|
With BenQ out of the ODD market, many have resorted to other alternatives
when on the market for a new DVD writer. They are so inexpensive,
that many end up upgrading much more frequently now. No
other option has been quite as popular as the drives from the electronics giant...Samsung.
Not only does the company offer drives that are truly full-featured, but they always manage to
consistently release drives that sport the very latest features and highest
read/write speeds on the market. We have looked at a couple of them here already
and this trend continues with their very latest release, the SH-S203N.
Featuring blazing fast 20x writing to DVD
recordable media and one of the first to offer 16x writing to
double layer media, their latest SATA DVD writer is yet another with
features enticing enough to consider an upgrade.
Packaging & Contents
**click to enlarge**
With Samsung drives, you have to be a bit careful when planning on
purchasing one. You have to pay close attention to the full
model description and I say this only because I have found many have felt
"mislead" when purchasing one of their drives. The full model will not
only tell you whether it has LightScribe support, but will also identify
those that may come bundled with software. Our drive (BEBN), did ship
with a Samsung disc including basic Nero burning tools typically provided
with OEM drives.
The Drive
**click to enlarge**
Like a few of their most recent drives on the market, the SH-S203N is a SATA
drive and note that these particular drives all sport a SATA power connector
and no standard 4-pin Molex plug. Keep that in mind because if you PSU
does not feature such connectors, you'll need an adapter cable, which do not
come bundled.
**click to enlarge**
The front bezel design, when compared to both
the SH-S182M & SH-S183L, is identical with the exception of the logos on the
tray cover. Their latest drive is now labeled as "Super-Writemaster"
and the standard Compact DISC logo on the right is replaced by their "Speed
Plus" logo. The only other minor difference I found was the eject
button. Our model had a slightly larger button when compared to their
previous models side by side. Again, it is very minor and you
won't notice it unless you compare its design very closely.
**click to enlarge**
Finally, a look at the label. Unlike a couple of the same drives I
have received for install on systems, this one in particular shipped with
firmware version SB01. This is the second and very latest release from
Samsung and the version used in all testing conducted in this review.
Specifications
Data
Transfer
Rate MAX |
|
Media Type |
Read
|
Write |
|
DVD+R
|
16X
(21.6MB/sec) |
20X (27.0
MB/S) |
|
DVD+RW
|
12X
(16.2MB/sec) |
8X
(10.8MB/sec) |
|
DVD+R DUAL
|
12X
(16.2MB/sec) |
16X
(21.6MB/sec) |
|
DVD-R DUAL
|
12X
(16.2MB/sec) |
12X
(16.2MB/sec) |
|
DVD-R
|
16X
(21.6MB/sec) |
20X (27.0
MB/S) |
|
DVD-RW
|
12X
(16.2MB/sec) |
6X
(8.1MB/sec) |
|
DVD-ROM
(Single) |
16X
(21.6MB/sec) |
- |
|
DVD-ROM
(Dual) |
12X
(16.2MB/sec) |
- |
|
CD-ROM
|
48X
(7.2MB/sec) |
- |
|
CD-R
|
40X
(6.0MB/sec) |
48X
(7.2MB/sec) |
|
US-RW
|
40X
(6.0MB/sec) |
32X
(4.8MB/sec) |
|
HS-RW
|
40X
(6.0MB/sec) |
10X
(1.5MB/sec) |
|
CD-RW
|
40X
(6.0MB/sec) |
4X
(0.6MB/sec) |
|
DVD-RAM
|
12X
(16.2MB/sec) |
12X
(16.2MB/sec) |
|
|
Interface |
Serial-ATA |
| Buffer
Memory |
2M |
| Drive
Install Form |
Horizontal / Vertical |
| Size
(W * H * L) |
148.2 (W) x 42(H) x 170(L) with BEZEL |
| Disk
Format |
|
CD : CD-DA,
CD-ROM, MIXED-CD, CD-ROM XA, ENHANCED-CD,
CD-EXTRA/CD+, Photo-CD, VIDEO-CD, CD-TEXT, CD-G,
Multi-Session
DVD : DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, DVD-VIDEO, Multi-Session(Read/Write),
Multi-Border(Read) |
|
|
| Buffer
Protection |
Applied |
| Lead
Free |
Applied |
| Light
Scribe |
Applied
|
|
