 | Review: LG GSA-4040B multi DVD-Writer Reviewer: OC-Freak Firmware: A301 Manufactured: July 2003 |
This time we will take a look at the LG GSA-4040B Super multi DVD Writer. Since it supports DVD-RAM in addition to DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW it could in fact be called a triple format DVD-Writer. Our expectations for this DVD-Writer is very high, so let us see if it lives up to our expectations in this review.
Some LG facts:
This drive is made by LG/Hitachi, some time ago Hitachi and LG agreed on merging the optical division with each other. Below is some company information from the LG Website:
LG Electronics is a major global player in electronics & telecommunications, operating 72 subsidiaries around the world with over 55,000 employees worldwide. LGE focuses on Digital TV, CD-RW, DVD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM Drives, PCs, Monitors, Mobile Handsets,CRTs and PDPs. LGE is strengthening core competencies even more to further its reputation as the "Digital Leader" in electronic products and equipment in the digital era.
| Corporate Name : LG Electronics Inc. | |
| Established : October 1, 1958 (As a private Company) | |
| Corporate Office ADVERTISEMENT
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| LG Twin Towers | |
| Chairman & CEO : Mr. S.S.Kim | |
| Business Area Main Product | |
| Digital TV, PDP, Monitor, CD-ROM Drives, DVD-ROM Drives, CD Rewritable Recorder, VCR, DVD Player, Audio, Security System, Recording Media, Video Phone, PC Camera, Banking Automatic System , PCB | |
| Air Conditioner, Refrigerator, Microwave Oven, Washing Machine, Vacuum Cleaner, Compressor for Air Conditioner, Compressor for Refrigerator | |
| TDX, STAREX, optical switching systems, Implementation of advanced IBS (Information Building System), System Integration (SI) service, etc. | |
| Number of Employees - 55,500(30,000 Domestic/ 25,500 Overseas) |
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| LG Electronics' digital display and media products, already recognized for their cutting-edge technology, include digital TVs, flat-screen TVs, PCs, monitors, CD-ROM drives, CD-RW drives, DVD players, MP3 players, ACDRs, PC cameras and digital video phones. The company has held the top share of the world market for CD-ROM drives since 1998, and the company's CD-RW drives captured the leading market share (21%) in 2000. In step with industry trends, the company is continuing to come out with unique digital audio/video products with multiple functions supported by fusion technologies. |
Sophisticated Digital Products to Usher in Home Networks
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| Early on, LG Electronics strengthened the competitiveness of its multimedia business by forging strategic alliances with such companies as IBM, Sony, Intel, Apple and Compaq. During 2000, an optical storage joint venture was established with Hitachi, and a strategic tie-up was concluded with JBL for digital audio products. In addition, a CRT joint venture is scheduled to be officially finalized with Philips Electronics in May 2001. LG Electronics will continue to strengthen its partnerships with the world's leading enterprises. |
According to this information we are dealing with a large company, with lots of tradition and experience. This makes our expectations even higher for this drive.
Drive specifications:
This is how LG presents their drive:
'For speed and versatility, look to the LG Super-Multi Drive. The GSA-4040B records data up to 4.7GB per side on DVD media and writes in all kinds of formats: DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, DVD-RAM and CD-R/-RW. The Super-Multi also reads most DVD and CD formats, including DVD+R/+RW. This adds up to one Super versatile drive suitable for any application. Buffer Underrun Protection, Windows XP/2000/ME/98 compatibility and UltraDMA support ensure fast, reliable writing every time."
| Type | Internal, DVD+/-RW/CD-RW Drive |
| Transfer Rates: | |
| Write | CD-RW: 16x, 12x, 8x, 4x |
| Read | CD-ROM/CD-R: 32x Max. |
| Data Transfer Rate(Burst) | 16.67MB/sec (PIO Mode 4 or Multi-DMA Mode 2) |
| Access Time | DVD-ROM: 130ms (Typical) |
| Buffer Size | 2MB with SuperLink for |
| Interface | E-IDE/ATAPI |
| Loading | Motorized, Loading/Unloading Tray |
| Drive OS Compatibility |
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| Supported Disc | Standard CD 12cm and 8cm(Horizontal Loading Only) |
| Supported Formats | DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-DA, CD-Extra, CD-Text, CD-R (Orange Book Part 2), and CD-RW (Orange Book Part 3), Supports Ultra Speed Disc Media, Reads Photo CD (Single and Multi-Session), Reads CD-I and Video CD |
| Mounting | Internal, Vertical, or Horizontal |
| Front Panel Controls/Indicators | Load/Eject, Busy LED, Emergency Eject Pinhole |
| Rear Panel Connections | Power, EIDE/ATAPI, Mode Selector Jumper, Audio Output |
| Authoring Tools Supplied | B's Recorder GOLD, B's Clip, B's DVD, DVD-RAM Driver, PowerDVD, Acrobat Reader |
| MPEG-2 Software | DVD Playback Software |
| MTBF | 100,000 POH |
| Size (WxDxH) | Standard Internal Half Height Drive Size |
| Weight | 2.0 lbs. (0.9kg) |
| Accessories Supplied | Two Drive IDE Cable |
| UPC#: | GSA-4040BI: 048231292290 (Retail) |
Compared to must of its competitors it seems like a clear winner, although there is a few drives that supports faster CD reading and writing speeds, these do lack the support of the DVD-RAM format. On the other hand very many direct competitors offers lower CD-Writing speeds than this drive. But let us not waste the whole day on talking, it's time to continue on if we should ever be able to see some nice test results from this drive.
Test machine:
For this review we will be using a computer with the following configuration:
Hardware:
⋅ Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-8KNXP with Intel i875P chipset.
⋅ Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2,8GHz 800MHz FSB with Hyper Threading support.
⋅ RAM: 1Gb PC3500 DDR
⋅ GFX: ATI Radeon 9800 pro
⋅ Sound: SB Audigy 2
⋅ Hard disks: 2 x Seagate Barracuda ATA IV 80Gb in RAID 0
System set-up:
The LG GSA-4040B was connected as Primary Slave and identified itself as HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-4040B, a rather cryptic name if you ask us. Both autorun and DMA (Direct Memory Access) was enabled for all devices.
Software:
Windows XP professional is installed on the computer along with Service Pack 1 for windows XP. We will be using the following software in this review:
⋅ B's clip v5.35
⋅ Ahead InCD v4.0.5.6
⋅ Ahead Nero Burning ROM version 6.0.0.19
⋅ Ahead Nero CD/DVD Speed v2.10 and v2.10.1 beta
⋅ Ahead Nero InfoTool v2.00
⋅ Slysoft CloneCD v4.3.1.7
⋅ Blindwrite suite v4.5.7
⋅ Exact Audio Copy v0.95 prebeta 3
⋅ K-Probe v1.1.26 and v1.1.23
The bundled programs will be installed and evaluated as well, but may no be used for the performance testing part of this review.
Head on to the next page and find out what the box we got contained…
