Plextor PX-740A

by Purav Sanghani on August 2, 2005 12:05 AM EST

DVD+/-R Dual Layer Media

MKM 001 (DVD+R DL)

Being able to write to a dual layer disc at 8x is phenomenal, but we would have liked to see it carry that speed over to the second layer. The PX-740A managed to write the first layer at 8x speeds while having to drop to 4x when it reached the second layer. It still shaves off write time, but it could use some more work.

2.4x +R DL - MKM 001 Write

2.4x +R DL - MKM 001 Read

2.4x +R DL - MKM 001

The read back shows a successful disc, which makes us more than happy, especially in light of our experience during the summer roundup. It seemed as though no other drive wanted to write to dual layer as bad as the BenQ and Plextor drive.

MKM 01RD30 (DVD-R DL)

The PX-740A stuck to 4x speeds, but completed the disc successfully. For now, a successful dual layer write is good enough for us at 4x, but we’re looking forward to the next generation units that will write data to all media quicker and more efficiently. Who knows, maybe a future firmware update may fix this speed issue.

4x -R DL - MKM 01RD30 Write

4x -R DL - MKM 01RD30 Read

4x -R DL - MKM 01RD30

The screenshots of Nero’s CD-DVD Speed and Plextor’s Plextools can be downloaded here.

DVD+/-RW Media CD-R Media
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  • Bozo Galora - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link

    Yet another DVD review with no Taiyo Yuden DVD media.
  • semo - Wednesday, August 3, 2005 - link

    yeah that bothers me too. mcc media are a good high grade specimen but ty are a lot more consistent. infiniti branded mcc media does not perform as good as verbatim branded ones (just like memory, some chips are ultra fast and ultra expensive and some are slow and just expensive).

    ty on the other hand don't deviate much from excellent (even the value grade ones). i have some unbranded 8x rated tyg02 dvd-rs that burned @ 16x in my dw1620 surpass the 16x mcc 03rg20 infinitis (burned at any speed) in quality.

    ty should be used more in reviews since it is very consistent. i'm half way through my tub of 100 and i never got a dvd with >500 pifs (usually less than 80). ty media is also very cheap in the us. in the uk it is more expensive but it is still half the price of even the cheapest junk sold in supermarkets or even cheaper and about the same price as mcc.
  • joex444 - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link

    I'm liking that 716's SATA inteface, though. Time to replace my NEC 1300.
  • larson0699 - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link

    PERHAPS its low price tag (in relation to PX-716A) has *something* to do with the fact that it's back to the old interface.

    Sorry, but SATA is totally 0wn1ng. *pets his 716A*
  • WileCoyote - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link

    Woah woah... time out. When did Plextor start rebadging drives? I always thought they were an OEM with top-notch quality. Now they're like everybody else? Sad.
  • dmxlite - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link

    Maybe because the BenQ drive is really good, and they needed something for the low end in their product lines.
  • kmmatney - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link

    So, are these only sold in 10 packs, or what?...
  • Hacp - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link

    I was hoping for something for Anandtech to review....... Cameras and Optical drives are just boring :(.
  • yacoub - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link

    hahah yeah, I almost fell asleep by the third page. Oh well it's still a very useful review for the review database here so when you're looking for a DL DVD burner drive in the future you can read it.
  • DeeSlanger - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link

    Instead of bitching about , Why dont you suggest or ask them if they can review some thing for Hacp...

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