Memorex True-8x

Review Pages

1. Package - Installation
2. Data CD Reading Tests
3. CD Error Correction Tests
4. DVD reading tests
5. DVD Error Correction Tests
6. Protected Disc Tests
7. DAE Tests
8. CD Recording Tests
9. Writing quality - 3T Jitter Tests
10. C1 / C2 Error Measurements
11. DVD Recording Tests
12. KProbe PI/PO quality tests
13. Conclusion

Memorex DVD±RW True-8x - Page 13

Conclusion

Pros	Cons
8x DVD+R writing 8x DVD-R writing 4x DVD+RW/-R writing Very Good CD/DVD error correction Supports CD-Text (reading/writing) Supports Key2Audio CD-R media compatibility Quality CD writing DVD-RAM reading Supports reading of 99min audio discs Good DVD writing quality	Increased CD seek times Cannot playback/rip CDS200 CD Increased DVD seek times High price Not working backups with SafeDisc protected games Does not supports read leadin and read leadout information Overburning

Memorex True-8x proved to be a quality writer on CD and DVD media. The drive supports both plus and minus format at maximum available speed 8x, for the recordable media. Although the availability of 8x DVD-R media in the market is limited, the drive reached the maximum writing speed of 8x on a TDK 8x DVD-R while the CMC 8x certified disc was written at 4x. No problems occurred on the plus format where the market availability is wider.

The compatibility of the recorded DVD media was also high, and the recorded discs were readable to all the PC DVD readers we tested.

As for the CD format, the 24x writing speed was supported with all media we tested, although this was expected for an average writing speed. On the rewritable media Memorex supports 24x for the CD family and 4x for the DVD family and all the rewritable media tests were conducted with no problems. The weak point here is the lack of overburning.

On the reading part Memorex read all discs we tested without encountering any problems. On both CD and DVD, Memorex True-8x proved to be a fast reader but with seek times above normal especially on the Full seek test. Also notice that the drive is capable of DVD-RAM reading.

The CD and DVD error correction tests were not a problem for Memorex which managed to read all defective discs. The drive finished all tests and therefore the average error correction score of the drive is good.

With protected game titles, Memorex didn't make any working backups. The only game that was successfully backuped was Max Payne protected with SafeDisc v2.51.020. All other games above that protection were not valid.

On the DAE tests the drive ripped the Key2Audio disc but was not able even to read the contents of the CD200 protected disc. Other than that, it managed to rip the contents of our 90/99min test discs and its overall speeds for audio extraction were satisfying.

The suggested price of Memorex True-8x according to Memorex Web site is $299.99. Although the high price, the provided quality probably deserves the extra expense.