Samsung SW212 12x8x32x CDRW Review - PAGE 1

The installation manual came with an insert about how it's a good idea to enable DMA, and the steps to do so. This is actually a great idea because without DMA enabled you get terrible performance from a drive, and this isn't the kind of thing a home user would just think of doing. There's also an included audio cable which is an extra some manufacturers forget to add in. Even with the advent of computerized audio and MP3, a significant chunk of users still listen to audio CDs. This drive also came with a CDR and a 10x CD-RW. An ATA-33 cable was included. The drive also included Adaptec Easy CD Creator and DirectCD, both of which are part of Samsung's standard bundle. Easy CD Creator and Direct CD are known as easy to use and to understand software packages perfect for beginners.

Impressions

Like most Samsung drives, the SW-212 has their trademark indented backside which makes sightless installation a lot easier. The more I review hardware and have to stuff it into my cramped case the more I like the ease of installation of a Samsung drive. Also, the drive same with everythng needed to install itself which is a nice change from the usual.

Unfortunately this drive makes an irritating high pitched nise while reading CDs. Actually, It makes two noises: a high pitched whine, and a scuffing noise, both of which are really annoying to have to listen to if you leave your computer on at night, or evenwhile while just using the computer. It might just be this unit, but I would listen to your drive before buying it to see if this is an issue that annoys you.

Question: This drive uses 8MB of buffer to stave off the data starvation that causes a buffer underrun. The queston is, 8MB is a lot of cache, but is it enough to make up for the lack of BURN-Proof style technology? In order to find out this reviewer dared to do the unthinkable: running Unreal Tournament while burning a CD. Did the disk survive?

Answer: No. In fact it didn't survive the game loading up. Looks like this isn't a drive for power users, but at least I didn't get a buffer underrun from running an IRC client. ;)