Optical drives from Lite-On may not always tear up the competition in the benchmarks, but they come pretty damn close, and at prices that make its burners a shoo-in for frugal folk. The SHW-1635S continues this admirably utilitarian tradition. It’s rated for the same speeds as the DRU-810A above, but falls behind by a notch or two in most categories.
Writing 4.25GB to a single-layer DVD+R was completed in 6:15 (min:sec), just behind the DRU-810A. Burning 7.5GB of data to a double-layer DVD+R took almost two minutes longer than Sony’s drive, at 17:32. The SHW-1635S enjoyed a heady victory burning to 8x DVD+RW, however, at a satisfying 7:33.
Like the DRU-810A, Lite-On’s drive supports bitsetting and overburning, but its overspeeding capabilities are scant, allowing us to burn a 2.4x double-layer disc at 4x, but not permitting us to exceed the write speed of a DVD+R rated for 8x.
The drive comes bundled with the Nero disc-mastering suite, and the six-inch deep enclosure is ideal for small formfactor PCs. If access times had been kept below three digits, SHW-1635S would have merited applause and a higher verdict. Even so, only optical drive fanatics will suffer from the slightly behind-the-curve numbers—if you’re really itching for speed, you could always put the money you save toward a really fast car.
--Logan Decker
Month Reviewed: Holiday 2005
Verdict: 8
+ Oysters: Plenty fast, if not top-notch; tidy six-inch enclosure.
- Rocky Mountain Oysters: High access times, slim overspeeding pickins.
URL: www.liteonit.com
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