Sony DRU-720A: Speed Increases All Around

The Updated DRU-720A

Visually, the DRU-720A is not much different than the past few models that Sony has put out. The bezel is white in color with the tray bezel being the trademark translucent gray with a silver Sony logo printed at the center, and DVD and CD standards logos printed in blue along the bottom of the tray's bezel. Sony does include an extra all-black bezel for those with black computer cases.

The physical dimensions of the DRU-720A are identical to those of the 710A, which leads us to predict that aside from an updated chipset, everything else between the 710A and 720A is the same.

Chipset Information

The DRU-720A uses an updated version of the MediaTek chipset used in the 710A as well as the Lite-On SOHW-1633S. The chipset is, again, mounted on the underside of the circuit board and contains the MT1828E servo control and the MT1816E ASP (analog signal processor). The newer chipset version allows for 16x - R write ability (up from 8x on the 710A), 8x +RW write ability (up from 4x), 6x - RW write ability (also up from 4x), and a +R dual layer write speed of 4x (up from 2.4x).

Upon opening the drive, we first saw the ROHM Co. BD7902FS IC for the drive's motor as well as the Hynix DRAM module. To get to the backside of the circuit board, we had to disconnect two of the cables from the board. Obviously, we do not recommend doing this at home, since it may damage your drive. That's what we're here for!

Take a look at the DRU-720A's manufacturer's technical specifications in the table below.

Sony DRU-720A
Interface	PATA
CD Read Speed	40x
CD-R Write Speed	8x, 16x, 24x~40x P-CAV 48x CAV
CD-RW Rewrite Speed	4x, 10x, 16x, 24x Z-CLV
DVD Read Speed	16x
DVD-R Write Speed	1x, 2x, 4x, 6x CLV 8x, 12x P-CAV 16x CAV
DVD-RW Rewrite Speed	1x, 2x, 4x, 6x CLV
DVD+R Write Speed	2.4x, 4x, 8x~12x P-CAV 16x CAV
DVD+RW Rewrite Speed	2.4x, 4x, 6x CLV 8x Z-CLV
DVD+DL Write Speed	2.4x, 4x CLV
Supported Modes	Packet, TAO, DAO, SAO, RAW SAO, RAW DAO, RAW SAO 16, RAW SAO 96, RAW DAO 16, RAW DAO 96
Access Time	140ms (CD 48x) 135ms (DVD 16x)
Buffer	2MB
Dimensions	5.75x1.63x6.75 inches (WxHxD)
Weight	2lbs.

To further confirm these specifications, we grabbed a screenshot from Nero's InfoTool v.3.00.

This version of InfoTool has added detection for a handful of drive read and write capabilities. Among them are DVD-R DL read/write capability and BD-R/RE/ROM (Blu-Ray disc) read/write capabilities. It looks like Nero, Inc. is getting a head start on the new generation of optical media!

We have also taken a screenshot from DVD Info Pro's scan of the DRU-720A.

Click to enlarge.

The makers of DVD Info Pro have also added checkboxes for their list of capabilities, but Sony will not take advantage of them this time around. The DRU-720A has all of the features required by typical home users.

Sony has also included the standard accessories: a black replacement drive bezel, a pin to aid in installation of the replacement bezel, a 40-pin IDE cable to connect the drive to the motherboard, the full Nero 6 Software Suite, and detailed instruction manuals for the DRU-720A. Sony is also well known for its exceptional customer support.