Verdict: A respectable drive, but it's way too expensive

The DW1670 is BenQ's latest DVD writer, and boasts a number of new features to cool discs when burning at high speeds, and prevent dust from getting into the sensitive drive interior. These are nifty features, but they count for very little if the DW1670 can't do its job of burning DVDs quickly and accurately.

BenQ claims the DW1670 can burn discs at the following speeds: DVD-R at 16x, DVD-R9 at 4x, DVD-RW at 6x, DVD+R at 16x, DVD+R9 at 8x, DVD+RW at 8x, caddyless DVD-RAM at 5x, CD-R at 40x and CD-RW at 32x. In our tests, the DW1670 was reasonably fast at burning DVD-Rs and DVD+Rs, but much faster at burning DVD-R9s than DVD+R9s.

This is very strange, although Nero would allow the drive to write DVD-R9s at 6x, despite the drive's 4x rating. The DW1670 isn't the best drive in the world at ripping DVDs, although it's noticeably faster than the Samsung and Asus drives.

BenQ manufactures both black and white versions of the DW1670, so you can choose the appropriate model to match your case. Inside the box, you'll find a copy of the ubiquitous disc-burning application, Nero Suite.

The DW1670 is a reasonably fast DVD writer but it doesn't excel at any particular type of disc. It's also, inexplicably, much more expensive than any other drive, bar the two stupidly-overpriced Plextor drives, which makes the Samsung a better buy.

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