Nero CD Speed v4.70 - DVD-ROM:
A little editorial note here. Like a CD-ROM, you will get different benchmark results depending on what kind of discs you are using. You are probably going to get varying results from a full data disc to a single layer movie disc. You're also going to get different results for single and dual layer discs.
The CD Speed website recommends using a single layer DVD-ROM disc with a capacity of at least 4GB. If you use a dual layer disc you probably won't get the best results because most DVD-ROM drives slow down to read them. Some even slow down to read single layer DVD-Video discs. To make a long story short, I am using a 4.37GB single layer, single sided disc for this test.
| Memorex MRX-525G |
LG GSA-H22N |
Samsung SH-S182D |
Plextor PX-760A |
|
| Transfer Speed Average: Start: End: |
11.98x 6.49x 16.02x |
12.00x 6.53x 16.05x |
12.21x 6.75x 16.31x |
12.06x 6.63x 16.13x |
| Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full: |
151ms 172ms 242ms |
142ms 175ms 237ms |
96ms 113ms 184ms |
102ms 113ms 189ms |
| CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x: |
5% 9% 18% 31% |
8% 14% 26% 49% |
13% 12% 22% 41% |
5% 9% 17% 32% |
The MRX-525G performed very well when reading single layer DVD-ROM's. In our tests it started reading at 6.49x and reached a maximum transfer speed of 16.02x.Unfortunately, its seek times were not as low as some of the other drives.
Nero CD Speed v4.70 - 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 4x DVD-R and 2x 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
| Memorex MRX-525G |
LG GSA-H22N |
Samsung SH-S182D |
Plextor PX-760A |
|
| Transfer Speed Average: Start: End: |
12.02x 6.58x 16.06x |
12.04x 6.57x 16.09x |
9.14x 5.04x 12.21x |
9.05x 4.98x 12.10x |
| Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full: |
132ms 165ms 244ms |
133ms 173ms 247ms |
107ms 117ms 190ms |
103ms 119ms 180ms |
| CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x: |
5% 10% 17% 31% |
8% 15% 28% 50% |
9% 13% 28% 52% |
6% 11% 20% 39% |
Verbatim DVD-RW
| Memorex MRX-525G |
LG GSA-H22N |
Samsung SH-S182D |
Plextor PX-760A |
|
| Transfer Speed Average: Start: End: |
9.15x 5.03x 12.25x |
9.17x 5.04x 12.25x |
6.24x 3.45x 8.35x |
9.06x 4.97x 12.11x |
| Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full: |
138ms 171ms 313ms |
143ms 181ms 302ms |
105ms 124ms 193ms |
101ms 119ms 203ms |
| CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x: |
6% 10% 19% 37% |
8% 16% 30% 59% |
6% 13% 26% 47% |
5% 9% 16% 31% |
Verbatim DVD-R DL
| Memorex MRX-525G |
LG GSA-H22N |
Samsung SH-S182D |
Plextor PX-760A |
|
| Transfer Speed Average: Start: End: |
9.11x 5.02x 12.14x |
9.12x 5.05x 12.15x |
6.26x 3.48x 8.34x |
6.05x 3.35x 8.08x |
| Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full: |
169ms 195ms 278ms |
153ms 182ms 271ms |
115ms 117ms 195ms |
109ms 121ms 219ms |
| CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: |
15% 10% 19% |
8% 16% 29% |
10% 12% n/a |
4% 7% n/a |
The MRX-525G 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
| Memorex MRX-525G |
LG GSA-H22N |
Samsung SH-S182D |
|
| Transfer Speed Average: Start: End: |
10.26x 5.94x 12.06x |
10.27x 5.95x 12.07x |
10.27x 5.99x 12.06x |
| Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full: |
175ms 192ms 303ms |
172ms 182ms 296ms |
128ms 130ms 222ms |
| CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x: |
6% 10% 19% 38% |
8% 15% 30% 60% |
14% 12% 23% 44% |
Memorex's new drive 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 5.94x and accelerates, reaching 12x at the 2.7GB mark.
Nero CD Speed v4.70 - 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 4x DVD+R and 2.4x DVD+RW media from Verbatim. I then ran our usual DVD read tests with CD Speed. The results are below.
Verbatim DVD+R
| Memorex MRX-525G |
LG GSA-H22N |
Samsung SH-S182D |
Plextor PX-760A |
|
| Transfer Speed Average: Start: End: |
12.02x 6.52x 16.07x |
12.02x 6.57x 16.07x |
9.12x 5.03x 12.20x |
9.04x 4.97x 12.11x |
| Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full: |
134ms 179ms 245ms |
136ms 175ms 251ms |
105ms 113ms 189ms |
104ms 114ms 199ms |
| CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x: |
5% 10% 17% 31% |
8% 15% 28% 50% |
10% 13% 32% 52% |
5% 9% 16% 31% |
Verbatim DVD+RW
| Memorex MRX-525G |
LG GSA-H22N |
Samsung SH-S182D |
Plextor PX-760A |
|
| Transfer Speed Average: Start: End: |
9.15x 5.04x 12.24x |
9.16x 5.06x 12.26x |
6.24x 3.45x 8.34x |
9.06x 4.98x 12.09x |
| Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full: |
141ms 170ms 281ms |
150ms 185ms 293ms |
104ms 119ms 194ms |
104ms 113ms 199ms |
| CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x: |
6% 10% 19% 37% |
8% 16% 30% 58% |
6% 13% 28% 46% |
5% 9% 17% 31% |
The MRX-525G's performance with DVD+R and DVD+RW media was very similar to what we saw with DVD-R and DVD-RW media.The drive read DVD+R discs at 16x and DVD+RW media at 12x.
Verbatim DVD+R DL
| Memorex MRX-525G |
LG GSA-H22N |
Samsung SH-S182D |
Plextor PX-760A |
|
| Transfer Speed Average: Start: End: |
9.11x 5.04x 12.14x |
9.13x 5.04x 12.16x |
6.26x 3.48x 8.34x |
6.04x 3.34x 8.07x |
| Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full: |
142ms 176ms 264ms |
153ms 195ms 273ms |
119ms 129ms 202ms |
104ms 115ms 193ms |
| CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: |
5% 10% 19% |
8% 15% 29% |
10% 12% n/a |
4% 7% n/a |
Reading Verbatim'sdouble layer DVD+R media wasn't a problem for the MRX-525G either. While not as fast as the GSA-H22N, it reached an impressive 12.14x in CD Speed's transfer rate tests.
Nero CD Speed v4.70 - 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.
| Memorex MRX-525G |
LG GSA-H22N |
Samsung SH-S182D |
Plextor PX-760A |
|
| Transfer Speed Average: Start: End: |
6.06x 3.33x 8.10x |
6.07x 3.35x 8.12x |
12.08x 6.65x 16.15x |
12.06x 6.63x 16.13x |
| Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full: |
155ms 193ms 251ms |
137ms 164ms 235ms |
95ms 109ms 183ms |
102ms 112ms 182ms |
| CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x: |
6% 10% 18% 35% |
8% 15% 28% 55% |
12% 12% 21% 41% |
5% 9% 17% 33% |
The MRX-525G didn't do as well as some of the other drives when reading DVD videos. In our tests, it reached a maximum speed of only 8x when reading both single and dual layer discs.
To see how well the MRX-525G worked as a DVD player, I watched a few scenes from Transformers: The Movie and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace using WinDVD 4 and PowerDVD 5. The drive had no problems playing back these movies with either program and was fairly quiet.
