LG GSA-2166D USB 2.0 Super-Multi DVD±RW/RAM

CD Write and ReWrite Tests - Nero Burning Rom 6.6.0.16 and DLA 4.95:

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. All of the times below include not only the actual writing time, but the lead in and out times too. This gives a more realistic idea of how long it takes to write a CD.

 

Like the other drives, the GSA-2166D has a maximum CD writing speed of 48x. To reach this speed, it uses CAV, or Constant Angular Velocity. With Fuji's 48x media, the drive started writing at about 21.47x and reached a maximum speed of 48.37x at the end of the session. This gave LGs new new DVD±RW an average writing speed of about 36.64x.

To test the GSA-2166D's writing times, I wrote our test data to some Taiyo Yuden manufactured Fujimedia rated at 48x. The results are below.

LG's new drive did very well in our CD writing tests. With an average writing time of 2:33, the GSA-2166D was about 5 seconds faster than the Plextor PX-716A and a good 18 seconds faster than the drive from NEC.

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.

Fuji 48x (Taiyo Yuden)

Memorex 52x (CMC)

Verbatim 52x

The GSA-2166D's 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 and 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 DLA from Sonic. Verbatim's 32x Ultra Speed CD-RW media was used for these tests.

While the GSA-2166D uses CAV when writing to CD-R discs, it uses Z-CLV, or Zone CLV, when rewriting at 32x. By looking at the screenshot above, you can see that it starts writing at 16x and jumps to 24x at about the 15 minute mark. The drive writes at this speed until about the 40 minute mark. At this point, the writing speed increases to 32x and stays there until the very end of the session.

LG's new DVD writer didn't do as well as some of the other drives in our rewriting tests. Due to its Z-CLV writing method, the GSA-2166D took 2:41 to write 400MB with Nero and 2:31 to do the same with DLA.

Instead of erasing at 32x, the GSA-2166D seemed to erase at only 16x. While this didn't have much of an effect on the drive's quick erase times, it took more than 5 minutes to do a full erase.