Plextor PX-LB950UE External 12x Blu-ray Disc Writer

CyberLink PowerDirector 7 - The PX-LB950UE comes with CyberLink's video editing software, PowerDirector. To create your own custom movies, simply drag and drop video footage onto the editing timeline and then add scene transitions, background music, or title effects.

CyberLink PowerBackup 2.5 - If you're looking for a quick and easy way to backup your data, PowerBackup is the answer. Depending on your needs, PowerBackup can do full, differential, and incremental backups as well as fast stream-to-disc archiving.

Backup jobs can be scheduled to run at regular intervals so the data is always protected. PowerBackup also offers more advanced features like file filtering, compression and password protection.

CyberLink LabelPrint 2.5 - The PX-LB950UE also comes with CyberLink's disc labeling software. With LabelPrint, you can design and print labels, covers and inlays in four easy steps. Just select your template type, disc information, text layout, background image and print destination.

CyberLink InstantBurn 5 - InstantBurn is CyberLink's packet writing software. Like Roxio's Drag-to-Disc or Nero's InCD, it allows you to use your CD, DVD or BD writer as if it was another hard drive or a huge floppy disk. Once formatted, you can cut, copy, and paste or rename files and folders on a CD-RW, DVD±RW or BD-RE disc.

CyberLink PowerDVD 9 - CyberLink's PowerDVD is one of the more popular software DVD players on the market right now. Along with support for DVD's, it can be used to play back Blu-ray Discs and other high-def formats including H.264, HD MPEG-2, and WMV-HD. PowerDVD 9 also supports Blu-ray 3D playback and with its support for BD-Live, you can access additional content via the Internet.

With the PX-LB950UE, Plextor has delivered one of their most feature packed Blu-ray Disc writers to date. Along with support for all major CD and DVD formats, this good looking, external drive offers some of the fastest BD reading and writing speeds available. The PX-LB950UE is capable of 12x BD-R, 8x BD-R DL, 6x BD-R LTH and 2x BD-RE writing speeds and a maximum BD read speed of 8x. The drive is also equipped with both USB 3.0 and eSATA interfaces and includes features like an 8MB buffer, support for LightScribe and Plextor's PlexUTILITIES advanced application and diagnostic tool. With all this, it's easy to see why the Plextor PX-LB950UE gets the full 10 points for its features.

Plextor's new external Blu-ray Disc writer was very easy to install. Thanks to its support for both USB 3.0 and eSATA, the entire installation process took only a matter of minutes. With no jumpers to worry about, it was as simple as connecting the USB (or eSATA) cable, plugging in the power cable, and powering the drive on. Once connected to our test computer, it took only a matter of seconds for plug and play to install the necessary drivers. After making sure that the drive was recognized correctly in the Device Manager, I was ready to start installing the software.

Software Installation:

As I mentioned earlier, the PX-LB950UE comes with two CD's full of software. The first of these contains CyberLink's Blu-ray Disc Suite. If you have autorun enabled, the menu pictured below will automatically come up when you insert the disc. From here you can choose to install the bundled software, check out the drive documentation or view the TTDH setup instructions.

Clicking the "Install CyberLink BD Suite" button will bring up another menu where you can read about the various applications included in the suite. Otherwise, you can start the setup process by clicking the "Install Now" button.

After selecting your preferred language and entering your customer information, you'll be presented with a number of installation options. From here, you can choose to install InstantBurn, LabelPrint, Power2Go, PowerBackup, PowerDirector, PowerDVD or PowerProducer. Simply select the components you want and click next a few times. Once the files are copied over, you can start burning your own discs.

The second disc contains Plextor's PlexUtilities software. Like the other software, the installation process is pretty straightforward. Simply put the disc into your drive, run the executable and accept the license agreement. Once the files are copied over, you'll be able to use PlexUtilities to control the advanced features available on the PX-LB950UE.

The Documentation:

The bulk of the PX-LB950UE's documentation is located on the software CD in electronic format. Similar to the ones included with Plextor's other drives, the manual starts out by getting the user familiarized with their new drive. The first section goes over the PX-LB950UE's capabilities including its supported formats and recording modes. The manual also spends a few pages going over the locations and the functions of the buttons and connectors located on the front and back of the drive.

From here, the manual goes right into the physical installation of the PX-LB950UE. The instructions are pretty brief since there really isn't much to do other than plug in a few cables and turn the drive on. The manual continues on by going over the basic operation of the PX-LB950UE. Along with information on how to use and maintain the drive, there is a short troubleshooting section containing a list of common problems as well as their solutions.

The PX-LB950UE also comes with a "Quick Installation Guide." This small, fold out guide takes the user step by step through the installation process. While a little short on words, Plextor has provided a few diagrams showing how the drive should be hooked up. For most people, the "Drive Installation Guide" will be all they'll need to get the PX-LB950UE up and running.

For ease of installation, the PX-Q840A is hard to beat. Thanks to its USB 3.0 and eSATA interfaces, it's as simple as plugging in a few cables and flipping  the power switch. Nevertheless, if you do run into trouble, the documentation Plextor has provided is quite good, even though most of it is in electronic format. With this in mind, the PX-LB950UE scores a 9 out of 10 for the installation portion of this review.

While CPU, memory, OS and other variables don't often make a huge difference, there are some nonetheless. We have a computer that is used only for testing hardware. We do this so all tests can be compared reliably.

Test System:

For Blu-ray Disc writers, the performance tests are normally broken down into six sections: CD read, CD write, DVD read, DVD write, BD read and BD write. Each benchmark test has been run three times. The score given is an average of the three.

CD Read Tests: For the read performance section of the CD-ROM benchmarks, CD WinBench 99 v3.0 and CD Speed v4.7.7.16 are used to test read speeds, access times and CPU usage. For DAE testing, CD Speed is used to give an overall speed rating.

CD Write Tests: To test the write speeds, Nero Burning Rom is used to write 650MB and 700MB to our test media. Times are recorded. To test rewrite scores, Nero is used again to time how long it takes to write 400MB of random files and directories. Then CyberLink's InstantBurn is used to test packet writing speeds. The same files are copied and pasted in Windows Explorer and timed.

DVD Read Tests: For the read performance section of the DVD benchmarks CD Speed v4.7.7.16 is used to test read speeds, access times, and CPU usage.

DVD Write Tests: To test the DVD write speeds, Nero Burning Rom is used to write a 4.38GB image to our test media. Times are recorded. Then CyberLink's InstantBurn is used to test packet writing speeds. For this, 4GB of random files and directories are copied and pasted in Windows Explorer and timed.

BD Read Tests: For the read performance section of the BD benchmarks, CD Speed v4.7.7.16 is used to test read speeds, access times, and CPU usage.

BD Write Tests: To test the BD write speeds, CD Speed's "Create Data Disc" feature is used to burn an entire BD-R/RE disc. Times are recorded.

CD Winbench 99 Scores:

The CD Winbench test is as close as we can get to testing every day usage. It fires off eight different applications using scripts. This tries to mimic the activities of a person loading these programs onto their own computer.

Plextor's new Blu-ray Disc writer gave us some mixed performance in our CD Winbench tests. While the PX-LB950UE's overall score wasn't as high as some of the other drives, it had a low access time and some fairly good transfer rates. It started reading at 14.8x (2220 / 150) on the inside and reached a maximum speed of 42.8x (6420 / 150) on the outside of the disc.

CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - Pressed CD:

For this test I used a pressed CD containing one Mode 1 data track. The disc is 74:38 in size and is full of data and directories.

 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	35.86x 20.94x 47.42x	35.89x 20.81x 47.49x	35.86x 20.84x 47.43x	31.40x 18.46x 41.39x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	116ms 135ms 202ms	115ms 128ms 197ms	118ms 132ms 211ms	148ms 169ms 308ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	2% 1% 3% 6%	2% 1% 3% 6%	1% 1% 3% 5%	6% 9% 6% 71%

The PX-LB950UE didn't perform as well as I had expected when reading pressed CD's. While rated at 48x, Plextor's new Blu-ray Disc writer came up a little short of this number in our tests. On a more positive note, the PX-LB950UE's access times were quite good. 

CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - CD-R Media:

For this test I made a copy of our pressed test CD. I used 12x rated Memorex Gold 74 minute media for the tests.

 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	36.64x 21.02x 48.57x	36.67x 20.94x 48.63x	36.63x 20.99x 48.57x	31.66x 18.40x 42.02x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	121ms 132ms 200ms	121ms 136ms 198ms	121ms 137ms 196ms	162ms 177ms 374ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	3% 2% 3% 6%	2% 2% 3% 6%	2% 2% 3% 6%	0% 1% 3% 6%

The PX-LB950UE was a little faster when reading CD-R media. Thanks to this small speed boost, the drive was able to reach a maximum transfer speed of 48.57x in our tests.

Plextor's new Blu-ray Disc writer had no problems recognizing our 99 minute CompUSA media. The PX-LB950UE read our test disc from start to finish, reaching a maximum transfer speed of 52.34x.

CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - CD-RW Media:

For this test I made a copy of a pressed test CD. I used some PNY 80 minute CD-RW media for the tests. 

 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	29.99x 17.39x 39.60x	30.01x 17.46x 39.65x	29.98x 17.45x 39.60x	18.71x 11.01x 24.71x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	120ms 135ms 223ms	121ms 137ms 214ms	121ms 136ms 198ms	157ms 180ms 319ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	1% 2% 3% 6%	1% 2% 3% 6%	1% 2% 3% 6%	0% 1% 2% 4%

While The PX-LB950UE is rated at 48x when reading pressed and CD-R media, its CD-RW read speeds are limited to only 40x.  As you can see, the drive came very close to reaching this speed in our tests.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 (DAE) - Pressed CD:

For this test I used Pure Funk. The CD is almost exactly 74 minutes. This helps to squeeze the maximum performance out of the CD.

Exact Audio Copy can tell us a lot about a drive's capabilities. You can see from the screen shot that the Plextor PX-LB950UE supports accurate stream, caches audio data and has the ability to retrieve C2 error information from audio CD's.     

 

CD Speed	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Average: Start: End: DAE Quality: Accurate Stream:	36.23x 24.92x 47.84x 10 Yes	36.21x 21.69x 47.84x 10 Yes	36.21x 21.74x 47.84x 10 Yes	31.26x 18.84x 41.23x 10 Yes

The PX-LB950UE performed very well when ripping pressed audio CD's. With a maximum speed of 47.84x, it tied the Sony BWU-500S and Lite-On iHBS112 for the top spot in our tests.

CD Speed v4.7.7.16 (DAE) - CD-R Media:

For this test I used a copy of the Pure Funk CD. It's burned onto the same Memorex Gold 74 minute media I used in the CD Speed tests.

 

CD Speed	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Average: Start: End: DAE Quality: Accurate Stream:	35.90x 24.89x 47.30x 10 Yes	35.87x 21.59x 47.31x 10 Yes	35.87x 21.47x 47.31x 10 Yes	31.02x 18.79x 41.05x 10 Yes

The PX-LB950UE was a little slower when extracting audio from CD-R media. While the drive still performed relatively well, it reached a maximum DAE speed of only 47.30x. So how did it do in CD Speed's advanced DAE tests? Take a look below.

Plextor's new Blu-ray Disc writer completed CD Speed's advanced DAE tests with an average score of 34.11x. The drive had no problems passing all of the on-the-fly tests and did not create any errors. If you look at the advanced features, you can see that The PX-LB950UE was able to read the CD-Text, subchannel data and lead in but failed to read the lead out section of the CD.

CD Write and ReWrite Tests - Nero Burning Rom 9.4.26.0 and InstantBurn 5:

For this test I randomly generated 650MB and 700MB of files and directories to test the time it takes the drive to write and close a CD. All of the files are between 1MB and 25MB in size and no more than 10 directories deep. 

The PX-LB950UE has a maximum CD writing speed of 48x. To reach this speed, it uses CAV, or Constant Angular Velocity. With Taiyo Yuden's 52x media, the drive started writing at about 21.61x and accelerated, reaching a maximum speed of 48.83x at the end of the session. This gave Plextor's new drive an average writing speed of about 36.82x.

To test the drive's writing times, I wrote our test data to some Taiyo Yuden media rated at 52x. The results are below.

Plextor's new drive did very well in our CD writing tests. Thanks to its 48x CD writing speed, the PX-LB950UE was able to write an entire 701MB CD in 2:47.

To test the drive's writing quality I used Lite-On IT's KProbe2. Written by Karr Wang, this utility can be used to test the number of C1 and C2 errors on a disc. For these tests I used a Lite-On LTR-52246S (firmware 6S0F) and read the discs at 32x. 

HP 52x (CMC)

Taiyo Yuden 52x

Verbatim 52x

The PX-LB950UE writing quality was very good. By looking at the KProbe screenshots, you can see that the discs burned by the drive had a low number of C1 errors. More importantly, there were no C2 errors at all. 

For the rewriting tests I created 400MB of files on the hard drive and wrote them in DAO mode using Nero. To test the packet writing speeds I copied and pasted the same files off the hard drive onto a CD-RW disc using Drag-to-Disc from Roxio. Verbatim's 24x Ultra Speed CD-RW media was used for these tests.

While the PX-LB950UE uses CAV when writing to CD-R discs, it uses Z-CLV, or Zone CLV, when rewriting at 24x. The drive starts rewriting at about 16x and then jumps to its maximum speed at the 24 minute mark.

Plextor's new Blu-ray Disc writer didn't do as well as some of the other drives we've tested. Due to its Z-CLV writing method, the PX-LB950UE took 2:48 to write 400MB with Nero and 2:42 to do the same with InstantBurn.

The PX-LB950UE also erases at 24x. At this speed, it took the drive 17 seconds to do a quick erase and 4:13 to fully erase the disc.

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.

 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	12.12x 6.70x 16.20x	12.11x 6.74x 16.19x	12.11x 6.74x 16.19x	11.93x 6.65x 15.96x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	113ms 128ms 195ms	118ms 131ms 212ms	114ms 130ms 199ms	155ms 189ms 339ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	5% 10% 17% 30%	44% 38% 25% 38%	5% 10% 16% 29%	14% 13% 25% 46%

The PX-LB950UE was fairly quick when reading single layer DVD-ROM's. In our tests it started reading at 6.70x and reached a maximum transfer speed of 16.20x. Looking at the other scores, you can see that the drive's access times were also quite good.

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

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 disk using some general use 16x 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
 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	12.06x 6.69x 16.11x	12.05x 6.72x 16.11x	12.05x 6.73x 16.11x	11.94x 6.64x 16.00x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	121ms 133ms 235ms	119ms 132ms 221ms	119ms 131ms 224ms	165ms 196ms 353ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	6% 11% 18% 31%	6% 11% 17% 29%	6% 11% 17% 29%	14% 14% 25% 47%

Verbatim DVD-RW
 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	9.17x 5.07x 12.26x	9.17x 5.10x 12.26x	9.17x 5.08x 12.26x	9.36x 5.21x 12.50x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	119ms 135ms 231ms	125ms 146ms 228ms	118ms 148ms 225ms	167ms 378ms 388ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	6% 11% 18% 31%	6% 11% 18% 31%	5% 11% 16% 30%	14% 14% 25% n/a

The PX-LB950UE had no problems reading DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-R DL media. In our tests, the drive read DVD-R discs at 16x, and both DVD-RW and DVD-R DL media at a respectable 12x.

Maxell 12x DVD-RAM
 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	10.27x 4.67x 12.40x	10.27x 6.01x 12.05x	10.27x 5.98x 12.40x	4.77x 3.13x 5.00x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	151ms 156ms 23ms	136ms 158ms 213ms	116ms 133ms 190ms	206ms 4ms 1ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	6% 9% 15% 26%	4% 9% 15% 28%	4% 8% 13% 25%	23% 40% 71% n/a

The PX-LB950UE has a maximum transfer speed of 12x when reading DVD-RAM discs. By looking at the screenshot you can see that it starts reading at 4.97x and quickly accelerates, reaching 12x at the 2.7GB 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 disk using some 16x 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
 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	12.06x 6.69x 16.12x	12.06x 6.72x 16.12x	12.06x 6.71x 16.12x	11.95x 6.62x 16.02x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	119ms 129ms 215ms	120ms 130ms 222ms	120ms 125ms 227ms	167ms 201ms 357ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	8% 11% 17% 32%	8% 11% 17% 30%	7% 11% 16% 29%	14% 14% 25% 46%

Verbatim DVD+RW

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	9.17x 5.11x 12.24x	9.19x 5.12x 12.28x	9.19x 5.11x 12.28x	9.38x 5.20x 12.55x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	118ms 126ms 233ms	117ms 128ms 233ms	114ms 130ms 219ms	167ms 200ms 352ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	6% 11% 18% 30%	6% 11% 17% 30%	5% 11% 16% 29%	15% 14% 25% n/a

Verbatim DVD+R DL 

The PX-LB950UE's performance was very similar to what we saw with DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-R DL media. The drive read DVD+R discs at 16x and both DVD+RW and DVD+R DL media at 12x.

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.

 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	11.99x 6.65x 16.04x	11.99x 6.66x 16.04x	11.99x 6.67x 16.03x	11.81x 6.57x 15.82x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	114ms 132ms 211ms	119ms 132ms 222ms	115ms 134ms 212ms	157ms 192ms 341ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	5% 10% 17% 30%	44% 41% 31% 37%	5% 10% 16% 28%	14% 13% 25% 46%

The PX-LB950UE didn't slow down very much when reading single layer DVD videos. It started out at about 6.65x and reached a maximum read speed of 16.04x. Plextor's new drive was also fairly quick when reading dual layer discs. By looking at the screenshot below, you can see that the drive's transfer speeds peaked at about 12x.

To see how well Plextor's new drive worked as a DVD player, I watched a few scenes from Transformers: The Movie and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace using the bundled version of PowerDVD. The PX-LB950UE had no problems playing back either movie and was fairly quiet.

DVD Write and ReWrite Tests - Nero Burning Rom 9.4.26.0 and InstantBurn 5:

To test the DVD writing performance of Plextor's new drive I used Verbatim 16x DVD+R, 16x DVD-R, 6x DVD-RW and 8x DVD+RW media. To get the writing times, a 4.38GB image was burned to our test discs using Nero.

When writing to DVD+R and DVD-R media at 16x, the PX-LB950UE uses CAV. By looking at the screenshots above, you can see that Plextor's new drive starts writing at about 6.7x and accelerates, reaching its maximum speed at the end of the disc.

The PX-LB950UE also features 8x DVD+RW and 6x DVD-RW writing speeds. In both cases, the drive uses Z-CLV to reach its maximum writing speed.

The PX-LB950UE performed fairly well in our DVD writing tests. While its Z-CLV writing method put it at a slight disadvantage when writing to DVD-RW discs, the drive turned in some respectable times with DVD±R and DVD+RW media.

To check the media compatibility of the PX-LB950UE, I ran a few tests using some of the media available in my area.  The media types, along with the average time it took the drive to write our 4.38GB image, are listed below.

So what about writing quality? Testing a drive's DVD writing quality isn't easy. Until now, there were very few options, unless you wanted to shell out thousands of dollars for a certified test machine. Thanks to KProbe, we can test a disc's PI (Parity Inner) and PIF (Parity Inner Fail) rates. For these tests I used a Lite-On SOHW-1673S and read the discs at 4x with the PI and PIF ECC sums set to 8 and 1 respectively. For comparison, I also tested the discs on a BenQ DW1640. When combined with Nero CD Speed, the DW1640 is able to report PI Errors, PI Failures, Parity Outer Failures and even jitter levels. For this test, the discs are read at 8x with both the PI and PIF ECC sums set to 8.

So what are "good" results supposed to look like? With KProbe, the PI errors should not exceed 280 and the number of PIF errors should stay below 4. When testing with CD Speed, the number of PI errors should stay below 280 as well. However, because it scans with an ECC sum of 8, a higher number of PIF errors is acceptable, as long as they do not exceed 32. Since POF errors are uncorrectable, we really don't want to see any of them at all.

I also put these discs through a "stress test" by reading them back at 16x with the DW1640. By reading these discs back at this speed, we can see if there are any readability issues caused by the number of errors or high levels of jitter. 

The PX-LB950UE's writing quality was pretty good with most of the DVD+R media we tested. Aside from a few small spikes, the PI/PIF rates stayed within acceptable limits.

While the writing quality was fairly good with the DVD-R media from HP and Verbatim, the discs from Sony and Taiyo Yuden yielded some mixed results. When tested with KProbe, the error rates were a bit high through some sections of the disc.

To test the PX-LB950UE's packet writing performance I used Drag-to-Disc 9.0. Verbatim 8x DVD+RW, Verbatim 6x DVD-RW and Maxell 12x DVD-RAM media were used once again.

The PX-LB950UE performed fairly well in our packet writing tests. While not as fast as the other drives when writing to DVD-RW discs, it turned in some respectable times with DVD+RW and DVD-RAM media.

Double Layer DVD Write Tests - Nero Burning Rom 9.4.26.0:

To test the double layer DVD writing performance of the PX-LB950UE, I used DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media from Verbatim. I created about 8GB of random files and directories on my hard drive and then burned them to our test discs with Nero.

The PX-LB950UE nearly wasn't as fast as the PX-B940SA when writing to DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media. In our tests, it took 18:42 to write 8001MB of data to DVD+R DL media and 19:19 to do the same with DVD-R DL discs. So what about writing quality? Take a look below.

The writing quality was pretty good with Verbatim's 8x DVD+R DL media. The error rates stayed within acceptable limits and, aside from a dip at the layer change, there weren't any readability problems. Unfortunately, the results weren't as good with Verbatim's 8x DVD-R DL media. When tested with CD Speed, there was a large error spike at the layer change which caused some readability problems.

Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - BD-ROM:

To test the PX-LB950UE's BD-ROM reading performance, I used the Blu-ray Disc version of The Fifth Element. This single layer disc is about 23GB in size.

 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	6.05x 3.37x 8.08x	6.05x 3.38x 8.08x	6.05x 3.38x 8.08x	5.95x 3.33x 7.94x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	75ms 190ms 245ms	73ms 187ms 256ms	74ms 188ms 255ms	78ms 208ms 350ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	0% 1% 1% 2%	0% 1% 1% 2%	0% 1% 1% 2%	0% 1% 8% 4%

The PX-LB950UE performed pretty well when reading BD-ROM discs. In our tests, the drive started reading at 3.37x and reached a maximum transfer speed of 8.08x.

Plextor's new Blu-ray Disc writer had no problems playing back The Fifth Element and The Simpsons Movie using the bundled version of PowerDVD. Just keep in mind that if your monitor is connected to your video card using DVI or HDMI, both need to be HDCP compliant to play AACS protected titles. If not, you can still play them by switching the connection to VGA or using software like Slysoft's AnyDVD HD.

Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - BD-R and BD-RE:

Next we'll look at the drive's BD-R and BD-RE reading performance. For this I created a few data discs using single layer BD-R and BD-RE media from Memorex and TDK and then ran our BD read tests with CD Speed.

TDK BD-R
 

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	6.07x 4.47x 8.07x	6.07x 3.47x 8.07x	6.08x 3.47x 8.07x	5.97x 3.41x 7.94x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	74ms 186ms 255ms	73ms 182ms 259ms	74ms 183ms 263ms	76ms 215ms 363ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	0% 1% 1% 2%	0% 1% 1% 2%	0% 1% 1% 2%	0% 1% 7% 4%

Memorex BD-RE

	Plextor PX-LB950UE	Sony BWU-500S	Lite-On iHBS112	Plextor PX-B940SA
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	6.07x 3.47x 8.07x	6.07x 3.47x 8.07x	6.07x 3.47x 8.07x	5.97x 3.41x 7.92x
Access Times Random: 1/3: Full:	75ms 182ms 258ms	73ms 175ms 260ms	74ms 184ms 265ms	79ms 220ms 369ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	0% 1% 1% 2%	0% 1% 1% 2%	0% 1% 1% 2%	0% 1% 7% 4%

TDK BD-R DL

Plextor's new drive had no problems reading BD-R, BD-RE and BD-R DL media. In all three cases, the PX-LB950UE reached a maximum transfer speed of 8x.

BD Write and ReWrite Tests - Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.16:

To test the BD writing performance of Plextor's new drive I used BD-R, BD-R DL and BD-RE media from Moser Baer, Sony, TDK and Verbatim. To get the writing times, CD Speed's "Create Data Disc" feature was used. I also ran the discs through CD Speed's transfer rate test to make sure that The PX-LB950UE could read them back.

Like the PX-B940SA, the PX-LB950UE is capable of writing to BD-R media at 12x. By looking at the screenshot above, you can see that it starts writing at about 5.2x and accelerates, reaching its maximum speed at the end of the disc.

The PX-LB950UE performed very well when writing to BD-R media. While not as fast as the PX-B940SA, it took less than 11 and a half minutes to burn a 25GB disc. Plextor's new drive didn't disappoint when writing to BD-R DL media either. Thanks to its 8x writing speed, The PX-LB950UE took 31 and a half minutes to burn 50GB worth of data.

The PX-LB950UE wrote to all of our test media at its rated speeds or better. The only problem it had was with TDK's 6x BD-R discs. For whatever reason, it had a tendency to slow to 6x when writing to these discs.

Performance Revisited:

While Plextor's new Blu-ray Disc writer had a few rough spots, it performed pretty well throughout most of our tests. The PX-LB950UE flew through our BD writing tests, turning in some impressive times with BD-R and BD-R DL media. Reading Blu-ray Discs wasn't a problem for the drive either. The PX-LB950UE was able to read single layer BD-ROM's as well as recordable BD media at 8x.

The PX-LB950UE also did reasonably well in our CD and DVD read tests. Along with some fairly good access times, the drive read CD's at speeds as high at 48x and single layer data DVD's and DVD±R media at 16x. When it came to writing CD's and DVD's, the PX-LB950UE held its own throughout most of our tests and the writing quality was, for the most part, quite good. With all things considered, the Plextor PX-LB950UE gets a solid 8 out of 10 for the performance section of this review.

Like many, I look back fondly on Plextor's "Premium" series of CD and DVD writers. With their impressive performance and innovative features, these drives repeatedly raised the bar for the rest of the industry. With the PX-LB950UE, Plextor has tried to continue this trend. While not of the same caliber as their "Premium" drives, this new external Blu-ray Disc writer offers a long list of features as well as some of the fastest BD reading and writing speeds available.

The PX-LB950UE is the first external drive from Plextor with the ability to write to BD-R media at 12x. At this speed, it took about 11 and a half minutes to burn an entire 25GB disc. While this wasn't enough to top Plextor's previous Blu-ray Disc writer, the PX-B940SA, their new drive gave it a serious run for its money. The PX-LB950UE also performed fairly well when writing to BD-R DL media, burning a full 50GB BD-R DL disc in less than 32 minutes. The drive wasn't nearly as fast when writing to BD-RE media. However, its performance was on par with the other Blu-ray Disc writers I've tested.

Using the bundled software, the PX-LB950UE played all of the Blu-ray movies I had on hand, including those protected by BD+ and with BD-Live enabled features. The drive also performed fairly well in our transfer rate tests, reading single layer BD-ROM's as well as BD-R, BD-RE and BD-R DL media at speeds near 8x. 

Plextor's new drive also has the ability to read and write to all standard DVD formats. The PX-LB950UE performed very well when writing to DVD±R discs, taking less than 6 minutes to burn an entire 4.7GB DVD. The drive had no problems holding its own when writing to other types of media. However, the writing quality could have been better with Verbatim's DVD-R DL discs. When it came to reading DVD's, the PX-LB950UE was able to read single layer DVD-ROM's and DVD±R discs at 16x and other types of recordable media at 12x.

Reading CD's wasn't a problem for the PX-LB950UE either. In our tests, it read pressed and CD-R media at speeds as high as 48x and CD-RW discs at 39x. This level of performance carried over to our DAE tests, where the drive ripped audio CD's at a respectable 47x. As a writer, the PX-LB950UE performed as expected. The drive turned in some respectable times with CD-R media and its writing quality was quite good. Unfortunately, due to its Z-CLV writing method, it wasn't as fast as some of the other drives in our rewriting tests.

When it comes to features, the PX-LB950UE definitely delivers. The drive's external enclosure is well constructed, good looking and offers support for both USB 3.0 and eSATA. To prevent buffer underruns, the PX-LB950UE is equipped with an 8MB buffer that is backed up by Plextor's BURN-Proof technology. The drive also supports HP's LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling system and has the ability to set the book type of DVD+R/RW and DVD+R DL media. Last but not least, the PX-LB950UE comes with Plextor's PlexUtilities software. Using this tool, Plextor owners can view basic and advanced drive information, control specific drive functions, perform media quality tests and destroy data on CD/DVD/BD media.

The Plextor PX-LB950UE is available now and can be purchased from online retailers like Newegg for less than $190.

Highs:

• Writes to BD-R media at 12x
• Writes to BD-R DL media at 8x
• Writes to BD-R LtH media at 6x
• Writes to BD-RE and BD-RE DL media at 2x
• Writes to DVD-R and DVD+R media at 16x
• Writes to DVD+RW media at 8x
• Writes to DVD-RW media at 6x
• Writes to DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media at 8x
• Reads single layer BD-ROM's at 8x
• Reads BD-R, BD-RE and BD-R DL media at 8x
• Reads BD-RE DL media at 6x
• Reads single layer DVD-ROM's at 16x
• Reads DVD±R media at 16x
• Reads DVD±R DL and DVD±RW media at 12x
• Features 48x CD-R and 24x CD-RW writing speeds
• Good DVD±R and CD-R writing quality
• Low access times
• Features Plextor's BURN-Proof technology
• Supports LightScribe technology
• 8MB buffer
• Includes CyberLink's Blu-ray Disc Suite and PlexUtilities
• Supports 99 minute CD-R media
• USB 3.0 and eSATA interfaces
• Nice looking design
• Supports bitsetting for DVD+R/RW and DVD+R DL media
• Reasonably priced (for a Plextor)

Lows:

• Questionable writing quality with some DVD-R DL media
• Slower than other drives when writing to CD-RW and DVD+RW media