Ever since Plextor stopped manufacturing the PX-755SA DVD burner, we’ve been on the hunt for a worthy replacement. We loved the Plexy’s SATA interface, so we’re not settling for anything less going forward. (It’s just plain foolish to opt for a drive with an oversized, outdated parallel connector when SATA models are available.) Since SATA drives from Lite-On and Asus failed to win us over in the August issue, we corralled a some new contenders.
Samsung’s DVD burner didn’t waste any time strutting its stuff: In our first burn test, in which we fill a single-layer DVD+R disc, the SH-S203B turned in a time of 5:00 (min:sec) flat. That’s a Lab record, folks, and proof that the burner’s 20x DVD+R write rating pays off. We saw a similarly speedy score of 5:06 from the Lite-On 20x burner we reviewed in August, but only when we used pricey, hard-to-find Taiyo Yuden media. With Verbatim media, that drive’s 5:49 burn time doesn’t even come close to Samsung’s.
We expected great things from Samsung’s double-layer performance as well, given its 16x write rating for DVD+R DL. And sure enough, the burner blew away the competition by writing 7.96GB of data to a disc in 13:10—that’s a good four minutes faster than any other drive we’ve tested. The SH-S203B turned out a time of 14:31 when writing 4.38GB to a DVD+RW disc—a respectable showing for rewriteable media.
Based on performance alone, we’re smitten with the SH-S203B, but Samsung sweetens the deal further with 48x CD-R burn speeds, support for DVD-RAM, and a host of Nero apps, including Nero Express 7, Nero BackItUp, and Nero Recode. Looks like we’ve found ourselves a new fave.
Record-breaking burn speeds; nice Nero bundle.
Rewriteable speeds could be faster; nothing special in the looks department.
| Benchmarks | ||||
| Samsung SH-S203B | Plextor PX-810SA | |||
| DVD+R Write Speed Average | 13.45x | 11.39x | ||
| DVD+R Read Speed Average | 12.13x | 9.36x | ||
| Access Time (Random/Full) | 116/198ms | 123/222ms | ||
| DVD+DL Write Speed Average | 9x | 8.05x | ||
| Best scores are bolded. All tests were conducted using the latest version of Nero CD-DVD Speed and Verbatim media. Our test bed is a Windows XP SP2 machine using a dual-core 2.6GHz Athlon 64 FX-60, 2GB of Corsair DDR400 RAM on an Asus A8N-SLI motherboard, an ATI X1950 Pro videocard, a Western Digital 4000KD hard drive, and a PC Power and Cooling Turbo Cool 850 PSU. | ||||
hazeydj
October 03, 2008 at 1:13pm
If you're looking for this drive, this is the latest model:Samsung (SATA) SH-S203N with lightscribe. Firmware ver SB02. $35.00 at Microcenter, ($25.00 for one without lightscribe) go to their store or website. Bought 2 in February 2008 and there still going.
I must agree on an article from 1 YEAR AGO being downright offensive when it's listed under "best of the best".Even if this product is still the best, a few copy and paste updates to the page would be doable.
I have been a subscriber to Maximum PC since you're first issue back in 1998 when the Pentium II was king (gasp) and the PIII was around the corner to be released.
It's nice to read a hardware mag that isn't 90% spam and bought out opinions.
thatmarlerguy
September 26, 2008 at 11:34am
Tried finding this drive for my new machine . . . Amazon didn't have it, Newegg didn't have it, so I bought it from some random online store . . . . it's been a month now and it hasn't shipped. New DVD recommendation please!
DavidWitteried
September 14, 2008 at 6:26pm
I seached for this drive on Newegg and couldn't find it. I also checked on Samsung's web site and it isn't shown on their product page. Time for a new best of best DVD burner?
Rmart
July 25, 2008 at 10:05am
Sorry, I'd like to upgrade to a good SATA burner, I'm currently using a LG DVD-RW drive which is working just fine. Lightscribe has become a requirement though.
Any recommendations on a good SATA DVD-RW with lightscribe?
crash613
September 11, 2008 at 10:57am
Are you seriously telling me that MaximPC is showing a dvd writer that was reviewed almost a year ago as being the best? Is this updated? is it still the best in September of 2008? I come here for advice, i read the article, then i notice the date!!!!!!!! If this is still the best then let me know, otherwise i am disappointed that such a cutting edge magazine would be that far out of it.
Mike
sirwriter
July 07, 2008 at 2:09pm
Yipes, the same thing happened to me 2 years ago on a Samsung. And I was about to plop my money down. Guess I'll wait awhile to see how other users fare with this burner.
I agree, Maximum, you guys should "burn in" a burner just like you would a new build. Not to change the subject, but I just built a new machine especially for Vista. I used a Lite On and a Samsung DVD burner from the system I just tore down. They are bothe IDE. For two weeks they ran fine. Then I downloaded SP1 for Vista, installed it, and now I cannot load drivers for them. Vista sees them as SATA instead of IDE. I think that's the problem. But I can't even load a CD or DVD to try and load a driver . Tried downloading, nothing works. That's why I wanted that Samsung SH-S203. By the way, my mobo is an Asus M3N-HT Deluxe.
Did not mean to hijack the thread! Rock on, Maximum!!!!
earthcrawler
January 14, 2008 at 9:55pm
I searched Samsung's Web site for support for their SH-S203B optical DVD drive and found none. So It might have been Maximum PC's "pick" at the time it was released.
Chumly
February 15, 2008 at 6:12pm
Search by catagory?
SH-S203B Support page
Download the firmware bin, executable, and have at it.Also, B's now have litescribe if that floats some boats.
DJBearOH
January 04, 2008 at 8:15pm
I've had two of these because Maximum PC gave it a KICK ASS 9 score. Within a month (3 days past my refund return date) it stopped writing. The other one lasted about one more week and it did the same thing. Tried on another computer and wouldn't burn. Maximum PC, you should really try a burn in test on these and then rate them again.
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