Verdict: A speedy burner with the best writing software you can buy
Although the excitement of dual-layer-capable DVD writers is still a few months away, manufacturers aren't sitting on their laurels where single-layer drives are concerned. DVD+R and +RW writable speeds had overtaken DVD-R and -RW, but the deficit is now restored. The new Asus DRW-0804P drive is the first writer we've received that's capable of an 8x write speed (11,080KB/sec) on both DVD+R and -R discs, and 4x (5,540KB/sec) on both DVD+RW and -RW media, although most other manufacturers are launching similar drives soon.
The DRW-0804P is also a capable CD writer, and can burn CD-Rs and CD-RWs at 24x. Read speeds are 12x and 40x for DVDs and CDs respectively. A 2MB buffer is par for the course - only Sony and MSI have been known to put more memory in a DVD writer. As you'd expect, the drive offers both buffer under-run protection (Asus calls it FlextraLink) and variable write speed support (FlextraSpeed). The latter automatically adjusts the write speed to enhance accuracy and reliability when writing and re-writing across a broad range of media.
Asus' second generation of stability control is implemented in the DRW-0804P by DDSSII. Standing for Double Dynamic Suspension System, this aims to keep vibrations and resonance to a minimum to achieve the most reliable burn. Plus, Asus uses Liquid Crystal Tilt (LCT) technology for better pickup head accuracy when both reading and writing discs with uneven surfaces. We had no problems with any discs during testing.
Physically, the drive isn't much to look at. The black bezel (there's also a beige option if you're that way inclined) simply has an eject button, and a green LED that glows if there's a disc inserted and flashes when reading or writing. There's a manual eject hole and Asus thoughtfully includes an eject pin in the retail kit. The box also contains mounting screws, an EIDE cable and an analog audio cable. There's no digital audio output at the rear - you'll have to use the EIDE interface for digital transfers. There's no headphone output at the front either, but we can't see that bothering too many people.
At this price, we weren't too surprised to see no writable media included in the box, but Nero Burning ROM 6 is a welcome sight. As far as we're concerned, it's still the best writing package by far. The package also includes InCD 4 for packet writing, and VisionExpress2 SE for capturing, authoring and burning video discs.
As usual, the media manufacturers are playing catch-up with the drive manufacturers and, despite our best efforts, we were unable to obtain any 8x DVD-R or 4x DVD-RW discs with which to test the drive. Verbatim assures us that by the time you read this, both types of media should be in the shops.
Already available, though, are 8x DVD+R discs, so we popped one in the drive to begin the testing. We used the same test files as in our recent DVD writers Labs test (see Issue 6, p54), which centre around a compilation of files totalling 4.2GB. The DRW-0804P took these in its stride and wrote them to a DVD+R in eight minutes and 34 seconds. This is almost 90 seconds quicker than the Lite-On LDW-811S (see Issue 6, p62) but still 46 seconds slower than the Plextor PX-708A.
DVD+RW speed wasn't quite as impressive - we had to wait 14 minutes and 33 seconds for the files to be written. The Lite-On was almost a minute quicker at the same test. Swapping discs for 2x DVD-RW saw the time extend to 29 minutes and 13 seconds - you can expect this to be close to the DVD+RW time once 4x media is available. It took 14 minutes and 45 seconds to burn a 4x DVD-R disc, this should become as quick as the DVD+R time using 8x DVD-R discs.
The good news is that this is a fantastic drive for ripping DVDs. We used the same 100-minute episode of the Discovery Channel's 'Nile - River of Gods' as we did in the DVD writers Labs test and only had to wait five minutes and 50 seconds for it to rip. The Lite-On was almost 30 seconds slower under the same conditions. CD ripping, on the other hand, wasn't too hot, but the Asus still beat Lite-On's time of eight minutes and 45 seconds by 26 seconds.
CONCLUSION
The Asus will be a much quicker drive than the Lite-On once you can use the faster DVD-R and -RW media. All in all, this is a well-priced package and deserves to be on your shortlist if you're upgrading from a CD writer. However, if you already own a DVD writer, it's well worth waiting for dual-layer writers to emerge before parting with your cash.
