<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best 12x recorders. No BurnProof, however.
Review: I have been using Plextor PlexWriter recorders since the old days of the 412 caddy unit and have owned every model they released after that. That means the 4220S, the 820S, the 8220S, the 8432A, the 1210A, and now the 1210S. I plan to get the 1610A soon. (A stands for ATAPI models, and S for SCSI). I have recorded hundreds of CDR/CDRW with each of them, from CD Audio to Mode 1 Data and RAW DAO clone copies of protected software. I have had absolutely no mechanical problems with any of these units, and in general, Plextor has been quite competent releasing firmware upgrades to correct known issues. To keep it short, these are the reasons to get a PlexWriter: -Known history of great units and reliability -Excellent support when it comes to firmware upgrades to keep your unit bug-free and up to date -Always supported by every software manufacturer producing CDR apps. -Excellent digital audio extraction capabilities (usually not as perfect as with a Ultraplex unit, but still very reliable)This unit is worth every cent, but if you can't afford it, consider the 1210A or the 8432S (Atapi model), it has half the buffer, no cooling fan, no play button, less LEDs, and does not take advantage of the SCSI bus, but still, it offers almost the same end results (I own both the SCSI and IDE units). Also, if you are thinking about getting this 12432S, consider buying the 121032S. The newer model supports high speed RW media (HSRW) for 10x rewritables and more important, the 121032 uses Sanyo's Burn-Proof technology, which basically means that the recorder will no longer abort recording sessions (rendering the CDR useless if it was a DAO mode recording) if the source media cannot keep up with the recorder (loss of streaming). This is useful when recording from slow sources (ZIP drives, old hard drives, very fragmented disks in low memory machines, or reading from scratched disks) and ends up making a big difference when it comes to the number of CDR media you waste. I don't like Adaptec's bug-ware and would suggest using more powerful apps like Padus Diskjuggler, Ahead's Nero and even the excellent Plextor Plextools, but in any case don't worry, when you have a Plexwriter is the hardware that counts, you can later get any software you want for it...
Rating:
Summary: One of the best 12x recorders. No BurnProof, however.
Review: I have been using Plextor PlexWriter recorders since the old days of the 412 caddy unit and have owned every model they released after that. That means the 4220S, the 820S, the 8220S, the 8432A, the 1210A, and now the 1210S. I plan to get the 1610A soon. (A stands for ATAPI models, and S for SCSI). I have recorded hundreds of CDR/CDRW with each of them, from CD Audio to Mode 1 Data and RAW DAO clone copies of protected software. I have had absolutely no mechanical problems with any of these units, and in general, Plextor has been quite competent releasing firmware upgrades to correct known issues. To keep it short, these are the reasons to get a PlexWriter: -Known history of great units and reliability -Excellent support when it comes to firmware upgrades to keep your unit bug-free and up to date -Always supported by every software manufacturer producing CDR apps. -Excellent digital audio extraction capabilities (usually not as perfect as with a Ultraplex unit, but still very reliable) This unit is worth every cent, but if you can't afford it, consider the 1210A or the 8432S (Atapi model), it has half the buffer, no cooling fan, no play button, less LEDs, and does not take advantage of the SCSI bus, but still, it offers almost the same end results (I own both the SCSI and IDE units). Also, if you are thinking about getting this 12432S, consider buying the 121032S. The newer model supports high speed RW media (HSRW) for 10x rewritables and more important, the 121032 uses Sanyo's Burn-Proof technology, which basically means that the recorder will no longer abort recording sessions (rendering the CDR useless if it was a DAO mode recording) if the source media cannot keep up with the recorder (loss of streaming). This is useful when recording from slow sources (ZIP drives, old hard drives, very fragmented disks in low memory machines, or reading from scratched disks) and ends up making a big difference when it comes to the number of CDR media you waste. I don't like Adaptec's bug-ware and would suggest using more powerful apps like Padus Diskjuggler, Ahead's Nero and even the excellent Plextor Plextools, but in any case don't worry, when you have a Plexwriter is the hardware that counts, you can later get any software you want for it...
Rating:
Summary: Great Quality CD-writer
Review: I have had great results using this writer. Choosing this drive was easy since it connects to a SCSI port and is an external device. SCSI helps maximize data transfer speed with less drain on the CPU than IDE connected devices. And because I already had a SCSI card in my computer, installation was a snap. Just plug it in, and install the software. Another virtue of SCSI is the ability to connect 7 devices using the single SCSI card (perhaps more, depending on your SCSI card). But don't exceed the cable length recommended by your SCSI card, or you may not be able to achieve the speed your SCSI card is rated for; and you may get errors from your connected devices. My drive came with Adaptec EasyCD software and Plextor's own software for creating (burning) CDs. I use my drive quite a bit for creating data cd's. And it is very easy using Adaptec's DirectCD. Maximum speeds for this drive: 12x (creating regular cd's), 4x (creating rewritable cd's), 32x (reading cd's). I haven't had any problems at all with this drive. It has performed flawlessly.
Rating:
Summary: Bulletproof Mercedes
Review: Plextors are the best, BAR NONE. Look at their history. There has NEVER been a Plextor lemon (unlike HP--which simply patches its badge on another product, Phillips, and almost all other manufacturers). Plextor eats, drinks, and breathes optical drives. They make and only make optical products. Can you say that for the other manufacturers? Obvious for those in the know, Plextor has until the last few years been a premium supplier of optical drives for the professional and high-end markets. For a while they were a SCSI-only outfit because ATAPI never had the performance and consistency of SCSI. Sure they could have thrown out a decent ATAPI drive for some extra revenue early on, but does anyone remember how unreliable early ATAPI burners were? With the advent of higher speed ATAPI and increased performance of other system components, Plextor finally felt that the ATAPI interface matured enough so they could build an ATAPI product that lived up to the lineage and DELIVERED. Think about that. That was a judgement based on technical merit, not $. Admittedly, I work in the computer field so I have more exposure to high end equipment than the average consumer, but Plextor is one of the few constants in advanced and reliable technology. It is one of the last remaining manufacturers that actually still does hardcore THOROUGH research (yes, they license third party technology like Sanyo's 8X engine and BurnProof, but if it doesn't meet their standards, they either modify it or develop their own), thoroughly tests their products (no rush to market), manufactures the products with exacting Japanese engineering, and follows through with unparalleled technical and customer support. (*sigh* If only all companies were like this...) That's where their work and their $ goes to. No flashy packaging to make up for deficiencies like HP (I"m actually fond of the low-budget, semi-cheesy Plextor boxes...hey at least my money's not going to pay for pretty wrapping). No fancy designers to make multi-colored, aerodynamic drive casings like Iomega. No expensive magazine ads created by marketing agencies (True, Plextor doesn't need to advertise. They ACTUALLY have quality products to sell. Word of mouth by the legions of their loyal customers is the most effective and inexpensive kind of advertisement). Folks, this is a technology company run by engineers, not MBA's. The results speak for themselves. *Side note: My friend works for HP within one of their data centers. Nearly all their optical drives on mission critical servers are Plextors and have been since the advent of the CDROM. Says somethings, doesn't it?
Rating:
Summary: Bulletproof Mercedes
Review: Plextors are the best, BAR NONE. Look at their history. There has NEVER been a Plextor lemon (unlike HP--which simply patches its badge on another product, Phillips, and almost all other manufacturers). Plextor eats, drinks, and breathes optical drives. They make and only make optical products. Can you say that for the other manufacturers? Obvious for those in the know, Plextor has until the last few years been a premium supplier of optical drives for the professional and high-end markets. For a while they were a SCSI-only outfit because ATAPI never had the performance and consistency of SCSI. Sure they could have thrown out a decent ATAPI drive for some extra revenue early on, but does anyone remember how unreliable early ATAPI burners were? With the advent of higher speed ATAPI and increased performance of other system components, Plextor finally felt that the ATAPI interface matured enough so they could build an ATAPI product that lived up to the lineage and DELIVERED. Think about that. That was a judgement based on technical merit, not $. Admittedly, I work in the computer field so I have more exposure to high end equipment than the average consumer, but Plextor is one of the few constants in advanced and reliable technology. It is one of the last remaining manufacturers that actually still does hardcore THOROUGH research (yes, they license third party technology like Sanyo's 8X engine and BurnProof, but if it doesn't meet their standards, they either modify it or develop their own), thoroughly tests their products (no rush to market), manufactures the products with exacting Japanese engineering, and follows through with unparalleled technical and customer support. (*sigh* If only all companies were like this...) That's where their work and their $ goes to. No flashy packaging to make up for deficiencies like HP (I"m actually fond of the low-budget, semi-cheesy Plextor boxes...hey at least my money's not going to pay for pretty wrapping). No fancy designers to make multi-colored, aerodynamic drive casings like Iomega. No expensive magazine ads created by marketing agencies (True, Plextor doesn't need to advertise. They ACTUALLY have quality products to sell. Word of mouth by the legions of their loyal customers is the most effective and inexpensive kind of advertisement). Folks, this is a technology company run by engineers, not MBA's. The results speak for themselves. *Side note: My friend works for HP within one of their data centers. Nearly all their optical drives on mission critical servers are Plextors and have been since the advent of the CDROM. Says somethings, doesn't it?
<< 1 >>
|
