ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U 8x USB 2.0 DVD±RW/RAM

Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - DVD-ROM:

For this test I used a single layer, single sided data DVD-ROM disc that is 4.37GB in size.

 

The SDRW-08D1S-U performed relatively well when reading single layer DVD-ROM's. In our tests it started reading at 3.36x and reached a maximum transfer speed of about 8.09x. Unfortunately, like in our CD read tests, the drive's seek times were pretty high.

Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM:

First, we'll look at the drive's DVD-R and DVD-RW reading performance. For this I made copies of our DVD-ROM test disc using some general use 8x DVD-R and 6x DVD-RW media from Verbatim and then ran our usual DVD read tests with CD Speed. For the DVD-RAM tests, media from Maxell was used. The results are below.

Verbatim DVD-R
 

	Transfer Speed			Seek Times			CPU Usage
	Average	Start	End	Random	1/3	Full	1x	2x	4x	8x
ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U	6.06x	3.36x	8.10x	153ms	189ms	312ms	7%	26%	23%	50%

Verbatim DVD-RW

	Transfer Speed			Seek Times			CPU Usage
	Average	Start	End	Random	1/3	Full	1x	2x	4x	8x
ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U	6.07x	3.36x	8.12x	152ms	192ms	317ms	7%	26%	23%	50%

 

Verbatim DVD-R DL
 

	Transfer Speed			Seek Times			CPU Usage
	Average	Start	End	Random	1/3	Full	1x	2x	4x	8x
ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U	4.52x	2.51x	6.02x	159ms	191ms	324ms	6%	12%	n/a	n/a

The SDRW-08D1S-U had no problems reading DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-R DL media. In our tests, the drive was able to read DVD-R and DVD-RW media at 8x, but slowed to 6x when reading DVD-R DL discs.

Maxell 5x DVD-RAM
 

	Transfer Speed			Seek Times			CPU Usage
	Average	Start	End	Random	1/3	Full	1x	2x	4x	8x
ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U	4.62x	2.82x	5.01x	200ms	230ms	359ms	15%	29%	56%	n/a

ASUS's new drive has a maximum transfer speed of 5x when reading DVD-RAM discs. By looking at the screenshot you can see that it starts reading at about 2.8x and then accelerates, reaching 5x at about the 1.6GB mark. 

Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - DVD+R and DVD+RW:

Next we'll look at the drive's DVD+R and DVD+RW reading performance. For this I made a copy of our DVD-ROM test disc using some 8x DVD+R and 8x DVD+RW media from Verbatim. I then ran our usual DVD read tests with CD Speed. The results are below.

Verbatim DVD+R
 

	Transfer Speed			Seek Times			CPU Usage
	Average	Start	End	Random	1/3	Full	1x	2x	4x	8x
ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U	6.06x	3.36x	8.11x	153ms	187ms	317ms	7%	26%	24%	50%

Verbatim DVD+RW

	Transfer Speed			Seek Times			CPU Usage
	Average	Start	End	Random	1/3	Full	1x	2x	4x	8x
ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U	6.08x	3.38x	8.13x	154ms	193ms	315ms	7%	27%	25%	53%

Verbatim DVD+R DL
 

The SDRW-08D1S-U's performance was very similar to what we saw with DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-R DL media. The drive read DVD+R and DVD+RW media at 8x and DVD+R DL discs at 6x.

Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - DVD-Video:

For these tests I am using the US version of Transformers: The Movie on DVD. The disc is over 4GB and single sided.

 

	Transfer Speed			Seek Times			CPU Usage
	Average	Start	End	Random	1/3	Full	1x	2x	4x	8x
ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U	2.98x	1.65x	3.99x	161ms	199ms	326ms	7%	12%	76%	n/a

The SDRW-08D1S-U wasn't nearly as fast when reading DVD videos. In our tests, it reached a maximum speed of only 4x when reading both single and dual layer discs.

To see how well the SDRW-08D1S-U worked as a DVD player, I watched a few scenes from Transformers: The Movie and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith using Nero Showtime. The drive had no problems playing back these movies and was fairly quiet.