Is Plextor premium worth 10 out of 10 ?

[robertb]

Well I am nowhere in the expert category and don't have a stable of cd drives as do many on this board but this Plexwriter Premium is keeping me busy going nowhere.
This drive carries a high price and here is a list of my findings.

1.) On a new install of Windows ME or Windows 98 retail 4.1 you will continue to be given error warnings that the drive will not work without newer Aspi drivers.
2.) If you have MCILAU.dll on your computer (media player dll ) plextools pro software will not function at all.
3.)Certain audio codecs will prevent plextools software from working although Plextor will not give you a list of which ones.
4.)My package cost over £100 (us$ 150) plus delivery and comes without instruction manual, without IDE cable , without sound card cable, and with two CD's containing Plextools software and Nero 5.5
5.)The Plextools software and even the nero software can only be used on the Plextor drive. There is constant reference in the Nero help manual about the various things you can do if you have the full version. It's a pity Plextor were too stingy to include the full version.
6.)You are given a warning that the Plexwriter Premium should not be used together with another CD drive. Would anybody buy this who had no CD drive at all?
7.)It is confusing whether one should use the plextools software or Nero to actually write CD's . But since most of the Plextools software has limited capability to write CD's one tends to only use the Nero software. For example the plex software for creating an audio Cd cannot produce a cd cover playlist and requires the difficult mouse operation of dragging tunes onto a plextor icon which disappears onto the computer taskbar.
8.)Now the question how good is the hardware ? Well sometimes it seems to write at 52x and sometimes at 16x when using the same media. This is when the speed is controlled by Powerec . But even though the speed is controlled it doesn't seem to stop CD's being written with occasional C2 and CU errors. Before I bought the drive I did not have the ability to check for these c2 cu errors I was happy because if the music played or the data was there that was it all OK . But now I keep asking myself is this CD duff or is it written properly. Better do a c2 check.
I decided to use the plextools software disk which came with my drive as a target for the c2 -cu test and hey I get 22,486 c2 errors and 18 cu errors . Plextor kindly sent me a replacement disk which showed equally as many c2 and cu errors. Many of the Cd's I have written have showed no errors so it is not just a duff drive. Surely for this C2 cu error list to be of any use it should be displayed on completion of writing a CD. What good is it to wrte a CD in 3 minutes if you have to spend another 10 checking if you have any fatal errors?
Anyway when you can see that you have these errors what should you conclude from them? It is too late to correct them and you have no idea what caused them so you can't avoid them on the next burn. The large warning message that pops up whenever one uses the c2- cu test function with disclaimers from Plextor as to the reliablity for any conclusion drawn from these tests looks rather like they have shot themselves in the foot with their own software.
9.) The firmware faithfully seems to read what type of media is in the drive. For example it tells me that the disk in the drive now is "Prodisc technology type 9" But is that of any use to me? Is it any use to Plextools software ? Does it know how fast it can write to a type 9 ? Can I find out how fast I could write to a type 9 ? Can it tell me how fast I can write to a type 9 so that I have absolutley no errors ? Maybe it could say to guarantee no errors I should write at 1x ?
10.) Now the Giga record function which I still haven't used. Why haven't I used it ? Well I can't think why I should need it. If I do a giga record for anybody else then I understand it will probaly not be usable by them if they don't have a Plextor drive. Media is cheap so why should I try and cram an extra few megabyte onto a disk.
Now for the plus side .
This drive is very quiet and can usually without any noticable errors ( I am not going to spend my life doing cu tests ) produce a written Cd in about 3 minutes
I need some more poetry

[aviationwiz]

1.) On a new install of Windows ME or Windows 98 retail 4.1 you will continue to be given error warnings that the drive will not work without newer Aspi drivers.

I can not comment on this, as I do not have Windows ME or 98. I have never heard of this problem before.

2.) If you have MCILAU.dll on your computer (media player dll ) plextools pro software will not function at all.

Once again, I can not comment on this. I have never heard of this problem before either.

3.)Certain audio codecs will prevent plextools software from working although Plextor will not give you a list of which ones.

I don't know anything about audio codecs causing problems. Never heard of that one in my life.

4.)My package cost over £100 (us$ 150) plus delivery and comes without instruction manual, without IDE cable , without sound card cable, and with two CD's containing Plextools software and Nero 5.5

Maybe you get an OEM Drive, as mine came with an instruction manual, IDE Cables, I think a Sound Card Cable, and came with a CD of Plextools and a blank 52x CD-R. Or, maybe the European version is much different from the American version.

5.)The Plextools software and even the nero software can only be used on the Plextor drive. There is constant reference in the Nero help manual about the various things you can do if you have the full version. It's a pity Plextor were too stingy to include the full version.

All versions of Nero that come with the writer (OEM) only work with that writer. This is standard in the business and you should not be flaming Plextor for it.

6.)You are given a warning that the Plexwriter Premium should not be used together with another CD drive. Would anybody buy this who had no CD drive at all?

I believe this is complete bull, never heard of that in my life, and it works fine along with my DVD-ROM drive and DVD-Burner (neither made by Plextor.)

7.)It is confusing whether one should use the plextools software or Nero to actually write CD's . But since most of the Plextools software has limited capability to write CD's one tends to only use the Nero software. For example the plex software for creating an audio Cd cannot produce a cd cover playlist and requires the difficult mouse operation of dragging tunes onto a plextor icon which disappears onto the computer taskbar.

Without a doubght, Nero is more powerful, I would not use the Plextools software to burn a CD.

8.)Now the question how good is the hardware ? Well sometimes it seems to write at 52x and sometimes at 16x when using the same media. This is when the speed is controlled by Powerec . But even though the speed is controlled it doesn't seem to stop CD's being written with occasional C2 and CU errors. Before I bought the drive I did not have the ability to check for these c2 cu errors I was happy because if the music played or the data was there that was it all OK . But now I keep asking myself is this CD duff or is it written properly. Better do a c2 check.
I decided to use the plextools software disk which came with my drive as a target for the c2 -cu test and hey I get 22,486 c2 errors and 18 cu errors . Plextor kindly sent me a replacement disk which showed equally as many c2 and cu errors. Many of the Cd's I have written have showed no errors so it is not just a duff drive. Surely for this C2 cu error list to be of any use it should be displayed on completion of writing a CD. What good is it to wrte a CD in 3 minutes if you have to spend another 10 checking if you have any fatal errors?
Anyway when you can see that you have these errors what should you conclude from them? It is too late to correct them and you have no idea what caused them so you can't avoid them on the next burn. The large warning message that pops up whenever one uses the c2- cu test function with disclaimers from Plextor as to the reliablity for any conclusion drawn from these tests looks rather like they have shot themselves in the foot with their own software.

I have not recieved a C2 or CU Error ever with this drive. What media are you using, as even with PoweRec, some media will still cause problems. Do you have the latest firmware 1.02? Do you have the latest Plextools Pro 2.04?

9.) The firmware faithfully seems to read what type of media is in the drive. For example it tells me that the disk in the drive now is "Prodisc technology type 9" But is that of any use to me? Is it any use to Plextools software ? Does it know how fast it can write to a type 9 ? Can I find out how fast I could write to a type 9 ? Can it tell me how fast I can write to a type 9 so that I have absolutley no errors ? Maybe it could say to guarantee no errors I should write at 1x ?

Yes, that information does help the software. It helps it with PoweRec for the most part.

10.) Now the Giga record function which I still haven't used. Why haven't I used it ? Well I can't think why I should need it. If I do a giga record for anybody else then I understand it will probaly not be usable by them if they don't have a Plextor drive. Media is cheap so why should I try and cram an extra few megabyte onto a disk.

Every CD I have burned with GigaRec has been playable on my LTD-163D.

[dodecahedron]

4.)My package cost over £100 (us$ 150) plus delivery and comes without instruction manual, without IDE cable , without sound card cable, and with two CD's containing Plextools software and Nero 5.5

as far as i know , most drives don't come with a CD cable, the Plextor is no exception.

5.)The Plextools software and even the nero software can only be used on the Plextor drive. There is constant reference in the Nero help manual about the various things you can do if you have the full version. It's a pity Plextor were too stingy to include the full version.

not at all clear.
the PlexTools software is "full", there is no such thing as a "not full" version of PlexTools.
the Nero is an OEM version and is very nearly "full". AFAIK the only functionality in the retail Nero that is missing from the OEM is the Anti-Virus checker. and who really uses it anyway???

6.)You are given a warning that the Plexwriter Premium should not be used together with another CD drive. Would anybody buy this who had no CD drive at all?

well, maybe Plextor would like us all to buy a 2nd CDRW from them, or a CDROM or DVDROM from them, but PlexTools does work with other drives too.

7.)It is confusing whether one should use the plextools software or Nero to actually write CD's . But since most of the Plextools software has limited capability to write CD's one tends to only use the Nero software. For example the plex software for creating an audio Cd cannot produce a cd cover playlist and requires the difficult mouse operation of dragging tunes onto a plextor icon which disappears onto the computer taskbar.

the same can be said whenever you own 2 software suites - which one to use? the answer is whichever one you like best.
Nero is in general much more powerful, flexible etc. than PlexTools, but PlexTools does have some advantages and features Nero does not. it all boils down to what you want to do and personal preferences.

9.) The firmware faithfully seems to read what type of media is in the drive. For example it tells me that the disk in the drive now is "Prodisc technology type 9" But is that of any use to me? Is it any use to Plextools software ? Does it know how fast it can write to a type 9 ? Can I find out how fast I could write to a type 9 ? Can it tell me how fast I can write to a type 9 so that I have absolutley no errors ? Maybe it could say to guarantee no errors I should write at 1x ?

this information is very useful, read the Media Compatibility With CD-RW Drives - Which Media Is Best? thread.
however it can be gotten from other programs too.

by the way, what do you mean "10 out of 10" ?
Ian reviewed this drive and gave it 9 out of 10.

[robertb]

thanks for the detailed replies.

Regarding the various errors produced on clean installs win 98 and Me as well as the codecs problems Plextor is aware of these and suggested to me in a rather undetailed way how to cure the problems . They are not fiction but would probably not affect persons who have already installed fast cd writers and correct aspi layers.

robertb wrote:
"You are given a warning that the Plexwriter Premium should not be used together with another CD drive. Would anybody buy this who had no CD drive at all? "
Well the 5 inch long instruction sheet (containing 4 steps for installation )says on step 3 "We recommend that you connect the Plexwriter as master on the secondary IDE connector and that you do not connect a second device to this connector "
Maybe two CD drives will work but have I misunderstood their recommendation? or are they talking quote "bull"

I don't know what an OEM drive would look like but I am sure mine is the real Macoy. It came from a reputable supplier properly packaged in a Plextor box. I presume the European version has a little less included.
I have latest software 2.04 and firmware 1.01 but all my experiences were on software 2.03 and firmware 1.01.
The media used is according to plextools "prodisk technology type 9" and is described on the disk as 48x.

To Aviationwiz
You have never had even a c2 error ? Can you please tell me
What speed are you writing at ? what software do you use ?And what media do you use ? Do you write audio and data cd's? Isn't it very time consuming performing this check after each burn?

robertb wrote:

"The firmware faithfully seems to read what type of media is in the drive. For example it tells me that the disk in the drive now is "Prodisc technology type 9" But is that of any use to me? Is it any use to Plextools software ? Does it know how fast it can write to a type 9 ? Can I find out how fast I could write to a type 9 ? Can it tell me how fast I can write to a type 9 so that I have absolutley no errors ? Maybe it could say to guarantee no errors I should write at 1x ?

Quote Aviationwiz

"Yes, that information does help the software. It helps it with PoweRec for the most part "

Well I have a bundle of these prodisc type 9 . Can you tell me what powerec knows about them and what speed it will be planning to write to them at . Also can you tell me where i find this secret list for the type 9.

Quote from Dodecahedron about Plextools software
" but PlexTools does have some advantages and features Nero does not "
Apart from the C2 error check and giga rec can you tell me any feature which is better ?
By the way to Dodecahedron
I was referring only to Nero regarding full version. Yes I do have the plextools full version.
According to the notes there is also a cddb database included in the full version. But most important if I do decide to connect up my second CD writer drive I need a second installation of cd writing software. The last time I tried Easy CD creator together with Plextools and Nero I had egg timers and screen freezes all over the place. I believe it is well acknowledged that much of the cd writing software is not happy together ?

Well I don't want to waste too much of your time on my chicken feed questions but I have tried to describe my experience with this drive according to my actual experience with the software and media that I have.
If Plextor asked me what I would be looking for in the way of improvement I would say to provide much stronger software and guidance BEFORE the Cd is written as well as a bit of software support for a second drive .
My nero software always seems to be chomping at the bit and ready to write at 52x . Sometimes I don't feel comfortable about that but later I get the message that Powerec recorded the disk at 32x
It would be nice if something popped up before the disk was written and said ...Hey this is a crappy old prodisk type 9 so we're going to slow you down to 2x otherwise the old c2's and cuuu's will get you.
Anyway looking at c2 errors after the disk is written is a bit like having a guage on your car dashboard that says you have just had an accident 5 minutes ago but we don't know what you hit and why. Mind you c2 or cu errors I still find that tunes play and files don't seem to be corrupted so I wonder how many thousands of these make up a genuine coaster? As I mentioned on my earlier post both my Plextools software disks have absolutely thousands of c2 errors and still work. I wonder who wrote the perishing things for them . And dare I say with what brand of drive they used to write them? By the way the media type on their disks shows up blank.
I wanted to put a gif image of these c2 errors but couldn't work out how to paste it on here.
thank goodness they sighed.
regards

[aviationwiz]

First off, sorry if I forgot to address anything.

I have my Premium hooked up on IDE 0 Master, and my DVD Burner as slave on there, haven't recieved a single problem yet.

It seems that you do have the Retail drive, OEM means that it is just the drive, or, the drive and very few extra manuals, disks, etc.

I use Verbatim (Mitsubishi Chemicals) and Tayio Yuden media, I tell Nero to burn them at 52x, PoweRec does the rest. Buffer Under-run proof is always enabled for me. I do mostly data burns. For audio, I would turn on VariRec. I do not check every disk after the burn, that would take to much time. On all the tests I have done, (quite a few) I have not recieved any C2 errors.

The part about it being Prodisc Type 9 is probably this:

Prodisc is the manufacturer, Type 9 is probably the type of dye that is used on the disk. This helps PoweRec by letting it know who makes it, and what kind of dye it is, this helps it in decided how to write the CD. PoweRec also checks the burn continuously while burning, to make any fine tuning adjustments that needs to be done to make the burn a higher quality one.

As far as PlexTools vs Nero, there is really no comparison. For burning a CD, use Nero. All your settings are brought into Nero, whether it be for SecuRec, VariRec, or GigaRec. For SecuRec, just set the password in PlexTools Pro, and burn like normal. For VariRec, just set up VariRec in PlexTools Pro, and burn like normal. For GigaRec, set it up to the length you want it in PlexTools Pro, then set the overburn length in Nero to the exact length given to use in PlexTools Pro.

[jtan]

i wonder.. with powerec, does it really burn much better than other drive?

let's say...

Plextor with CMC magnetic CD-R
and
Lite-On with Taiyo Yuden

who will produce better quality? is there a chance for Plextor to beat Lite-On in those situation?

[dolphinius_rex]

I think that that is an unfair test!

The LiteON is specifically made to operate at its' best with Taiyo Yuden, and CMC media is unreliable, not because it is always bad quality, but because it MIGHT be good quality too! (yes, I've used good quality CMC media before).

That's like saying, let's make two people fight, one of them we'll give a sharp sword, and the other one we'll cut off one of his arms. I wonder who'll win?

[jtan]

I think that that is an unfair test!

The LiteON is specifically made to operate at its' best with Taiyo Yuden, and CMC media is unreliable, not because it is always bad quality, but because it MIGHT be good quality too! (yes, I've used good quality CMC media before).

That's like saying, let's make two people fight, one of them we'll give a sharp sword, and the other one we'll cut off one of his arms. I wonder who'll win?

not that i'm making an unfair test. i just wanted to know how much plextor can help with improving the quality of the disc.

it's like a game this way...

bruce lee with no weapon against a guy with a knife

[Noua]

I don’t want to sound, let’s say “inconvenient” But there are ways to “make” the software that came with your Premium to work with the rest of your drives… Well, you can do the same with all other burners that came with Nero or other kind of software…

[robertb]

Hey
thanks a lot for you replies and to Aviationwiz for the tips on usage media and general setup.
Also to Noua yes I catch your point about software but its a shame that I should need to go down that road. Nero's Retail software is only about 10 MB in size with the fully working retail ingredients and will work with any drive you throw at it. Also it will not complain from the outset about Aspi layers. Couldn't Plextor put a bit of this expertise with their supersonic drive.
I think what I am trying to get across here is that yes this looks like a very nice drive and it is supplied by what i have understood to be a top brand company at a top price.
Therefore the occasional clodhopper who comes along like me (but I am probably not the worst) might be alittle surprised when he plugs it in as his first Cd writer.
Most of all this drive really HAS some extra special capabilities and they should have some first class software that does not let this advantage go wasted.
Anyway thanks to this board for their excellent support and doing a lot of Plextors work for them!
I am sure that with a few more months of reading the tips posted here I am going to be an expert in this stuff
best wishes
robertb

[Noua]

Just to express my opinion on another issue that was spoken earlier...

I have a plextor 48x24x48x and it came with the Plextools.. I already looked into it and "played" a little bit with it, but the program I use is Nero. It seems to me that when it comes to cd-writing, Nero is a very powerful tool, maybe the best one (at least for me). I've used other programs but so far none of them have made change...

I do have one issue that clone CD seems to do better than Nero (or I haven't figured it out yet)... When it come to make auto run data CD's i think Nero isn't that good... But... Nero 6 is about to arrive...

[robertb]

That's interesting
I hadn't noticed that something like clone cd could produce an Autorun Cd and certainly hadn't seen it with Nero.
I know there are a few utilities offered on the net which are only for that purpose and can produce an autorun .exe and an .inf file in a few minutes to execute an autorun.
Autoplay media studio which is licenced software is excellent for that job.
I agree about Nero . I certainly bashed away at a few programs and managed to burn a collection of dud Cd's but so far Nero has not let me down . Mind you I do not find it easy to understand or use. There are a lot of options and I have read the help files many times and still cannot make my mind up on a few options. Like if I make an audio CD with Nero from wav files on the hard drive do I just select write or simulate and write.
Another little program but just for making audio cd's which seems to have some detailed help files and strong capabilities is called Feurio . It's only about 2.5MB in size and claims that the software itself will avoid buffer underuns even if you are working on something else and thats even with a 166mhz computer. Upon installation it produces a list of any drivers already installed which might interfere with its' operation.
It looks very neat but I decided to avoid it as I have had enough trouble with drivers lately and anyway I am satisfied with Nero
regards

[CDRecorder]

I haven't used Plextools, but I have used Easy CD Creator 5.3 and Nero 5.5 on the same system with no problems. As long as InCD and DirectCD aren't both on the system, you shouldn't have any problem installing Easy CD Creator and Nero on your computer.

[dodecahedron]

if you are overwhelmed by Nero, why don't you try using NeroExpress?
it's much more friendly for the beginner.
click on the 5th button from the left in the toolbar, it switches from Nero to NeroExpress (you can always switch back if you want).

you can simulate to make sure you computer can handle the burn, but it's not really necesary. just select burn.

i haven't tried it myself, but Feurio! has a good reputation. some swear by it, it's the best program for creating Audio CDs.
i would suggest you give it a try (despite the warnings about possible (!) problems). if it works, fine! if not return to Nero.

[Noua]

I’ve used several times Nero with Easy CD Creator. For me Easy is good to make audio compilations with several tracks from several audio CD’s. I haven’t figured a way to work it with Nero unless I convert the audio tracks into my hard drive. Easy does it automatically. It only ask you to switch between source and destination disks. Of course these where the days that mp3 wasn’t so popular (a long, long time ago…)

When it comes to make autorun cd’s, I found somewhere in the Net a way to make these type of media. You actually only need to create one file with a specific line.

Nero express is too limited.. I really don’t like it but I must confess that is the best way for beginners. When I first started to use Nero, I recall that I had to really go into it before I actually understood the program philosophy. I must confess that the help files never helped me much, I rather go and try it myself…

I’m anxious to test Nero 6… They say it’s a big improvement… Let’s wait…

Is it me or we are drifting from the topic… :D:D

[robertb]

Thanks a lot for all the advice and tips.
Bit by bit I will use all of it.
You're right we have drifted a bit off subject but then again software to the CD writer is like petrol to your new Porsche it just won't go without it.
Anyway for the time being I guess I will use Nero aided by the Powerec function for burning and plextools from time to time for analysis to see if I am burning gooduns.
I will avoid putting my old HP CD writer drive back as a second CD drive as I could imagine this might result in some sticky situations and anyway there is no logic in trying to write on that thing at 2x speed. I will save the little hole in the front of the computer to keep my sandwiches in until I make up my mind if I need a DVD writer.
best wishes
robertb

[justinhamill]

robertb
Must say I'd feel the same for the price of nearly 3 run-of-the-mill burners.
I think I might start hunting around for a Yamaha.

[robertb]

Yes price certainly plays a big part in the decision and there is a heck of a lot out there to chose from.
Still the cdrlabs reveiws are top class and their analysis and comments of the Plextor premium is as far as my experience goes correct.
My own experience with installation will hopefully not be too common. Certainly no-one else has so far popped up to agreewith me.
It is worth taking a close look at the conclusion page of their reveiw where features on the drive get 10 out of 10 installation 9 out of 10 and performance 8 out of 10.
Actually I don't think I will use most of the stuff but I love to have a gadget installed if I need it . I can't stand that moment when someone says hey can't you read that disk it's in Mount Rainier Format .. What he hell is that I don't know but yes no problem I can read it.
If I do finish up getting a DVD writer I think I will have to try and get one that can burn logos on the CD's with it's laser
Hmmm be nice if you could laser burn the whole audio track list on to save going cross eyed with all the ghastly cd label creators.
I think the thing I like most so far about the plexpremium is the Powerec function which controls the safest speed that the disk can be written at regardless of what speed you try and write it at. Anyway I've been babbling on for pages lately and i'm starting to repeat myself.
good luck with your choice.

[Noua]

The powerec function isn’t new with Premium.. I have it on my 48x24x48x :D:D
I must say that I use it all the time and I haven’t seen much action from it. In fact I burned a 800 VCD yesterday at 48x and that was the first time, in 8 months now, that the powerec function was used. The real speed was 16x and the media was the “Mitsui – Golden Dye 800MB.
I’ve configured Nero to give me the real recording speed and I could confirm this. It started at 16x and down it went at the same speed. The all process took me 5 minutes instead of the 3 minutes and everything worked perfectly.
Conclusion: Excellent tool that allows users to burn with less probability of error and the 2 minutes difference isn’t that much so it was worth it…

[dodecahedron]

The powerec function isn’t new with Premium.. I have it on my 48x24x48x :D:D

PoweRec goes all the way back to the 16x PX-W1610TA drive.

[dolphinius_rex]

Since this is the current "Plextor Premium" thread going, I'll post this here:

There are some rumours flying around amongst some associates of mine that the latest Securom 4.8x (which can only be copied using twinpeaks or emulation) has beaten without the aid of outside assistance. Most people believe that the drive that has done this is the Plextor Premium in combination with the still unreleased firmware version 1.03. Of course no one outside a few VERY privaliged people can confirm or deny this...so how about it Ian? do you know something we don't???

[chubz9]

My computer initially had Lite-On 24102B, and it was a nice drive. But when i felt it is actually slow, compared to the drives available now, i went on and bought a TDK VeloCD 52x24x48x and a Plextor 48x24x48x, just to compare which one is better, because i've been hearing a lot lot lot of good things about plextor, so i told myself, i'll give it a try. I ended up keeping the TDK VeloCD, just because it was faster in burning CDRs, but the plextor was faster in CDRWs. i really went crazy deciding which is better for me, faster CDRs or faster CDRWs. i did a lot of tests, and VeloCD finishes CDRs at 2:17 (mm:ss) average, and CDRWs at 4:39 average. The plextor, on the other hand, finishes CDRs at 3:10 average, and CDRWs at 3:13 average. i burn a lot of CDRWs and i want it done fast too, but i burn a lot more CDRs than anything else. But in the end, i kept the VeloCD just because of that. then, i went one day to a local best buy store, and i saw the sexy plexy premium box sittin on the shelves. i grabbed it and bought it immediately... and i loved it. every feature of it worked as promised (well, except the 32x RW of course). but with gigarec, i was able to burn 999.84MB of data successfully using the PlexTools 1.00 back then. I wrapped the VeloCD and put it back into its box, but unfortunately, 30 days have passed so i cannot return it anymore, ended up selling it to a friend.... finally got rid of it...

now, the premium burns as fast, and sometimes, even faster than the velocd did. rewrite was awesome, with the same speed as the 48x writer. i use nero to burn my cd's, and this drive never gave me a coaster. the cd tray opens and closes with no noise at all, truly a first-class build quality. one night, i stayed late installing stuff on my reformatted computer, and the premium drive did not wake up ppl sleeping in my room... (my previous drives did). spinning cd's inside it is so quiet as well... i can't think of anything bad with the drive... the retail version that i got came with an IDE cable, but plextor does not bundle the sound card cable.

I use Taiyo Yuden media, which is sold here as Fuji 48x media, and plextor burns at 52x on it, using powerec. Imation 48x is burned at 52x by powerec as well. plextor said the gigarec discs can be read by drives which are capable of reading overburned discs, don't know how true though, but i would only use gigarec discs on my computer where i have the plextor premium, so i don't have problems with that.

If you want to see what speed the plextor can burn on a certain media, use plextools write test, and it will like test your media for the max speed it could safely burn. it almost always scanned my media upto 52x.

[robertb]

Aaaaaaaaaaaah
And I thought I paid all that money cos only us Premium owners had Powerec.