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| Review: ASUS DRW-1608P |
ASUS sent us their DRW-1608P drive, which is a 16X speed, Dual Format, Double Layer, DVD burner. This drive is based on the popular Pioneer DVR-109 drive. The name ASUS is very familiar to most people due to the companies well known computer products and peripherals. Asus is especially known for their portfolio of motherboard and video card products. The DRW-1608P is one of their latest DVD writers, but how does it perform? We'll find out in this article by running the drive through numerous tests and by analyzing its performance on a multitude of various media.
Company information:
We found the following information on the ASUS website;
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Drive specifications:
We also found the following specifications on the ASUS website:
DRW-1608P ( DVD±R/RW Drive ) |
Capable of reading data from and writing data on DVD+R/RW or DVD-R/RW formats. The dual compatibility feature allows you to create DVDs that can be played or read by most DVD-ROM drives and VD players. |
Check out other ASUS DRW-1608P features: |
* Max. 16X DVD±R/ 8X DVD+RW/ 6X DVD-RW/ 6X DVD±R (DL) |
* Max. 4 0 X CD-R/ 24X CD-RW |
* Max. 16X DVD-ROM/ 40X CD-ROM |
* DVD-R Dual Layer Ready* |
* 8X DVD+RW Write Ready* * |
Over-Speed Burning |
FlextraLink™ - Buffer Underrun Errors Prevention Technology |
FlextraSpeed™ - Optimal Writing Speed Adjustment Technology |
DDSS II - Double Dynamic Suspension System |
Compatible with a Wide Range of Disc Formats |
Operates on Horizontal or Vertical Mounting |
ASUS Unique Live Firmware Update Tool |
Bundle Nero Burning Software & Ulead DVD MovieFactory |
Windows XP/ NT/ ME/ 2000/ 98/ 98SE Supported |
Retail Package |
ASUS DRW-1608P Internal IDE Drive x 1 |
Cable Set (IDE Cable*1pc + Screw*4pcs + Audio Cable*1pc) x 1 |
Bundle Nero Software and Ulead DVD MovieFactory x 2 |
Multi-Language Quick Installation Guide x 1 |
Emergency Eject Pin and Instruction Slip x 1 |
Important Notice: The drive will offer DVD-R Dual Layer compatibility through a firmware upgrade once the DVD-R Dual Layer specification has been officially approved by the DVD Forum. The write speed for selected DVD-R Dual Layer and +R Double Layer media types can also be increased to 6X through this firmware upgrade. |
The +RW Alliance is now finalising the +RW 8X format and the product can be enhanced to support this media through a firmware upgrade once the +RW 8X specification has been officially approved by the +RW Alliance. |
What's
inside the box?
Here we take a look at the ASUS DRW-1608P retail package and the contents included in the bundle.
BOX FRONT
BOX REAR
BOX LEFT
BOX RIGHT
The box has a clean design that highlights the 16x16 DVD±R capabilities and the 6X Double Layer writing ability. Next, we opened up the box and arranged all of the contents for easy viewing.
RETAIL PACKAGE
Let us look over the contents of the retail package.
The box contains;
- The DRW-1608P drive
- One emergency eject pin
- One 80 wire IDE cable
- Mounting screws
- Quick Installation Guide
- Nero OEM suite CD-ROM
- Ulead DVD MovieFactory 3 Suite SE CD-ROM
- Audio cable
- ASUS motherboard flyer
This is a pretty nice bundle. Including both Nero and Ulead software packages gives the end-user the flexibility to choose their favorite CD/DVD software. We do miss seeing a more thorough User manual (like previous ASUS models included), at least one included blank DVD±R disc and preferably also one DVD rewriteable disc. The Quick Installation guide uses very small text and only contains one small picture.
Now we shall take a closer look at the drive itself.
DRIVE BEZEL
Notice the indented line and the contours on the drive tray. This gives the drive a unique and interesting appearance. What else is on the front of the drive? On the left-side and underneath the drive tray there is an emergency eject hole, to the right there is an LED indicator, and then at the far right is the eject button. For graphics, we have the ASUS logo printed on the center of the drive tray. Underneath the drive tray from left to right we have a DVD+R DL logo, a DVD Alliance (DVD+R/RW) logo, a DVD Forum (DVD-R/RW) logo, and finally a Compact Disc Ultra Speed ReWriteable logo.
DRIVE TOP
DRIVE STICKERS
The small sticker claims the drive was Manufactured in March 2005, but the large ASUS sticker claims that it was manufactured in February 2005. The ASUS sticker also details that the drive was designed in Taiwan and made in China.
DRIVE REAR
Starting from the left of the back of the drive we have; one undocumented connection; analog audio connector; pins and jumper to set the drive to cable select, slave or master; IDE connector and finally the power connector. There is no digital audio connector.
On the next page we will take a look at the test machine testing software, drive features and the included software…