The AD-7260S we purchased from Newegg.com was the bulk, or OEM, version. The drive did not come with any software, cables or even a printed manual.
Physical Features:
The drive Optiarc sent us for this review was manufactured in February of 2010 and had firmware 1.00. For this review we used firmware versions 1.00 and 1.01.
Optiarc's new DVD writer definitely doesn't get any bonus points for looks. Like their previous drives, they've kept the look of the AD-7260S very simple. There are no large Optiarc logos or anything advertising the drive's reading and writing speeds. If you look closely though, you can see logos advertising support for Ultra Speed CD-RW media and the DVD+ReWritable and DVD Multi specifications.
Below the tray you can see the AD-7260S's single LED. Off by default, this LED lights up green when the drive is reading or writing.
The rear of the AD-7260S is fairly straight forward. By looking at the picture below you can see the drive's SATA interface and power connector.
Technical Specs:
The specs below have been taken from Sony Optiarc America's website and by running a few simple tests.
|
Sony Optiarc AD-7260S 24x DVD±RW/RAM |
|
| DVD+R Write Speeds | 24x, 20x, 18x, 16x, 12x (CAV) 12x, 8x (Z-CLV) 6x, 4x, 2.4x (CLV) |
| DVD+RW Write Speeds | 8x, 6x, 4x, 2.4x (CLV) |
| DVD-R Write Speeds | 24x, 20x, 18x, 16x, 12x (CAV) 12x, 8x (Z-CLV) 6x, 4x, 2x (CLV) |
| DVD-RW Write Speeds | 6x, 4x, 2x, 1x (CLV) |
| DVD+R DL Write Speeds | 12x (CAV) 8x, 6x (Z-CLV) 4x, 2.4x (CLV) |
| DVD-R DL Write Speeds | 12x (CAV) 8x, 6x (Z-CLV) 4x, 2x (CLV) |
| DVD-RAM Write Speeds | 12x (P-CAV) 5x, 3x, 2x (CLV) |
| CD Write Speeds | 48x, 40x (CAV) 32x, 24x (P-CAV) 16x, 8x (CLV) |
| CD Rewrite Speeds | 32x, 24x (Z-CLV) 16x, 10x, 4x (CLV) |
| DVD Read Speeds | 16x Max (DVD-ROM Single Layer) 12x Max (DVD-ROM Dual Layer) 16x Max (DVD±R) 13x Max (DVD±RW) 12x Max (DVD±R DL) 12x Max (DVD-RAM) |
| CD Read Speeds | 48x Max (CD-ROM/CD-R) 40x Max (CD-RW) |
| DAE Speed | 40x Max |
| Buffer Size | 2 MB |
| Random Access Times |
140 ms (CD) 160 ms (DVD) 210 ms (DVD-RAM) |
| CD Formats | CD-DA CD-ROM CD-ROM XA CD-R CD-RW CD-Extra CD-I Photo CD Video CD CD Text |
| DVD Formats | DVD-ROM DVD-R/RW DVD+R/RW DVD+R DL DVD-R DL DVD-RAM |
| Writing Methods | Disc At Once Session At Once Track At Once with Zero Gap Variable or Fixed Packeta Multisession |
More Features:
By looking at the picture below, you can see that Optiarc's new DVD writer is identified as an "Optiarc DVD RW AD-7260S."
Nero shows that the AD-7260S has a maximum CD writing speed of 48x and a 2048KB buffer, which is backed up by some form of buffer underrun protection. According to Nero, the drive can also write CD-Text and overburn. Unfortunately, like Optiarc's earlier DVD writers, it wasn't able to recognize our 99 minute CompUSA discs at all.
Using Alex Noe's Weak Sector Utility I was able to determine that the AD-7260S is a "two sheep" burner. This means that Optiarc's new drive is capable of backing up titles protected by SafeDisc 2, including version 2.51.
Here is a screen shot from Erik Deppe's Opti Drive Control. Among other things, this program queries the drive to see what its reading and writing capabilities are. Opti Drive Control had no problems detecting the AD-7260S's reading and writing speeds and supported disc types.
Opti Drive Control also shows that the AD-7260S is an RPC-2 DVD drive. This means that the drive's region is stored in the firmware. The region can be changed five times and after that it cannot be changed anymore. Unfortunately, a patched RPC-1 firmware is not yet available for this drive.
While InfoTool gives us a quick glance at the AD-7260S's features, DVDINFOpro provides a little more information on some of the drive's reading and writing capabilities. By looking at the screenshot above you can see Optiarc's new drive can read and write to DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL and DVD-RAM media, it does not support technologies like LightScribe or Labelflash. If you need a drive that supports these technologies, they are supported on Optiarc's other 24x DVD writers, the AD-7261S (LightScribe) and AD-7263S (LabelFlash).
The AD-7260S doesn't let you set the book type of single layer DVD+R or DVD+RW media. However, using software like Nero or CD Speed, you can set the book type for DVD+R DL discs to "DVD-ROM." This greatly reduces compatibility problems, especially with older DVD players.
While affordably priced, the Sony Optiarc AD-7260S delivers a good number of features. This Serial ATA equipped "Super Multi" drive not only supports all major DVD formats, it sports some of the fastest DVD reading and writing speeds available. The AD-7260S is capable of 24x DVD±R, 12x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. Optiarc's new drive also includes features like a 2MB buffer and support for some sort of buffer underrun protection, but lacks bitsetting support for single layer DVD+R and DVD+RW media. Even then, the Sony Optiarc AD-7260S scores a solid 8 out of 10 for its features.
