Plextor PX-740A

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.