Plextor PX-608CU Portable DVD-ReWriter Review

By
Jan70
-





 


 

Review:
Plextor PX-608CU
Reviewed by: Jan70
Provided by: Plextor SA/NV
Belgium
Firmware: 1.44
Manufactured: 4. September
2006


We at CDFreaks would
like to present a review of one of the latest optical units from Plextor '“ the
Plextor PX-608CU which can be operated on the USB BUS power.


The Plextor PX-608CU
supports 8x DVD±R,
8x/6x DVD+RW/-RW, and 4x DVD+R DL/-R DL
writing technology, allowing Double/Dual Layer discs of 8.5Gb to be
written. In addition this drive also supports DVD-RAM at
5x.


 


Drive specifications:





These are the
specifications of this drive, found at the Plextor webpage:


Write &
Read speed



































 

Write


DVD+R

8x


DVD+R
DL

4x


DVD-R

8x


DVD-R
DL

4x


DVD+RW

8x


DVD-RW

6x


DVD-RAM

5x


CD-R

24x


CD-RW

24x

   










 

Read


DVD-ROM

8x


CD-ROM

24x


Technical
Specifications



























Interface
 

USB 2.0
'“ BUS Powered


Data
buffer

2 MB
(with Buffer Underrun Proof technology)


Access
Time

<150ms (CD); <160ms
(DVD)


MTBF

60
000h


Loading
Mechanism

Clamshell (30.000
times)


Dimensions

137(W) x
143(D) x 16mm(H)


Weight

<
250g


Warranty

2 year
Fast Warranty Service (in EU, Norway and Switzerland: Collect &
Return)
1 year in other countries


System
Requirements



  • PC/AT
    compatible
  • CPU:
    Pentium 3 - 800 Mhz
  • RAM: 256MB

  • HDD: 10GB
    free space
  • OS: Windows
    2000/XP

Compatible
Formats


DVD

DVD-RAM (ver. 2.0/2.1),
DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, Multi-Border, Multisession, DVD+VR, DVD-VR (Read-Only),
DVD-R, DVD-R DL, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW

CD


CD-DA, CD-ROM Mode-1, CD-ROM XA Mode-2 (form 1/2), CD-Extra, Photo-CD,
Video-CD, CD TEXT, Mixed CD


Performance



 


What's inside the box?





In this
section we will take a look at what the drive came shipped with and take a look
at the drive and its technology.



Front



Back



Top



Bottom



Right Side



Left Side


Below you will
see the contents of the retail pack:




  • The
    external drive
  • AC/DV
    Adapter
  • Power
    cable
  • USB Power
    cable
  • USB2.0
    Cable
  • Brochure
    containing:

    • Installation
    • WEEE/RoHS
      Info
    • Fast
      Warranty Service

    • Caution
      info

  • Plextor
    Software DVD:

    • PlexTools
      Professional

    • PlexTools
      LE Professional

    • Software
      (Trial)

Now it's time to take a look at
the drive itself:



The logos located on the front
include, a DVD-Multi Recorder Forum logo , a DVD Alliance DVD+ReWritable
logo and a CD-RW Ultra Speed logo.



Top


On top of the
drive we found the Plextor logo, the eject button and the operation LED
(Amber).



Bottom



On the bottom of the drive we
found a sticker, and we can read it was manufactured in China, September
2006.



On the bottom of the drive there
is also an emergency eject slide-knob.



On the back of the drive we can
find the Mini-USB2.0 connector and the power connector. We miss a power-switch
to physically turn the drive off when it is not in use.


 


Now, let us install the drive and
check out the features on the next page…


Test machine:





For this
review we will be using a computer with the following configuration:


Hardware:


HP Pavilion
DV8213EA laptop:



  • Processor: AMD Turion 64
    ML-34
  • RAM: 1 GB DDR 333 MHz (2 x 512
    MB)
  • GFX: ATI Radeon X200M
  • Sound: Conexant
    AC-Link
  • Hard
    disk:     Toshiba MK8032GAX (80 GB) &
    Samsung MP0804H (80 GB)

System
set-up:



The Plextor PX-608CU was connected to the
USB2.0 interface and identified itself as PLEXTOR DVDR PX-806CU. Autorun was enabled for all
devices.


Software:


Windows XP
Professional is installed on the computer along with Service Pack 2 for Windows
XP. We will be using the following software in this review:



 


Installation:





We quickly
installed the drive without any problems and here is a screenshot from Nero
InfoTool:



Our drive came
shipped with firmware 1.44. The only drawbacks we could see are: The missing Mt.
Rainier support along with no CD+G reading support.


 


Features
and
techniques:





Buffer underrun
proof


The buffer underrun proof
technologies offer a solution to prevent writing failures during the burning
process for CD and DVD by pausing the burn if the data to the drive write buffer
is slowed or stopped. The drive resumes the burn process after the drive write
buffer is refilled.


PlexTools
Professional


This software tool offers
a complete suite of recording applications and supports your drive's advanced
quality check functions. Audio extraction, various recording modes, and copying
of files or disc images can be selected. Read/Write speed testing allows you to
select the best media for your drive and examine the quality of your recordings.
(www.plextools.com)








PlexTools Professional
XL


Based on the existing
solid code of PlexTools Professional, PlexTools Professional XL offers more
features and extra options. The new layout with resizable windows and improved
graphs, enhanced audio functions and project options, as well as the unique
update check system, is designed and tuned for the demanding user. (www.plextools.com)


Bitsetting:


The Plextor PX-608CU will
by default set the booktype DVD-ROM on DVD+R DL media:



DVD+R DL with
Booktype DVD-ROM


Reading performance:





For these
tests we will use Nero CD-DVD Speed to read various CD and DVD's, including
audio discs and DVD-media.


Pressed
discs:


For this test
we used a pressed CD-ROM disc containing Creative Blaster Audigy install CD that
is close to 74 minutes long. Below you will see the produced result:



CD-Recordable
Discs:


For this test,
we made a copy of the original Creative Blaster Audigy install CD. The disc we
used was a Verbatim 48X certified CD-R disc manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemicals
Corporation. 



CD-Rewritable
discs:


Again, we made
a copy of the original Creative Blaster Audigy install CD; this time we used a
Verbatim Ultra Speed (24X) CD-RW disc made by Mitsubishi Chemicals
Corporation.



Audio
CD:


We used Nero
CD-DVD Speed to measure the transfer rate. The audio disc we used is slightly
larger than the disc used for the other tests, to be exact it's about 78 minutes
long (77:43:45).



100 minutes
CD:


We used Nero
CD-DVD Speed to measure the transfer rate. The 100 min disc we used is slightly
larger than the disc used for the other tests, to be exact it's about 99 minutes
and 57 seconds long.



 


DVD reading performance:





Again, we will use
Nero CD-DVD Speed to measure the reading performance, this time for various
types of DVD discs. The drive should read pressed single layer DVD-discs at
8X.


DVD '“
DVD-Video:


For our DVD
reading performance tests we are going to start with a single and dual layered
DVD video discs. While only 1X speed is required to watch DVD movies, it's
useful to be able to read the discs at higher speeds if you're going to extract
(rip) the content of the disc to your hard drive.



DVD-Video Single Layer



DVD-Video Double Layer (OPT '“
Opposite Track Patch)


As we can see,
it reads DVD-Video Single layer at 8x and DVD-Video Double layer at
6x.


 


DVD '“ DVD+R/RW:





For this test,
we used one DVD+R and one DVD+RW with about 4.4GB of data. Below are the
results:



DVD+R



DVD+RW


 


DVD '“ DVD-R/RW:





For this test,
we used one DVD-R disc and one DVD-RW disc filled with about 4.4GB of data. Our
test results are shown below:



DVD-R



DVD-RW


 


DVD '“ DVD+R DL:





For this test,
we used one DVD+R DL disc and the result can be shown below:



 


DVD '“ DVD-R DL:





For this test,
we used one DVD-R DL disc and the result can be shown below:



 


On the next
page: Writing performance…


Writing Data CD-R/RW discs:





The
specifications state that the drive should be able to write CD-R/RWs at
24x:


CD-R:



The
Plextor
PX-608CU
uses Z-CLV (Zone-Constant Linear
Velocity) to write CD-R's at
24x. This gives an average writing
speed of 16.27x and a writing time of 6 minutes
and 10 seconds.


CD-RW:



The
Plextor
PX-608CU
uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant
Linear Velocity) to write CD-RWs
at 24x. The average speed is 16.74x and total writing time is 6 minutes and 2
seconds


 


Write Quality:





We will test
CD-R discs from different CD-R manufacturers. To really measure the write speed,
we used the 'create data CD" function in Nero CD-Speed. The discs were written
at the maximum speed that the drive supports. For the quality test, we used
KProbe 2 which is a tool developed by a Lite-On employee. It runs under Windows
and works with drives made by Lite-On. Also note that different drives and
different reading speeds may affect the results obtained when scanning the
discs. We used a Lite-On SOHR-5238S drive with firmware 4S09 and scanned the
discs at 48X speed.


A written CD-R
disc will always have some C1 errors; C1 errors are easily corrected by the
drive's error correction capabilities. The next level of errors is C2, while C2
errors could also be corrected by most drive's error correction capabilities;
they are not wanted on a good quality disc. A good disc should not contain any
C2 errors, and preferably have an average C1 error amount of below 2.0 for the
best discs, or at least below 10.0 averages for good quality discs. After C2
errors, there are only un-correctable errors that will make a disc unusable.


Below are the
obtained results:





































Brand:

BenQ
CD-R Thanks to Daxon
for sending us this media


Manufacturer:

Daxon
Inc.


Code:

97m22s67f


Disc
Type:

CD-R


Recording
Layer:

Dye Type
7: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)


Capacity:

79:59.74
(703MB)


Certified
Speed:

52x


Write
Speed:

24x


Write
Time:

6m:11s


C1
Average/Sec:

0.47


C2
Average/Sec:

0.0


BenQ media with
average C1 errors of 0.47 - it goes into the group 'best quality discs"
category.


 



































Brand:

RICOH '“
Thanks to RICOH Europe (D)
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Moser
Baer India Limited


Code:

97m17s06f


Disc
Type:

CD-R


Recording
Layer:

Dye Type
6: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)


Capacity:

79:59.74
(703MB)


Certified
Speed:

1x-52x


Write
Speed:

24x


Write
Time:

6m:14s


C1
Average/Sec:

0.82


C2
Average/Sec:

0.0


RICOH media '“
manufactured by Moser Baer India Limited and with its average of 0.82 it goes in
the 'best
quality" category.





































Brand:

Miflop
Extreme Printable. Thanks to MiFlop Media
for sending us this
media


Manufacturer:

Taiyo
Yuden


Code:

97m24s01f


Disc
Type:

CD-R


Recording
Layer:

Dye Type
1: Long Strategy (Cyanine, AZO)


Capacity:

79:59.72
(703MB)


Certified
Speed:

48x


Write
Speed:

24x


Write
Time:

6m:11s


C1
Average/Sec:

0.21


C2
Average/Sec:

0.0


Media made by
Taiyo Yuden have always had a good reputation and with the average C1 errors of
0.21 it goes into the group 'best quality discs"
category.





































Brand:

Ultron '“
Thanks to Ultron AG (D)
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

SONY
Corporation


Code:

97m24s16f


Disc
Type:

CD-R


Recording
Layer:

Dye Type
6: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)


Capacity:

79:59.73
(703MB)


Certified
Speed:

52x


Write
Speed:

24x


Write
Time:

6m:14s


C1
Average/Sec:

0.78


C2
Average/Sec:

0.0


Ultron media
and with
the average C1 errors of 0.78 it goes into the group 'best quality discs"
category.



 



































Brand:

Verbatim
'“ Thanks to Verbatim (D)
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Mitsubishi Chemicals
Corporation


Code:

97m34s23f


Disc
Type:

CD-R


Recording
Layer:

Dye Type
3: Long Strategy (Cyanine, AZO)


Capacity:

79:59.73
(703MB)


Certified
Speed:

52x


Write
Speed:

24x


Write
Time:

6m:10s


C1
Average/Sec:

0.35


C2
Average/Sec:

0.0


Verbatim '“ a
well-known brand showed us a C1 average of 0.35 - it goes into the category
'Best Discs".


 


Writing Quality with Re-Writable discs:





We will also test CD-RW
discs from different CD-RW manufacturers. Settings and
testing procedures is the same as used earlier in this review, so you may want
to go back and read them if you are unsure. All discs used for these tests have
been written to before, but none have been written to more than 5
times.


CD-ReWritable
media:






































Brand:

Traxdata
'“ Thanks to Conrexx (NL)
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Plasmon
Data Systems Ltd.


Code:

97m27s12f


Disc
Type:

High
Speed CD-RW 8-24x


Recording
Layer:

Phase
Change


Capacity:

74:41.00


Certified
Speed:

8x-24x


Write
Speed:

24x


Write
Time:

5m:51s


C1
Average/Sec:

15.17


C2
Average/Sec:

0.0


Traxdata 74
min media made by Plasmon Data Systems Ltd, the quality is good for this CD-RW
media.



 



































Brand:

Verbatim
'“ Thanks to Verbatim (D)
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Mitsubishi Chemicals
Corporation


Code:

97m34s24f


Disc
Type:

Ultra
Speed CD-RW 24x


Recording
Layer:

Phase
Change


Capacity:

79:59.74
(703MB)


Certified
Speed:

24x


Write
Speed:

24x


Write
Time:

6m:02s


C1
Average/Sec:

0.73


C2
Average/Sec:

0.0


Incredible low C1
errors on this Verbatim 24x CD-RW media.


Summary:

The CD-R writing quality is
excellent, and the CD-RW quality is good/excellent.


 


So let us
head on to next page and read about DVD-Writing
performance…


DVD-Writing performance:





The
specifications of this drive tell us that it should write DVD±R at 8x, DVD+RW/-RW at 8x/6x, DVD-RAM at 5x and DVD±R DL at 4x.


DVD+R:



The
Plextor
PX-608CU
uses Z-CLV (Zone-Constant Linear
Velocity) to write DVD+R at
8x. This gives an average writing
speed of 5.30x and a writing time of 13 minutes
and 17 seconds.


DVD+RW:



The
Plextor
PX-608CU
uses Z-CLV (Zone-Constant Linear
Velocity) to write DVD+RW at
8x. This gives an average writing
speed of 5.24x and a writing time of 13 minutes
and 54 seconds.


DVD+R at
8x:




































Brand:

Miflop
Extreme '“ Thanks to Miflop
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Taiyo
Yuden Company Limited


Code:

YUDEN
000 T03


Disc
Type:

DVD+R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:18s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

13.49


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.06


Miflop extreme
media with Taiyo Yuden media code, the result is ok.



































Brand:

Pleomax
'“ Thanks to Pleomax (NL)
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Opto
Disc


Code:

OPTODISC
R16


Disc
Type:

DVD+R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:25s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

7.65


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.04


The result is
ok.



































Brand:

Ricoh '“
Thanks to Ricoh Europe
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Ricoh
Company Limited


Code:

RICOH
JNP R02


Disc
Type:

DVD+R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

8x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:21s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

8.54


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.03


The result is
good.



































Brand:

TDK


Manufacturer:

TDK
Corporation


Code:

TDK003


Disc
Type:

DVD+R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:19s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

6.04


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.06


The result is
ok.



































Brand:

Verbatim
'“ Thanks to Verbatim (Germany)
for sending us this
media.


Manufacturer:

Mitsubishi Chemicals
Corporation


Code:

MCC
004


Disc
Type:

DVD+R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:19s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

4.66


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.01


The result is
good.





































Brand:

Verbatim


Manufacturer:

Taiyo
Yuden Company Limited


Code:

YUDEN000
T02


Disc
Type:

DVD+R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

8x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:17s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

0.86


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.03


The result is very
good.


 


DVD+ReWritable media:





DVD+RW at
8x:






































Brand:

Ricoh '“
Thanks to Ricoh Europe
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

RICOH
Company Limited


Code:

RICOH
JPNW21


Disc
Type:

DVD+RW


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

8x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:54s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

12.47


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.06


The result is
good for this DVD+RW media.


DVD-R:



The
Plextor
PX-608CU
uses Z-CLV (Zone-Constant Linear
Velocity) to write DVD-R at
8x. This gives an average writing
speed of 5.29x and a writing time of 13 minutes
and 36 seconds.


DVD-RW:



The
Plextor
PX-608CU
uses Z-CLV (Zone-Constant Linear
Velocity) to write DVD-RW at
6x. This gives an average writing
speed of 5.12x and a writing time of 12 minutes
and 30 seconds.


DVD-R at
8x:




































Brand:

Miflop
Extreme '“ Thanks to Miflop
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Taiyo
Yuden Company Limited


Code:

TYG03


Disc
Type:

DVD-R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:36s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

1.46


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.01


Miflop extreme
media, with Taiyo Yuden media code and the result is excellent.



































Brand:

Pleomax
'“ Thanks to Pleomax (NL)
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Opto
Disc


Code:

OPTODISCR016


Disc
Type:

DVD-R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:39s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

10.58


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.02


The result is
good.



































Brand:

Sony '“
Thanks to Sony (Germany)
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Sony
Corporation


Code:

SONY16D1


Disc
Type:

DVD-R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:37s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

4.22


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.06


The result is
good.



































Brand:

TDK


Manufacturer:

TDK


Code:

TTH02


Disc
Type:

DVD-R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:39s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

10.38


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.06


The result is
ok.



































Brand:

Traxdata
'“ Thanks to Conrexx (NL)
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

RiTEK
Corporation


Code:

RITEKF1


Disc
Type:

DVD-R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:38s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

1.80


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.06


The result is
OK.



































Brand:

Verbatim
'“ Thanks to Verbatim (Germany)
for sending us this
media.


Manufacturer:

Mitsubishi Chemical
Corporation


Code:

MCC 02R
G20


Disc
Type:

DVD-R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:41s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

23.43


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.06


The result is
OK.



































Brand:

Verbatim
'“ Thanks to Verbatim (Germany)
for sending us this
media.


Manufacturer:

Mitsubishi Chemical
Corporation


Code:

MCC 03R
G20


Disc
Type:

DVD-R


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

16x


Write
Speed:

8x


Write
Time:

13m:41s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

36.99


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.05


The result is
OK.


 


DVD-ReWritable media:





DVD-RW at
6x:



































Brand:

JVC


Manufacturer:

Victor
Company of Japan, Ltd.


Code:

JVC1Victord7


Disc
Type:

DVD-RW


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

6x


Write
Speed:

6x


Write
Time:

12m:30s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

7.13


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.04


The result is
very good.




































Brand:

Verbatim
- Thanks to Verbatim
for sending us this media.


Manufacturer:

Mitsubishi Kagaku
Media


Code:

MKM 01RW
6X01


Disc
Type:

DVD-RW


Capacity:

4483MB


Certified
Speed:

6x


Write
Speed:

6x


Write
Time:

13m:35s


PI-8
errors Average/Sec:

3.57


PI-1
failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.01


The result is
excellent.


 DVD+R/-R Double/Dual Layer writing performance:





DVD+R
DL: 





The
Plextor
PX-608CU
uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant
Linear Velocity) to write DVD+R
DL at 4x. This gives an average writing
speed of 3.74x, and a writing time of 31
minutes and 3 seconds.




The result is
excellent.


DVD-R
DL: 





The
Plextor
PX-608CU
uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant
Linear Velocity) to write DVD-R
DL at 4x. This gives an average writing
speed of 3.71x, and a writing time of 32
minutes and 32 seconds.




The KProbe
result shows some high PI in the beginning of the media, but overall the result
is good.


DVD-RAM writing performance:





The Plextor PX-608CU is a
so-called Multi Recorder, meaning it also supports the DVD-RAM format.


This drive is one of few
drives that also supports the DVD-RAM format, lets us look at the recording side
of the disc, and as you can see it has differences from the other DVD+R/W/R9 DL
and DVD-R/W discs.


 


We can see a very
fascinating pattern of darker spots. These tick marks are "address information"
("Pre-mastered Pit Header Field") which are embedded onto the disc. This is
header information in front of data sector area, and is the same format as HDD
and MO.


A DVD-RAM's disc can be
formatted in the following formats:



  • FAT32
  • UDF 1.02
  • UDF 1.50
  • UDF 2.00
  • UDF 2.01
  • UDF 2.50


By formatting a DVD-RAM
disc with FAT32 it will act like a removable hard drive and all writing will be
done as 'background processes". Meaning you do not have to wait for it to
finish, you can start or work with other applications while the DVD-RAM is
working without noticing any 'hangs" or CPU slowdowns.


Lets us take a look at
the media we are going to use in these tests:


Verbatim 5x DVD-RAM 4.7GB 5Pack Jewel Cases

Verbatim 5x media manufactured by
Matsushita


Now let's see how DVD-RAM
media is written and read by the Plextor PX-608CU.



Verbatim 5x without
verification



Verbatim 5x with
verification


For those of you who are
not familiar with DVD-RAM, you may probably think that something went wrong
during the write process with the verification turned on, since the 5x
media was written at 2x. But not to worry, that is pretty normal for DVD-RAM
discs, the reason for the 'low" speed is, the drive constantly reads back the
data after writing it to verify that it's written correctly. We can also call it
a 'bullet proof" writing/verify technique, with no data loss/errors.


DVD-RAM has error
correction, but also has error replacement to spare sectors as a "defect
management" function. This gives higher reliability than other DVD
format.


Another advantage with
DVD-RAM is that the discs can be formatted/erased/written at over 100.000 times
before it will/can cause/report any errors. Let's try to read back the disc that
we wrote:



Verbatim DVD-RAM


As we can see, the
Plextor PX-608CU use a Z-CLV reading method, and reads the disc at its rated
write speed, meaning our 5x media was read at
5x.



Power
consumption:



We were
wondering how much the power consumption is for this external drive so we did
some tests/measurements with a Digital energy meter:



On mode



Operation mode




















Drive

Off
Mode

On
Mode

Operation
Mode


Lite-On
SLW-831SX

N/A

0 Watt

9 Watt


Plextor
PXD-608CU

N/A

4 Watt

9
Watt


 


Head over
to the next page for the conclusion….


Positive:






  • Supports
    DVD±R/CD-R/RW writing at 8x/24x/24x
  • Supports
    Bitsetting on DVD+R DL (BookType to DVD-ROM)
  • Reads
    DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW at 8x/8x/24x/24x
  • Can read 100 min
    CD-Rs

  • Very good
    retail package

  • USB2.0
    bus-powered
  • Very low
    power consumption
  • Nice design,
    compact and lightweight
  • 2 year Fast
    Warranty Service (in EU, Norway and Switzerland: Collect & Return)

 


Negative:






  • Does not
    support Mt. Rainier

  • No
    Bitsetting support for DVD+R/RW media
  • No OFF
    button/switch to physical turn the drive off
  • Amber LED
    for both reading and writing

 


Conclusion:





Let us summarize the most
important positive and negative points below:


The main
positive points: As the current maximum writing
speed on DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW media
for slim-line drives are 8x/8x/24x/24x, the Plextor PX-608CU are
up-to-date on these
specifications.


Bitsetting on
DVD+R DL media is also a welcome inclusion and ensures good playback
compatibility with set top DVD players.


As a last
point we would like to mention, the nice and compact design that the drive
carries, together with its lightweight specification - the drive can be easily
moved around or carried around wherever it is needed. Not to forget that the
drive can also run on the USB2.0 bus power.


The main
negative points: There is not much negative to say
about this drive, however we would like to mention the lack of Bitsetting on
DVD+R/RW media.


Even though
this drive has very low power consumption, we still miss an OFF button/switch to
physical turn the drive off when it is not in use.


To sum it all
up, this is what we would say: "The Plextor
PX-608CU is overall an OK drive and very suitable for those who prefer a compact
and lightweight external drive".


 


By using our
price grabber feature cdfreaks.pricegrabber we did not
find any offers, but at getprice the drive is listed at 124 EUR (September 2006).


 


You may
discuss/comment this article below or in this
forum thread. 


 


Thanks to: 





 

Miflop Media
'“ Spain for providing the media used in this review.


 


 


 


 


 

Conrexx Technology
B.V./RITEK Europe '“ The Netherlands for providing the
media used in this review.


 


 

Daxon Technology
Inc '“ Taiwan for providing the BenQ media used in this
article.


 


 

Medea
International '“ United Kingdom for providing the media used in
this review.


 


 

Ricoh Europe
'“ For providing the media used in this review.


 


 

Sony '“ Germany for providing the media used
in this review.


 


 

Ultron
AG '“ Germany for providing the media used in this
review.


 


 


 

Verbatim - Germany and United Kingdom for
providing the media used in this
review.

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