Spring 2004 DVD Performance Roundup: More DVD Dual 8X
by Kristopher Kubicki on April 28, 2004 7:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Storage
Sony DRU-530A (2.0C)
The Sony DRU-530A is our first drive returning from our previous roundup. Just after our last roundup, Sony released a firmware revision that enabled full 8X DVD-R burns. This came as a surprise for us, but definitely benefits the consumer. Feel free to check out our previous thoughts on the DRU-530A.| Sony DRU-530A DVD-/+R Drive | |
| Interface | IDE |
| CD Write Speed | 40X, 32X, 24X (P-CAV) 16X, 12X, 8X, 4X (CLV) |
| CD Rewrite Speed | 24X (P-CAV) 16X, 10X, 4X (CLV) |
| CD Read Speed | 40X Max (CAV) |
| DVD-R Write Speed | 8X (Z-CLV) 4X, 2X, 1X (CLV) |
| DVD-RW Rewrite Speed | 2X, 1X (CLV) |
| DVD+R Write Speed | 8X (Z-CLV) 4X, 2.4X (CLV) |
| DVD+RW Rewrite Speed | 4X, 2.4X (CLV) |
| DVD Read Speed | 12X Max (CAV) |
| Supported Modes | DAO / DAO-RAW 16 & 96 TAO SAO / SAO 16 & 96 Packet Write Multi-Session |
| Supported Formats | DVD+R (incremental) DVD+RW (random) DVD-R (DAO, incremental, multi-border) DVD-RW (restricted overwrite) CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD-ROM XA, Mixed Mode, CD Extra Photo CD, CD Text, Bootable CD, Mount Rainer |
| Access Time | CD: 160ms DVD: 200ms |
| Buffer | 2MB |
Again, our only change on the DRU-530A is the addition of 8X Zone Constant Linear Velocity (Z-CLV) support for 8X DVD-R media. Recall that in our previous roundups, the DRU-530A did not recalibrate on the fly; we were forced to use 8X media to achieve 8X write strategies. Although this is technically the most sanctioned stance by the DVD-R and DVD+R forums (in both of which Sony has a large presence), it is a hinderance in performance.
The Sony DRU-530A debuted in September 2003 with a $300 price tag. Now it hovers around $140; a 50% cut in 6 months.
Special thanks to Sony and Verbatim for providing us with lots of media for our benchmarks.
There are several other drives that use the same Sanyo LC897490 chipsets found in this drive. We would expect similar performance of the Sony DRU-530A with:- MSI DR8-A (with 140D firmware upgrade)
- Optorite DD0405
Oddly, our near identical MSI DR8-A burner supports HD BURN, while the Sony DRU-530A does not. Since a feature like HD BURN is almost entirely based on firmware, we suspect that our Sony DRU-530A is capable, but not enabled.
One downside of the Sony and MSI burners that we have seen in the past is its susceptibility to CPU usage. Even minor peaks in CPU usage force the drive to recalibrate. This was not the case with the Plextor 708A (with the same Sanyo LC897490 chipset) or other drives that we tested in this roundup.
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rlrus - Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - link
Nu has posted the official firmware upgrade B373, I hope this one is as good or better than the unofficial B372. I bought this drive and hope I have as good results as Anand Tech. With it's ability to write 8 times on 4 times Media and it's speed and error rate being almost as good as the more expensive drives it seemed a bargain.mcveigh - Sunday, May 2, 2004 - link
21:the Nu models do as well or better than everyone else and at the lowest price point.
why shouldn't they win?
KristopherKubicki - Saturday, May 1, 2004 - link
Jeff7181: I think there is a way to get it to scale proper. I will do that for the next review.Kristopher
QuaiBoy - Friday, April 30, 2004 - link
Seems to me that all of the DVD writer reviews lately on Anandtech seem to favor the Nutech product. I don't see a reason from these results to pick that drive over any of the others. There's nothing that makes it anything special, and it certainly doesn't deserve an award over the other drives.Another vote for total write times and for not claiming that all drives with the same chipset will perform similarly. Too many variables. At least test with more media types, like TY and Optodisc. Cheapies like Princo appeal to many as well.
-Evan-
Jeff7181 - Friday, April 30, 2004 - link
The Write Quality graphs are very misleading/hard to read since they are all on different scales... makes on look like crap until you realize you're looking at a 0 - 10 scale rather than 0 - 70. Anything you can do about that or are you just stuck displaying what the crappy software showed you?KristopherKubicki - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
This was all commented on in the article. The 708A and the 2500A also use radically different pickups and servos. But then again, i never claimed those two were similar in the review either.Belzer: most of those drives i pointed out were clearly rebadges.
Kristopher
CrazeeHorse - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
Belzer,yes. Maybe I should have rephrased my statement, as MAXIMUM burning speed. Yep, it also depends on the burn strategy employed.CrazeeHorse - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
Belzer,yes. Maybe I should have rephrased my statement, as MAXIMUM burning speed. Yep, it also depends on the burn strategy employed.CrazeeHorse - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
Belzer - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
"If you mean burn speed, of course it will be similar in different drives that use the same chipset, as their burn speeds are defined by the chipset!"Uhm, no! Burn speed also depends very much on the write strategies implemented in the firmware. For example NEC ND-2500A and Pioneer DVR-A07 use the same chipset. The NEC uses a 4x-6x-8x Z-CLV technique for 8x burns, the Pioneer uses a 6x-8x Z-CLV technique and is faster.
Drives with the same chipset can have very different properties, only complete rebadged drives will have the same properties.