Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
which provided sustained write throughput of only 25 to 30 MB/s. For our first
test of the SYBA eSATA unit, we timed the transfer of a 33 GB archive file at
5:42, which translates to about 95 MB/s. We used Seagate Barracuda 7200.12
drives both internally and externally, and this transfer rate is typical of those
drives when used internally. From that, we concluded that the transfer rate to
the external SYBA unit really is bound by the performance of the hard drives
rather than the interface.
With throughput of about 6 GB/min or 360 GB/hour (less with older, slower
drives), the SYBA unit is a reasonable backup solution even if your backup sets
are in the terabyte range. It, or something very like it, is the only reasonably
priced solution for high-capacity backup on a home system.
OpticalDrive(s)
Sony Optiarc AD-7260S-0B DVD burner
(
http://www.sony-optiarc.us
)
Every system needs at least a DVD burner, if only for loading software, casual
duping of optical discs, and so on. We have no need of reading, let alone writ-
ing, Blu-ray discs on our extreme system, so a simple DVD burner is all we need.
The current crop of DVD burners are all about as good as you might expect for
their price, which is to say mediocre at best. Compared to premium drives of
years past, current optical drives have relatively poor burn quality and are not
very durable. Still, what can one expect for $25? Even Plextor burners, which
were once absolutely superb and burned discs of higher quality than com-
mercial pressed discs, are a pale shadow of what they once were, despite their
current premium pricing.
We've had the best experience recently with units made by ASUS, LiteOn, and
Samsung, which we consider pretty much interchangeable. But, despite the
fact that we swore off Sony products after the root-kit fiasco, we decided it
was time to look at a Sony optical drive. The Sony Optiarc drives are produced
as a joint venture between Sony and the optical drive division of NEC, which
no longer brands its own optical drives. We'd always had good experiences
with NEC optical drives, so we decided to order a Sony Optiarc unit and run
it through its paces. Short take: the Sony Optiarc drive produces reasonable-
quality burns—comparable to the ASUS, LiteOn, and Samsung drives—and
appears to have similar durability. In other words, nothing special. If we had it
to do over again, we'd probably just order an ASUS, LiteOn, or Samsung burner.
Ron Morse Comments
The current Pioneer burners are nice,
but overpriced compared to the
competition. They do better burns
than the LG and Samsung drives I
have here. Are they worth the extra
money? Probably not.
If you need to read Blu-ray discs, install a read-only BD-ROM drive in addition
to the DVD burner. (You can buy a hybrid drive that reads Blu-ray discs and
reads/writes DVDs, but most of them are expensive and you'll wear them out
reading and writing DVDs.) The best choices among BD-ROM drives are the
LiteOn iHOS104 and the ASUS BR-04B2T. If you seldom write DVDs and want
a single hybrid drive, the standout bang-for-the-buck choice is the Samsung
SH-B083L/BSBP combo drive, which costs only $5 or $10 more than BD-ROM
drives and also includes DVD burning support.
If you also need to write Blu-ray discs, be prepared to spend some money.
BD-R/RE drives are expensive, as are the discs. The drive choices are relatively
limited, but we think the best BD-R/RE burner is the Pioneer BDR-205BKS.
