LG GSA-H55L 20x "Super-Multi" DVD±RW/RAM

CD Write and ReWrite Tests - Nero Burning Rom 6.6.1.4 and DLA 5.20:

For this test I randomly generated 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.

The GSA-H55L 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 21.41x and reached a maximum speed of 48.29x at the end of the session. This gave LG's new "Super-Multi" drive an average writing speed of about 36.54x.

To test the drive's writing times, I wrote our test data to some Taiyo Yuden manufactured Fuji media rated at 48x. The results are below.

The GSA-H55L did fairly well in our CD writing tests. While not as fast as the drive from Plextor, it was able to write an entire 650MB CD in 2:44.

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-H55L'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.

The GSA-H55L uses Z-CLV, or Zone CLV, when rewriting at 32x. By looking at the screenshot above, you can see that it uses a total of three "zones" to reach its maximum speed. The drive starts writing at 16x and jumps to 24x at about the 15 minute mark.The GSA-H55L writes at this speed until about the 40 minute mark. When it reaches this point, its writing speed increases to 32x and stays there until the 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-H55L took 2:40 to write 400MB with Nero and 2:33 to do the same with DLA.

While the GSA-H55L's Z-CLV writing method didn't have much of an effect on its quick erase time, it took more than 5 minutes to do a full erase.