1. Introduction
AOpen CRW2440
IDE CDR-W - Page 1
- Introduction:
has
shipped in 2001 many models, from the low end CRW1632 to the faster CRW2040,
announced a new model with the fastest writing speed available. The CRW2440A
has to compete the already established Sanyo based recorders, the PleXWriter
PX-W2410A and the famous LiteOn LTR-24102B. The AOpen solution utilises 2 different
technologies (JustSpeed/JustLink) the render the drive unique in that category.
Is the AOpen proposal capable of taking on the challenge and win, even if it
is a bit late for it? How strong is the retaliation from its competitor drives
with their latest firmware updates installed?
- Features:
The
drive supports 24x writing (Z-CLV) max speed among with "JustLink"
and "JustSpeed".The exact writing speeds are 4x, 8x, 12x, 16x (CLV),
20x, 24x (Z-CLV) and re-writing speeds 2x, 4x, 10 (CLV). The drive also includes
2MB of buffer and supports all available writing modes (TAO, SAO, DAO, Multisession
and Packet Writing). Even AOpen specs state that the drive uses Z-CLV for 16x
writing speed, our tests showed that its CLV.
In order to achieve the 20x/24x CD-R writing speeds AOpen chose the Z-CLV
writing technology. When a recorder uses the Zone CLV recording method, the
CD is divided into 3 zones from the inner to the outer side of the CD, and within
each these zones the recording speed varies but it's always constant (CLV).
The recording process starts at the beginning of the disc at a constant speed
in the first zone. After a pre-defined time (when the next zone starts) the
recording automatically elevates to a higher speed. At the speed switching point,
the anti-buffer underrun technology (in our case JustLink) is used to assure
the transition with no data loss or corruption.
AOpen's approach of 24x Z-CLV writing speed is different than what we had seen
with other 24x recorders. The drive shifts writing speeds (20x) at 10 and 26minutes
(24x). The average writing speed with an 80min CD is 22.03x making it
slower than both Sanyo/Plextor and LiteOn based recorders. Most of our recording
tests confirmed that claim. However that approach seems to produce very good
quality CDs.
- The package:
The
tested drive was an "engineer sample" with final hardware/firmware.
The retail European package will look like the left picture and include: The
drive, a printed manual in 6 languages, 1 piece (24x certified) of AOpen 74min
CD-R blank, 1 piece of AOpen 74min 4-10x High-Speed RW Blank, audio cable and
mounting screws. The attached software will be Nero Burning ROM v5.5x OEM and
Ahead InCD v2.3x (for packet writing use) and a Mp3 encoder/player ["Gamut
2000"].
The front of the drive continues to be an AOpen typical. The drive doesn't
have the AOpen logo printed on it. It does include though, the "High-Speed
RW" and "JustLink" logos. User will understand directly the drive's
specs from the "24x10x40x" logo. You will also find only one led,
the eject button and the headphone input jack/volume selector:
At the backside of the drive we will find the usual connectors (IDE interface,
power), the jumpers for making the drive Master/Slave, the SPDIF output connector,
the analog/digital output connectors and 3 jumpers which are used to setup the
drive's working mode, PIOMode4 (default) or UDMA33. For setting up the UDMA33
mode you just have to remove the middle jumper:
- Installation:
The
AOpen 2440 was installed as a Master in the secondary IDE BUS. The drive worked
in UDMA33 mode and after booting, identified itself as the "AOpen CD-RW
CRW2440". We unchecked the Auto Insert notification, checked DMA and
rebooted.
The drive was an August 2001 model with firmware revision v0.95 installed.
We used the Nero (5.5.4.9), InCD (2.32), CloneCD (3.0.9.1) and Padus DJ (3.50.799)
for the recording tests. Both LiteOn and PleXWriter have been re-measured with
latest available firmware updates (LiteOn 24102B v5S07 and PleXWriter PX-W2410A
v1.1).
-
Test Machine:
WinMe OS
Soyo 7VCA
Celeron II 566 over clocked to 850 MHz
128MB SDRAM PC 133
WD 18GB UDMA 66
Quantum Fireball EX 6.4 GB UDMA 33
DAWI 2975 - PCI (ULTRA) SCSI Host Adapter
ATI AIW 128
AOpen CRW2440 firmware v0.95
LiteOn LTR-24102B firmware v5S07
PleXWriter PX-W2410A firmware v1.01
TDK CyClone 241010 firmware v6h.35
2. Data Tests
AOpen
CRW2440 IDE CDR-W - Page
2
Data Tests
Test Method:
- SCSI Mechanic v3.0x: This was used to compare the drive's
I/O performance against other various CDR-W drives (see charts). We used a pressed
CD containing PlexTools v1.08 for all of the tests.
- Nero CD Speed v0.84b was also used to check the drive's performance
with pressed CDs. For that test, we also used the PlexTools v1.08 pressed CD.
- SCSI Mechanic v3.0x results:
The AOpen CRW2440 stays in the top behind the PleXWriter PX-W2410A. The drives
performance is very good and gets the first place in the "Average Random
I/O" test outperforming all competitors. The drive gets the second place
in the "Average Sequential I/O" test and the PleXWriter PX-W2410A
holds strong the first place. The LiteOn 24102B stays back in the third place
and as for the TDK CyClone 241040 must improve its performance for compete other
drives.
- Nero CD Speed v0.84 results: (click here
to see the CD Speed graph)
Using Nero CD Speed 0.84b, we confirm SCSI Mechanic results. The PleXWriter
PX-W2410A is the currently faster 24x recorder with 31.79X average reading speed.
The AOpen CRW2440 comes second with 31.09X, LiteOn 24102B third with 30.85X
and TDK CyClone 4th with only 30.55X. The PleXWriter takes the lead since it
has higher speed in start (19.04X) and the highest in end (41.71X). AOpen can
tweak drive's performance with future updates. Remember that drive's firmware
is still v0.95!
In the "Seek Times" test; the AOpen CRW2440 has the lowest seek
times with only 89ms! The LiteOn LTR-24102B comes second with 90ms, TDK CyClone
241040 third with 124 and PleXWriter PX-W2410A last with 148ms.
- PSX Pressed Media:
For this test we used the PSX game 'NBA Jam Extreme' and we ripped the image
to HD with CloneCD. We measured the reading times and the AOpen 2440 needs 175secs
to finish the task. The time is higher than what Plextor and LiteOn drives need:
- CDR Media: (click here
to see the CD Speed graph)
With CD-R media, AOpen CRW2440 manages to outperform all other drives and
take the lead from the PleXWriter PX-W2410A with 0.01X! Both drives start at
18.69X but the CRW2440 is faster in the end.
3. RW reading tests
AOpen
CRW2440 IDE CDR-W - Page
3
RW reading tests
- Nero CD Speed v0.84b Test: (Click here
to see the CD Speed graph)
For the RW tests, we used TDK's HS-RW media. The AOpen CRW2440 has the highest
reading speed (31.66X) outperforming competition:
CloneCD Reading
Tests
- Procedure:
We used CloneCD (v3.0.9.1) and 5 original CDs - Euro 2000 (SafeDisc 1),
No One Lives For Ever (SafeDisc 2), Rally Masters (LaserLock 1), Desperados
(LaserLock 2) and V-Rally 2 Expert (SecuROM 2) - in order to test the reading
performance of AOpen CRW2440. We also tested the reading performance with backups
of the original CDs, since the reading speed varies between original and backup
media. For comparison reasons we added the results of the already tested LiteOn
LTR-24102B, PleXWriter PX-W2410A and TDK CyClone 241040. The following picture
shows the AOpen CRW2440 reading/writing capabilities:
- SafeDisc 1/2 Results:
The PleXWriter with the v1.01 firmware improves dramatically its performance
and is the best solution for reading SD1/2 protected CDs. However the AOpen
CRW2440 doesn't perform badly either and stays close to the top. LiteOn LTR-24102B
improves also its performance with firmware 5S07 but is 50% slower than Plextor
one.
Again with SafeDisc v2.0 protected CDs, the AOpen CRW2440 come
second. However the performance gap is now smaller.
LaserLock 1/2 Results:
In the LaserLock protected CDs test, the LiteOn LTR-24102B takes easily the
first place. The AOpen CRW2440 comes second, TDK CyClone 241040 third and as
for the PleXWriter...Still has the same behaviour as we posted in our hardware
review. Some people suggested using other software, CD Mate, for reading LaserLock
1/2 protected CDs so you could give it a try.
With LaserLock 2 LaserLock 2 protected CDs, LiteOn LTR-24102B hold the first
place and AOpen CRW2440 follows...
SecuROM Results:
The AOpen CRW2440 can read SubChannel data from Data/Audio tracks very fast!
Currently seems the faster drive for that proposes.
4. DAE Tests
AOpen
CRW2440 IDE CDR-W - Page
4
DAE Tests
- Test Method:
We used CD DAE 99 v0.21 beta and EAC v0.9 prebeta 11 software in order to
check the DAE performance of the AOpen CRW2440 with various AudioCDs (both pressed
and CDR). The posted DAE results are the average of both applications, but the
CPU usage was only taken from CD DAE 99, since EAC occupies the system a lot
more. As a last note, we used the "BURST" reading mode of EAC. We
made a full CD Rip starting from the first to the last track of the CD. The
Average DAE reported speed along with the CPU Usage is displayed in the test
graphs.
- DAE features:
As the program reported, the drive doesn't "Caching" data, supports
"Accurate Stream" and "C2 Error info".
- Pressed AudioCD results: (click here
to see the CD Speed graph)
The AOpen supports up to 40x DAE with both pressed and CDR media. The DAE
ripping performance was very good but the PleXWriter PX-W2410A still holds the
first place with 30.1X average DAE speed:
- CDR AudioCD Results: (click here
to see the CD Speed graph)
The drive performs better with CDR media. The drive reaches 29.6X DAE speed
but needs further improvement to get the first place:
- EAC Secure Extract Ripping mode:
After many viewer-requests we have added the EAC's secure extract ripping
mode results, which ensures maximum produced WAV quality. Notice that for each
drive we used the build-in detection function:
|
Tested Drives
|
Average DAE Speed (X)
|
|
Pressed
|
CDR
|
|
TDK CyClone 241040
|
7.1
|
10.08
|
|
PleXWriter PX-W2410A
|
8.7
|
9.6
|
|
AOpen CRW2040
|
21.9
|
22.3
|
|
LiteOn LTR-24102B
|
9.4
|
9.6
|
- Advanced DAE Quality:
The AOpen CRW2440 performed excellently at the Nero CD Speed Advanced DAE
quality test. The drive produced 0 data/sync errors and got a perfect score
(100). The drive can read "CD-Text" enabled AudioCDs, despite the
fact that CD Speed reports it doesn't and can read "SubChannel Data"
(from audio tracks):
- Bad CDR Media results: (click here to see the CD Speed
99 graph)
Despite the fact that Nero CD Speed Advanced DAE test stretches drive's mechanism
to the max, we decided to do real life tests with a scratched disc. The disc
was dirty, and with some light scratches, enough in order cause problems to
most of the tested drives. We used CD DAE 99 software to rip the whole disc
(756539616 sectors) and the results were very interesting:
|
|
Average DAE Speed (X)
|
Errors
|
Errors Of Total Disc (%)
|
|
AOpen CRW2440
|
8.4
|
58476010
|
77.29
|
|
LiteOn LTR-24102B
|
25.7
|
345
|
0.00
|
|
PleXWriter PX-W2410A
|
*
|
*
|
*
|
|
TDK CyClone 241040
|
14.4
|
0
|
0.00
|
As the tests showed, the AOpen CRW2440 performs very badly when CD has scratches
and dust. The drive produced 58476010 errors which mean that 77.29% of the read
data were false. The LiteOn has great performance with 25.7X DAE speed and only
(?) 345 errors. The PleXWriter PX-W2410A cannot recognize the disc and the TDK
CyClone 241040 has the best behaviour with 0 errors.
- Ripping 90 and 99min CDs:
>> 
As we can see from the above graphs, the AOpen CRW2440 doesn't have any problem
ripping both 90min and 99min CDs.
5. CDR Tests - Page 1
AOpen
CRW2440 IDE CDR-W - Page
5
CDR Tests - Page 1
The
AOpen CRW2440 supports 20x and 20x Z-CLV writing speeds. We used Nero CD Speed
build-in writing test in order to test the drive's writing performance. The
drive's average writing speed with 80min CD is 22.06X as Nero CD Speed writing
test showed.
The
drive also supports JustSpeed, which automatically reduces the writing speed
in case an un-certified 20/24x CD is inserted. JustSpeed detects the quality
of the media and adjusts the writing speed accordingly. So even you use low
quality media, the drive will select as maximum writing speed 16x/12x or even
8x! Of course you can turn JustSpeed off and write in the maximum (20x/24x)
speed.
As we said earlier, the AOpen CRW2440 has 22.06X writing speed. The LiteOn
LTR-24102B has the highest writing speed (22.78X), PleXWriter follows (22.77X)
and TDK CyClone 241040 comes third with 22.56X. We will see later if those tests
results are confirmed with real life tests:
|
CDR-W drives
|
Average Writing Speed (X) with 80min
CD
|
|
AOpen CRW2440
|
22.06
|
|
LiteOn LTR-24102B
|
22.78
|
|
PleXWriter PX-W2410A
|
22.77
|
|
TDK CyClone 241040
|
22.56
|
From the above graph we can see the differences between the PleXWriter PX-W2410A
and AOpen CRW2440. The Plextor drive shifts faster in the 20x writing speed
and also stays less time in the first (20x) zone. The AOpen CRW2440 not only
shifts later to 20x speed but also stays longer so the final average writing
speed is shorter.
The AOpen in general has lower rotation speeds. The maximum rotation speed
is around 8000rpm, while the Plextor drive reaches 8500rpm. That makes the drive
quiter than the Plextor drive but also slower.
- Procedure:
We tested the AOpen CRW2440 with Nero v5.5.4.9, CloneCD v3.0.9.1 and Padus DJ
v3.50.799 software. For the CDR tests we used: Verbatim 74min (16x) & 80min
(16x), Taiyo Yuden 74 & 80min (24x), Mitsubishi Chemicals 74/80min 24x,
Mitsui 74min (24 & 16x) and Ricoh/Verbatim/TDK 74min HS-RW media.
- CD-R Tests:
We created a "DataCD" with an amount of data slightly higher than
74mins (74:03:65). We burned the same data amount with all 4 CDR-W drives:
The AOpen CRW2440 needs the highest time with 319secs to finish the task. The
PleXWriter PX-W2410A is faster (313secs), TDK CyClone 241040 follows (317secs)
and LiteOn LTR-24102B comes third with 318secs. The time difference may vary
with different medias.
The AOpen CRW2440 at the 20x writing speed seems close enough to the competition.
The PleXWriter takes an easy win with 259secs. The AOpen CRW2440 needs 7 and
LiteOn 8 more secs to finish.
Let see the maximum writing speed now. The AOpen CRW2440 is clearly the slower
drive. It needs 243secs to end the task, JustSpeed disabled. PleXWriter is 13
and LiteOn 11secs faster (with certain media of course). The TDK CyClone 241040
is faster by only 3 secs.
- 80min CDs:
As with the previous test, we created a DataCD (80:01:47) and used the same
media for all burns:
The AOpen CRW2440 performs better with 80min CDs. The drive needs the exact
same time with the PleXWriter PX-W2410A (337secs) to end the task. Both LiteOn
and TDK drives are slower.
At the 20x writing speed, the AOpen CRW2440 is again slower than both LiteOn
and Plextor drives. The drive needs 3-7 more seconds to finish. The CPU Usage
seems lower than the competition.
The AOpen CRW2440 continues to be the slower 24x writer with 10secs time difference
from other drives. The TDK CyClone 241040 is also faster by 3secs. Both LiteOn
and Plextor drives have equal performance.
- JustSpeed Operation
Below are some results with JustSpeed function enabled/disabled in order to
reflect the differences. In some cases when JustSpeed is off, the total burning
time is higher than JustSpeed on, especially when low quality media is used:
|
|
74min CD
|
80min CD
|
|
Writing Speed
|
JustSpeed On
|
JustSpeed Off
|
JustSpeed On
|
JustSpeed Off
|
|
12x
|
6:47min
|
6:51min
|
7:16min
|
7:18min
|
|
16x
|
5:19min
|
5:19min
|
5:46min
|
5:37min
|
|
20x
|
4:30min
|
4:26min
|
4:53min
|
4:45min
|
|
24x
|
4:07min
|
4:03min
|
4:28min
|
4:19min
|
6. CDR Tests - Page 2
AOpen
CRW2440 IDE CDR-W - Page
6
CDR Tests - Page 2
- Writing Quality tests:
We used Ricoh's 74min 24x CD-R media. All CDs were burned with Nero 5.5.4.9
and were Audio CDs with 74:51:27 in size. The produced CDs, were measured from
DigitalDrives
and results are illustrated in the following tables:
|
20x writing speed With
Ricoh 74min 24x media
|
|
Model
|
C1
|
Average Burning Time (secs)
|
|
Max
|
Average
|
|
AOpen CRW2440 (JustSpeed on)
|
20
|
1.6
|
272
|
|
AOpen CRW2440 (JustSpeed off)
|
32
|
1.7
|
268
|
|
LiteOn LTR-24102B
|
38
|
2.8
|
280
|
|
Plextor PX-W2410A
|
20
|
1.9
|
267
|
*note: results for LiteOn, Plextor and Sanyo drives are not with the latest
firmware due to lack of test media :(
The AOpen CRW2440A performed very well with Ricoh's 24x CD-R media. With JustSpeed
On the drive needed 272secs to end the task, which is 5secs slower than PleXWriter
PX-W2410A, but on the other hand it has better writing quality with 1.6 average
C1 errors. When JustSpeed is disabled, the drive has 1.7 average C1 errors,
which also are lower than what the PleXWriter drive achieves. We also used Mitsubishi
Chemicals 74min/80min CDs and we got similar results with the Ricoh 74min 24x
CD-R media :-)
When JustSpeed is disabled, high C1 errors are produced during 28-31minutes.
This is also noted at the 24x writing speed. At the end of the disc C1 errors
are also increased.
When JustSpeed is enabled, the drive behaves very well in almost all of the
burning time. There are some peaks, at 24mins, but they are not worrying.
|
24x writing speed with
Ricoh 74min 24x media
|
|
Model
|
C1
|
Average Burning Time (secs)
|
|
Max
|
Average
|
|
LiteOn LTR-24102B
|
43
|
2.2
|
246
|
|
Plextor PX-W2410A
|
31
|
2,0
|
240
|
|
Sanyo CRD-BP1500P
|
25
|
2,7
|
241
|
|
AOpen CRW2440 (JustSpeed on)
|
22
|
1.30
|
247
|
|
AOpen CRW2440 (JustSpeed off)
|
40
|
1.50
|
246
|
*note: results for LiteOn, Plextor and Sanyo drives are
not with the latest firmware due to lack of test media :(
At the 24x Zone-CLV writing method, JustSpeed system seemed to work very good
and produced the same C1 error rate at the 20x writing speed. When JustSpeed
is enabled the drive managed to write even less errors, 1.30 average C1, outperforming
the competition. The burning time is 6-7 longer than with the PleXWriter PX-W2410A.
We had similar results for the AOpen CRW2440 with Mitsubishi Chemicals 74min
24x CD-R media.
The drive continues to show an unpleasant behaviour when JustSpeed is disabled.
The peak between 34 and 37mins is something that should puzzle AOpen engineers.
With JustSpeed enabled, the drive has a smooth operation. The C1 errors in
the shift points are low and seem to increase at the end of the disc.
- Overburning Tests:
The AOpen CRW2440 supports overburning up to 99minutes!
- CD-Text Results:
We created several AudioCDs with CD-Text enabled. The AOpen can write/read
CD-Text Audio CDs.
- CloneCD Tests:
The
CloneCD v3.0.9.1 reports that the drive supports the DAO-RAW writing feature.
The drive also supports JustLink. From our tests results DAO-RAW writing works
without any problem for the SafeDisc 1, LaserLock 1/2 and SecuROM 2 protections.
- SD2 Support:
For the SD2 tests we used the "No One Lives For Ever" and "Emperor
Battle for Dune" CD titles. We used the AOpen CRW2440 both as reader/writer.
The produced backup didn't work using the same or any drive we tested with.
Therefore, the AOpen CRW2440 cannot produce SD2 working backups.
- 8cm mini CDs:
The AOpen does support 8cm CDs and/or business cards. We did try several
burns with business cards and 8cm CDs without any problems.
- Buffer Underrun tests:
The AOpen CRW2440 supports "JustLink" anti-buffer underrun technology.
That ensures no buffer underruns will happen as long as it is activated. From
our tests, the drive worked without any problems when we attempted to cause
buffer underruns by pressing ctrl+shift+del several times.
7. RW Writing Tests
AOpen
CRW2440 IDE CDR-W - Page
7
RW Writing Tests
We used Nero 5.5.4.9 for writing CDs in maximum RW writing speed for all the
tested drives in 10x HS-RW media. All drives support fully the HS-RW writing
standard. We did notice problems with Verbatim's HS-RW media since the drive
refused to write at 10x speed producing severe write errors. For our tests we
used Ricoh's 10x HS-RW media:
The AOpen CRW2440 performed very well and it was slower by only one second
from the PleXWriter PX-W2410A. The CPU Usage is also low and the erase time
did not exceed 60 secs.
- Packet Writing
Tests:
We used Ahead InCD v2.32 for the Packet Writing tests. We used TDK
HS-RW media and we formatted it. The formatted disc revealed 530mbs of free
space. We copied a 403 MB file (403.147 kbs) from a Hard Disk (on the same PC
as the writers) to the formatted RW media-using explorer (we dragged and dropped)
and we completed the test twice to eliminate possible time measurement faults
and user errors:
The AOpen CRW2440A can compete against the other drives and win by a noticeable
difference in the reading part. The drive has 7.25X average writing speed
and 20.09X average reading speed! It is simply the faster 24x recorder
you can buy nowadays for packet writing use.
8. Conclusion
AOpen
CRW2440 IDE CDR-W - Page
8
Conclusion
|
Positive (+):
|
Negative (-):
|
|
- Supports 20x/24x writing speeds
- "JustLink" anti-coaster technology
- "JustSpeed" media quality detection system
- Low C1 errors with 24x certified media
- Very Good data reading performance
- Very Good Seek times
- Very Good packet reading/writing performance
- Supports HS-RW standard (10x re-write)
- Supports DAO-RAW
- Very Good CloneCD reading performance
- Supports reading/writing of SubChannel Data
- Supports CD-Text (reading/writing)
- Supports Overburning (up to 99mins)
- Supports Ultra-DMA 33 connection interface
- Retail package includes Nero 5.5x
- Low Price ($98)!!!!!!!
|
- 20x/24x writing speeds are slower than
competition
- Low PSX reading time
- Bad DAE quality with scratched CDs
- Failed to backup SD2 protected CDs
- Problems with dusty/scratched media
- Problems with Verbatim HS-RW media
|
AOpen has deliberately delayed the shipping of their 24x writing proposal,
but the final result is very good. Although the drive had a firmware version
0.95 it performed very good in most of our tests and in some cases it won the
first place. In most cases, the PleXWriter PX-W2410A is faster and holds the
lead but AOpen drive is very close. Both 20x/24x writing speeds are slower than
the competition and that's a negative point for the drive. However it manages
to produce low C1 errors during recording when 24x certified media was used.
The JustSpeed technology is present and helps the drive in obtaining these excellent
results.
The DAE is high, with good quality media, but has problems when dust and scratches
are present. We spotted general recognition problems with tested discs that
had fingerprints on them. The lack of making perfect SD2 backups is something
that the competition offers, and its absence will disappoint many users.
The drive can be found at the price tag of 95-$110 making it very good looking
in users eyes. The LiteOn LTR-24102B has also the same price and as for the
PleXWriter PX-W2410A costs over $180. If you find this drive sold inside your
local store, just stand in front of it and think about the positive & negatives.
If the price is right, then the choice is very easy :-)