Plextor PX-740UF 16x FireWire/USB 2.0 DVD±RW

Model: Plextor PX-740UF 16x FireWire/USB 2.0 DVD±RW
Manufacturer: Plextor
Provided By: Plextor America

As one of the biggest names in the storage industry, Plextor doesn't need much of an introduction. Considered by many to be the professional's choice, their drives are known the world over for the performance, quality and features they offer. To keep ahead of the competition, Plextor has continued to lead the way, bringing cutting edge technologies to market. Today, their product lineup includes a number of high performance CD and DVD writers, many with features found nowhere else.

Last fall we took a look at Plextor's low cost 16x DVD±RW, the PX-740A. While lacking many of Plextor's advanced technologies, the PX-740A delivered impressive performance at an affordable price. Sticking to this same formula, Plextor introduced a new external DVD writer, the PX-740UF. Sporting the same specs as its internal counterpart, the PX-740UF is capable of 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R DL and 4x DVD-R DL writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. On top of that, the drive features 48x CD reading and writing speeds, 32x rewriting speeds, and support for both FireWire and USB 2.0.

With specs like this, the PX-740UF has the potential to be one of the fastest external DVD writers currently available. To give you an idea of what to expect, we'll take a look at some of its features and then see how it compares to some of the 16x DVD±RW drives from the competition. Does Plextor's external DVD writer have what it takes? Keep reading as we find out.