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Top 10 DVD Drives

Three external drives make auspicious debuts in our newly split chart.

Melissa J. Perenson

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Plextor PX-716A PCW Rating: 70.4PCW Rating: 70.4PCW Rating: 70.4

Last Rated:

1. Plextor Plextor PX-716A

16X DVD-R, 16X DVD+R, 4X DVD+R double layer, 8X DVD+RW, 4X DVD-RW write speeds, 48X CD-R, 24X CD-RW write speeds, 8MB buffer, Internal IDE drive, Roxio Easy Media Creator Basic 7.1 software

Bottom Line: Feature-rich drive provides fine overall performance and 8X DVD+RW burning. A firmware update supports 6X double-layer burns.

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Toshiba SD-R5372 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated:

2. Toshiba Toshiba SD-R5372

16X DVD-R, 16X DVD+R, 5X DVD+R double layer, 4X DVD-RW, 4X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAM write speeds, 48X CD-R, 24X CD-RW write speeds, 2MB buffer, Internal IDE drive, Nero Express 6.3 software

Bottom Line: The best all-around performer on the chart can write to 5X DVD-RAM media. Lower-cost versions of this drive are sold without software.

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Memorex 16x Internal Double-Layer Dual-Format DVD Recorder PCW Rating: 68.0PCW Rating: 68.0PCW Rating: 68.0

Last Rated:

3. Memorex Memorex 16x Internal Double-Layer Dual-Format DVD Recorder

16X DVD-R, 16X DVD+R, 4X DVD+R double layer, 4X DVD-RW, 4X DVD+RW write speeds, 48X CD-R, 24X CD-RW write speeds, 2MB buffer, Internal IDE drive, Nero Express 6.3 software

Bottom Line: This drive is a good value, given its solid performance and jam-packed Nero software bundle, which includes PhotoShow Elite.

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Mach-16X DVD Writer PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated:

4. Pacific Digital Mach-16X DVD Writer

16X DVD-R, 16X DVD+R, 5X DVD+R double layer, 4X DVD-RW, 4X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAM write speeds , 48X CD-R, 24X CD-RW write speeds, 2MB buffer, Internal IDE drive, Nero Express 6.3 software

Bottom Line: Powerful model uses the same drive mechanism as the Toshiba SD-R5372, but its manual is mediocre.

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DVR-A09XLB Dual Layer DVDRW Writer (16x/4x/16x DVD+RW, 16x/6x/16x DVD-RW, 6x DVD+R DL, 40x/24x/40x CD-RW) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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5. Pioneer DVR-A09XLB Dual Layer DVDRW Writer (16x/4x/16x DVD+RW, 16x/6x/16x DVD-RW, 6x DVD+R DL, 40x/24x/40x CD-RW)

16X DVD-R, 16X DVD+R, 6X DVD+R double layer, 6X DVD-RW, 4X DVD+RW write speeds , 40X CD-R, 24X CD-RW write speeds, 2MB buffer, Internal IDE drive, Ulead DVD Movie Factory 3.5 Suite Deluxe software

Bottom Line: Fastest drive at writing to DVD+R DL, and it has a stellar software bundle. But on CD-R writes, it was 25 percent behind the leader.

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Lite-On Internal 16x Double-Layer DVD+/-RW Drive (SOHW-1673S) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated:

6. Lite-On Lite-On Internal 16x Double-Layer DVD+/-RW Drive (SOHW-1673S)

16X DVD-R, 16X DVD+R, 4X DVD+R double layer, 6X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW write speeds, 48X CD-R, 24X CD-RW write speeds, 2MB buffer, Internal IDE drive, Nero Express 6.3 software

Bottom Line: Bargain-priced drive excels on single-layer +R and +RW writes, and comes with great support policies and documentation.

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DRU-720A Dual Layer DVDRW Writer (16x/8x/16x DVD+RW, 16x/6x/16x DVD-RW, 4 DVD+R DL, 48x/24x/40x CD-RW) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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7. Sony DRU-720A Dual Layer DVDRW Writer (16x/8x/16x DVD+RW, 16x/6x/16x DVD-RW, 4 DVD+R DL, 48x/24x/40x CD-RW)

16X DVD-R, 16X DVD+R, 4X DVD+R double layer, 4X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW write speeds, 48X CD-R, 24X CD-RW write speeds, 2MB buffer, Internal IDE drive, Nero Express 6.3 software

Bottom Line: This model is strong on single-layer writing but slow at writing to double-layer discs. Includes a solid Nero software bundle.

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Memorex External 16x Dual-Format, Double-Layer DVD Recorder PCW Rating: 77.0PCW Rating: 77.0PCW Rating: 77.0

Last Rated:

8. Memorex Memorex External 16x Dual-Format, Double-Layer DVD Recorder

16X DVD-R, 16X DVD+R, 4X DVD+R double layer, 6X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW write speeds , 48X CD-R, 24X CD-RW write speeds, 2MB buffer, External FireWire and USB 2.0 drive, Nero Express 6.3 software

Bottom Line: A boxy silver-gray case and good performance distinguish this drive; only unit here to support both FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 connections.

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BENQ 16X EXT DVD+/-RW USB2.0 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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9. BenQ BENQ 16X EXT DVD+/-RW USB2.0

16X DVD-R, 16X DVD+R, 2.4X DVD+R double layer, 4X DVD-RW, 4X DVD+RW write speeds, 40X CD-R, 24X CD-RW write speeds, 2MB buffer, External USB 2.0 drive, Sonic RecordNow 7.2 and InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2 software

Bottom Line: As configured, this unit performed modestly. BenQ says it will have a firmware update to boost both +RW and DL +R write speeds.

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MagicSpin iDVD16DDBE PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated:

10. IO Magic MagicSpin iDVD16DDBE

16X DVD-R, 16X DVD+R, 4X DVD+R double layer, 4X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW write speeds, 48X CD-R, 24X CD-RW write speeds, 2MB buffer, External USB 2.0 drive, Nero Express 6.3 software

Bottom Line: Strong single-layer writer earned mediocre scores on double-layer burns. I/O Magic's Web site is weak on driver updates and documentation.

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We test drives under Windows XP Home on PCs with 1.67-GHz Athlon XP 2000+ CPUs and 512MB of SDRAM, using media supplied by the vendor or Verbatim. Some vendors may change drive suppliers without changing their model designations; our results reflect the configuration tested at review time.

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