Plextor 48/24/48A
Review by David R. Hedges on 11.21.2002

Product Provided by: Plextor
Retail Value: $159.00

Conclusion
Optical storage is becoming more and more commonplace for all computer users, and is no longer isolated to just "techies." The temptation to make a burner void of features to decrease costs is surely prevalant throughout the industry. Plextor hasn't dropped one bit of quality or one feature, and in fact continues to add features to their drives, in order to make a truly excellent product. While it's still definately a great choice for all users, the price tag is a bit high for those on a tight budget (comperable speeds can be found for less than $80, whereas the Plextor runs only as low as $120).

CD-R write speeds have basically reached a platteau, and any additional increases in speed (potentially up to about 56x—the fasted conventional CD-ROM—will only result in shaving a few seconds from the burn time. If CD-RW speeds are critical, this drive is in the peak of the market, at 24x RW speed, but there's still room for this figure to increase a fair amount.

Not only is the Plextor 48/24/48A an excellent all-around drive, but it offers a good accessory and software package, good documentation, and a bunch of features to enhance the burning process, not to mention a brand name that can be trusted. Overall this is a very strong drive, combining speed, features, quality, and reliability, with a small sacrifice in cost.

Techware Labs highly recommends the Plextor 48/24/48A as an excellent choice for audiophiles and mid-to-high end users with a healthy budget. While it's definately a good drive for anybody, its pricetag just doesn't make the cut for a budget box.