Samsung SC-152L 52X CD-ROM Drive Review - PAGE 1

With the market trend leaning towards DVD and CD-RW players these days, it’s easy to see why there’s been decreasing emphasis on CD ROM players. However, for those that could care less and just need the basics to replace their clunky old CD-ROM drive, take a peek at the Samsung SC-152L, a 52X CD ROM player.

At first glance, the Samsung SC-152L has all the standard features included with most CD-ROM drives: headphone jack, volume control dial, emergency eject pin hole, and a LED eject button, which was one of the few extras. When testing the SC-152L, I received only the basic unit. There weren’t any manuals, drivers, mounting screws, or IDE and audio cables. Samsung’s web site does attempt to make up for these inadequacies. A generic manual that’s probably used for all their drives is available, as are a plentiful supply of up-to-date drivers and a large FAQ section. Samsung’s site isn’t particularly user friendly, but the resources can be found after many frustrating clicks.

Installing the unit and getting it up and running was a snap. No "ifs", "ands" or "buts". It was fully functional after setting the jumpers and plugging in the IDE and power cables. After powering up, Windows instantly recognized it upon boot up and the appropriate drivers were automatically installed with no hassles.

In terms of CD-RWs and CD-Rs, it didn’t seem to have any problems reading them and went through them quite easily. There was a slight grainy hissing apparent upon inserting a CD. This also occurred when copying large files. As well, testing the unit with CD Speed generated squeaky sounds, much to the likes of an ill oiled tin man. Not particularly impressive, especially given Samsung’s Adopted Acoustic-noise Reduction System (ARS) feature, which is supposed to minimize noise during high-speed rotation.

Keep in mind that 52x is the maximum speed and not a constant transfer rate. Since the drive is a CAV or Constant Angular Velocity type drive, the CD spins at a constant rate. As such, the transfer rate will be variable, being faster while reading the outer edges and slower on the inner edges of a CD.

Overall, the SC-152L seemed to generate good results under CD Speed. With a data CD, the average speed was 36.01x, a good result for a 52x unit. With a music CD, the average speed was slower at 16.22x, which is normal, as most CD ROMs require more time to process audio data. For CD-RWs, though, there was a considerable difference. The average speed dipped down to 17.40x (see below for actual results).

CD Speed test – Testing using a data CD-RW

CD Speed test – Testing using an audio CD

Conclusion

Overall, the Samsung 152L seemed to perform well at most levels. Installing the unit provided no hassles and the benchmark results were good. In addition, it comes out as one of the least expensive drives out there. However, its performance seemed to take a tumble with CD-RWs. As well, it generated the occasional faint hissing and squeaking, which weren’t too noticeable. Other than that, there weren’t any significant complaints. In all, the 152L is priced competitively and seemed to do a fairly competent job.

Overall Score: 85%

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