 The four-speed DVD+RW performance of the
BenQ is commendable, but unfortunately it only writes to +RW media making
it less versatile than the other drives. Also, despite its lack of
versatility, it's the second most expensive drive on test.
 The Gigabyte isn't the fastest DVD writer
we've ever seen, but it is very fast at CD writing which will appeal to
anyone who doesn't want two drives in their PC. This will be especially
applicable to small form factor PCs. The price is low, but it should be
remembered that this drive will not be available until January, by which
time the cost of the other units on test will no doubt also have dropped.
 The Iomega is quite simply too expensive to
consider. It's an identical drive to the NEC and the bundle doesn't offer
enough to justify a price difference of over £50. It's also over £30 more
expensive than the LG GSA-4040B.
 If you're just looking for a cheap basic
drive the NEC has got a lot going for it. The performance is reasonable
and the price is very low. Of course you can get a bare LG drive for only
£10 more, but if you're on a really tight budget and you only need a bare
drive, the NEC is worth a look.
 So that leaves us with the MSI DR4-A. Well,
it's a decent enough bundle and a reasonable DVD writer, but there's
nothing to make it rise about the competition. The price is pretty good,
and you do get some good software in the box, but there's not quite enough
there to make it worth an award. That said, we're looking forward to
getting hold of the new MSI drive in the next few days, which could well
be a different story.
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