T
here’s every reason in the world
to have more than one PC, but
it’s pointless to duplicate some
high-ticket items—like super-sexy
dual-format, double-layer DVD
burners—in both systems. External
burners trot easily from one system
to another, and you sacrifice no
performance for the convenience.
Even better, the external burners
we’re looking at this month offer the
same cutting-edge speeds you’d get
with internal drives!
—LOGAN DECKERFreecom
Classic DVD
Dual Format
Double Layer Burner
We don’t know what the “Classic”
refers to, as there is no Freecom Nü
Burner that we know of, but with
its slate black color and stackable
design, the nearly foot-long case of
this dual-format, double-layer burner
looks sophisticated and modest.
The performance of the drive is
also sophisticated and modest, with
results that reflect the latest speeds
in the various formats without
achieving benchmark-busting results
in any single category
The “Classic” stands
pretty much shoulder
to shoulder with
Sony’s DRU-700A,
at 8:50 (min:sec) to
burn 4.25GB to a
DVD+R and 45:12 to
burn 8.5GB to a 2.4x
DVD+R DL (double-
layer) disc. While
the CPU
utilization
gets pretty
high, the
same can be
said of the
Memorex
and all
other
external
drives
that don’tbenefit from the express lanes of
IDE and SATA connections. (Make
sure you avoid multitasking when
burning at high speeds on external
burners). Although the box says
that the Freecom burner writes to
CD-R at 32x, Roxio reported the
writing speed to be 40x, resulting in
a time of 3:08. You’ll not hear any
complaints from us.
The Freecom DVD burner
connects via USB 2.0 only. The
disc tray has clips so the drive can
be operated on its side,
saving valuable desk real
estate, but the slightly
convex sides don’t make
this practical—why not flat
sides, or at least a stand?
There is no power button,
but an LED signals when
the drive is in operation.
Freecom has squeezed
out an inexpensive and
competent double layer
burner that will disappoint
only the most uppity
power users.Memorex 16x
Dual Format Double
Layer External
Before objective assessment of this
drive can begin, we have to get this
off our collective chests: What is up
with this drive’s enclosure? It’s
absolutely huge, and shaped like,
well, like nothing else. External
drives are big enough as it is, but
Memorex makes this worse by
bowing out the case on both sides so
you can’t prop the drive on its side—
and you certainly can’t operate it
this way. The top of the drive is
bowed out as well—it looks like
there’s a nasty case of botulism
going on inside—and as a result, you
can’t stack anything on top.
It’s big, it’s ugly... but it’s fast.
Holy moly is it fast. In fact, the
Memorex DVD burner finally putsto bed the notion that buying an
external drive means settling for
a notch or two below top-shelf
performance. We burned 8.5GB to a
2.4x DVD+R double-layer disc in a
record-breaking 42:47! Not too long
ago, seven and a half minutes was
an impressive result in our 700MB
CD-R burn test; today the Memorex
burns 4.7GB to 16x DVD+R media
in that same time. Memorex also
breaks new ground for external DVD
burners by writing 700MB of data
to a CD-R in just 3:03, and taking
a mere 2:23 to rip the contents of a
74-minute plus audio CD.
Although the exterior will make
you want to hide this drive beneath
a blanket, you’ll find both USB 2.0
and two FireWire ports in the rump,
as well as RCA audio out jacks and
an on/off switch.
Memorex continues to solidify
its name as one of the top names in
optical drives today. If you’re brawny
enough to lift it and don’t mind
the strange exterior, this is as fast as
external DVD burners get.DVD Writer Dustup
Memorex and Freecom present two external
DVD burnersMemorex 16xCutting-edge internal drive speeds in an external
package.BICHICK
Looks dreadful.$230, http://www.memorex.comMA XIMUMPC VERDICT 9
Reviews
Freecom
combines
calm design
with solid
performance.
Interestingly,
Roxio reported
this drive’s burn
rate to be 40x,
while the box
rates it at 32x.78 MA XIMUMPC NOVEMBER 200 4
BENCHMARKS DVD CD
Av erage data transfer (MB/sec) 8.6 5.5
Random/full-stroke seek (ms) 99/185 124/238
Audio extraction (min:sec) – 2:23
Data DVD/CD burn (min:sec) 7:28 (DVD+R) 3:03
CPU utilization 18% (2x) 10% (8x)The data CD burn, DVD burn, and DVD double layer tests use the bundled
applications to create a 700GB CD-R, 4.25GB DVD, and 8.5GB double layer DVD,
respectively. The audio-extraction test uses a commercially stamped 74 minute
audio CD. All tests were performed using Verbatim media, except where noted.Roxio Easy CD Creator 6
Roxio DVDMax 2.0THE BUNDLE
Writes to:
DVD+R DL 2.4x
DVD+R 8x
DVD-R 8x
CD-R 40x
Rewrites to:
DVD+RW 4x
DVD-RW 4x
CD-RW 16x
Reads:
DVD-ROM 12x
CD-ROM 40xInexpensive for an external drive, and no perfor-
mance slouch.
.ZIPPOHIPPO$200, http://www.freecom.comMA XIMUMPC VERDICT 8
Fails to excel in any one categoryFreecom Classic DVDBENCHMARKS DVD CD
Av erage data transfer (MB/sec) 8.5 4.6
Random/full-stroke seek (ms) 110/204 99/185
Audio extraction (min:sec) – 2:41
Data DVD/CD burn (min:sec) 8:50 (DVD+R) 3:08
CPU utilization 19% (2x) 10% (8x)The data CD burn, DVD burn, and DVD double layer tests use the bundled
applications to create a 700GB CD-R, 4.25GB DVD, and 8.5GB double layer DVD,
respectively. The audio-extraction test uses a commercially stamped 74 minute
audio CD. All tests were performed using Verbatim media, except where noted.
Writes to:
DVD+R DL 2.4x
DVD+R 16x
DVD-R 8x
CD-R 48x
Rewrites to:
DVD+RW 4x
DVD-RW 4x
CD-RW 24x
Reads:
DVD-ROM 16x
CD-ROM 48x
Big, unwieldy, and fast—Memorex
brings you the sports utility DVD
burner. This baby set numerous
lab records during testing. Ahead Nero Express 6
Ahead Vision Express 2
Ahead Nero BackItUp
Ahead Nero Showtime
Ahead Nero Recode 2THE BUNDLE