Final Words
With the new DVD-R DL format and updated write speeds, we are all tempted to upgrade to a new writer as soon as we see one drop below the $60-$70 mark, but many don't see the difference in performance from drive to drive. Our Summer 2005 16x DVDR roundup showed that a drive that has won the Gold Editor's Choice award in the past may not come close to the top of the list. New drives with new updated firmware will top the charts if they do what they are supposed to do. Plextor has done it again; not by using their own hardware, but using hardware that is equally as effective as well as affordable.With the exception of the Platinum brand DVD+/-R media, the PX-740A proved to be a competitor with drives such as NEC's ND-3540A and Pioneer's DVR-109D, and being at the same level as BenQ's DW1640. Even when using mid-quality media, the PX-740A does not disappoint as many of the new generation drives have thus far.
Our test unit ran us about $76.00 excluding shipping costs, which is not bad, but compared to some retailers offering BenQ's DW1640 for about $10 less, the PX-740A does give more bang for the buck. Plextor's firmware team has taken the same hardware BenQ uses to a higher level of quality and speed. On the down side, thePX-740A does not support the PlexTools utility so it's a trade-off between features and performance. But those who don't care too much for the benchmarking characteristics of Plextor's other units, the PX-740A will fit the bill just fine.
Overall, though, Plextor offers a great drive at an affordable price and that's what will attract customers in the end. We recommend the PX-740A to anyone looking for great performance and write quality at a decent price.
Special thanks to Marken Communications for supplying us with Verbatim brand test media.
Special thanks to Antarra Communications for supplying us with Ridata brand test media.
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Bozo Galora - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link
Yet another DVD review with no Taiyo Yuden DVD media.semo - Wednesday, August 3, 2005 - link
yeah that bothers me too. mcc media are a good high grade specimen but ty are a lot more consistent. infiniti branded mcc media does not perform as good as verbatim branded ones (just like memory, some chips are ultra fast and ultra expensive and some are slow and just expensive).ty on the other hand don't deviate much from excellent (even the value grade ones). i have some unbranded 8x rated tyg02 dvd-rs that burned @ 16x in my dw1620 surpass the 16x mcc 03rg20 infinitis (burned at any speed) in quality.
ty should be used more in reviews since it is very consistent. i'm half way through my tub of 100 and i never got a dvd with >500 pifs (usually less than 80). ty media is also very cheap in the us. in the uk it is more expensive but it is still half the price of even the cheapest junk sold in supermarkets or even cheaper and about the same price as mcc.
joex444 - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link
I'm liking that 716's SATA inteface, though. Time to replace my NEC 1300.larson0699 - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link
PERHAPS its low price tag (in relation to PX-716A) has *something* to do with the fact that it's back to the old interface.Sorry, but SATA is totally 0wn1ng. *pets his 716A*
WileCoyote - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link
Woah woah... time out. When did Plextor start rebadging drives? I always thought they were an OEM with top-notch quality. Now they're like everybody else? Sad.dmxlite - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link
Maybe because the BenQ drive is really good, and they needed something for the low end in their product lines.kmmatney - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link
So, are these only sold in 10 packs, or what?...Hacp - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link
I was hoping for something for Anandtech to review....... Cameras and Optical drives are just boring :(.yacoub - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link
hahah yeah, I almost fell asleep by the third page. Oh well it's still a very useful review for the review database here so when you're looking for a DL DVD burner drive in the future you can read it.DeeSlanger - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link
Instead of bitching about , Why dont you suggest or ask them if they can review some thing for Hacp...