PleXWriter PX-W4824A IDE CDR-W - Page 11

Conclusion

For sure the PX-W4824A was one of the most awaited drives since the adoption of CAV recording technology would enable higher writing speeds and lower recording times. Plextor has added several other features, like the lowest seek times of the industry (<65ms), Mt. Rainier support and the option to de-activate "PoweRec" quality media detection system, enabling writing at full speed for all inserted CD-R media.

One of the main strong points of the PleXWriter PX-W4824A was its very good writing quality either with PoweRec enabled/disabled. Most of the produced CDs had a very low C1 error rate. The supported media list for the 48X (CAV) recording speed is satisfactory and newer firmware plan to support even more as Plextor promised. In case PoweRec is enabled, the drive will automatically select the best writing speed protecting user from writing errors. Disabling the "PoweRec" function will normally produce good discs, with few exceptions.

At the Audio part, the drive can write AudioCDs up to 48X, can read protected Audio discs (with the proper software), offers "VariRec" for higher AudioCD authoring and of course can write CD-Text. The DAE ripping speeds were average below the competition. The reading is very quiet and Plextor offers the ability to force the reading at 48X (by disabling SpeedRead) - only for Mode1 CD-R and pressed discs.

In the negative points, the drive couldn't manage to get the first place in many tests, the Mt. Rainier implementation needs improvement and backups of SD2 v2.51.021+ discs will work only in many CD-RW and not CD-ROM drives. In addition 99min written discs are not recongized, we had some problems with already written 24X US-RW media and even C2 error information is supported, its accuracy is low.

The PleXWriter PX-W4824A despite its various negatives is a very good choice for users who wish un-problematic burning, at the maximum speed with the highest recording quality. The retail package is excellent with Nero 5.5x, 5 pieces of CD-R media and the exclusive "PlexTools" software that boosts even further the drive's capabilities. The European retail package is expected around 140 Euros (maybe even lower).

Future firmware upgrades may fix some of the negatives, making the drive even better. The PX-W4824A gets our "Safe Buy Award" for its performance/price ratio.