4. **LiteOn LTD-163D 16x/40x DVD = 8 - ? sec.
* - The LiteOn LTN-526N is the unit with the *Smart X* technology.
** - The LiteOn LTD-163D gave the fastest time in one attempt, however had an average time of ?, because it was VERY inconsistent. 3 times the drive would 'lock up' after it would spin down, and took more than a minute to speed up & initialize again. Twice the PC had to be restarted.
Benchmark tests were done with "SiSoft Sandra Pro". The (2) suffix on the file names represent test results with the "Bypass Windows disk cache" box CHECKED. Media was just a CD that was handy that had the required data on it to initiate the test ("Merlin VR").
Artec CHA-56
Artec CHA-56(2)
Asus CD-S520
Asus CD-S520(2)
LiteOn LTD-163D DVD
LiteOn LTD-163D DVD(2)
LiteOn LTN-526N
LiteOn LTN-526N(2)
(I don't know why the LiteOn 526 read the CD's title as *soft key* when the others did not).
No question about it, the Asus was the best at reading CDR media, and since that's what I was looking for, this is my first choice hands down. It instantly initialized and even after spinning down, and was able to pick up the CDR disk immediately. Even within a second it could read a 'problem' CDR that would take the other drives more than 30 sec. to 'see' again! It had the second fastest overall time at delivering the 54mb zipped file to the hard drive (after the inconsistent LTD-163), and the fastest average time of that test over the rest of the pack. In actual use, it was by far the fastest on all media types, it's access time even seemed faster than the rest. Another note; it was the quietest of the bunch. In fact, I couldn't even hear it!! I have never *heard* a CDROM drive be sooooooo q-u-i-e-t!
I don't impress easily, and I AM impressed with the Asus CD-S520 drive. I am ordering more of them. Best price is still $32 shipped @newegg.
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