detail information

Now we'll start testing the reading of normal/unprotected data discs. Let's see how fast the Mitsumi drive can read data and if it can really reach the claimed 40x. For the tests we once again used Nero CD Speed (version 0.85 beta) and repeated the tests several times to make sure the results were accurate.

The data read tests are divided into four sections:

• Original/Pressed Discs
• CD-Recordable Media
• CD-ReWriteable Media
• Conclusion

Transfer Rate Test - Original/Pressed Discs:

For the transfer rate tests we used a pressed CD-ROM containing PlexTools v1.05 which was exactly 74 minutes (333.000 sectors) long. Below the produced graph with Nero CD Speed:

And of course the speeds and seek times the Mitsumi CR-480ATE reached:

In the left screenshot you see that the Mitsumi CR-480ATE performs well getting an average reading speed of 30.42x. The drive can reach the claimed 40x without problems.

The seek times with original/pressed media were very good as you can see in the screenshot on the right.

The Mitsumi CR-480ATE wasn't the fastest data reader we've seen as you can see in the table below when we compare the drive to our previous reviews of the Plextor PX-W2410A, the Lite-On 24102B and the Waitec MEGALUS. Please note that the Plextor and Lite-On tests were done on different machines so the achieved writing times can be a little off:

Transfer Rate Test - CD-Recordable Media:

For the transfer rate tests with CD-Recordable Media we again used the "PlexTools v1.05" disc only this time we read from a back-up disc. The disc used was a 'That's Write' CD-R certified up to 16x writing and manufactured by Gigastorage. The back-up disc was of course also 74 minutes (333.000 sectors) long. Below the produced graph with Nero CD Speed:

The speeds and seek times the Mitsumi CR-480ATE reached with the CD-R media:

The Mitsumi CR-480ATE is slightly slower with CD-R media than with original/pressed discs. It doesn't reach 40x and the top reading speed is 39.44x.

The seek times are however very good, faster than with original/pressed discs.

In the table below we compare the achieved results to the Waitec MEGALUS. We cannot compare the results with the Plextor and Lite-On because these reviews were done by someone else (StevieB) and otherwise we cannot guarantee the achieved results:

Transfer Rate Test - CD-ReWriteable Media:

To test the transfer rate with CD-RW discs we again used the "PlexTools v1.05" disc only this time we read from a CD-ReWritable disc. The disc used was a 'Verbatim' CD-RW certified up to 10x writing and manufactured by Mitsubishi. The CD-RW disc was of course also 74 minutes (333.000 sectors) long. Below the produced graph with Nero CD Speed:

And of course the speeds and seek times the Mitsumi CR-480ATE reached:

The Mitsumi CR-480ATE really produces an excellent result here and can read CD-RW discs at full speed (40.84x). It's even faster with CD-RW discs than with original/pressed discs and CD-R discs!

The seek times are again very good, slightly slower than with original/pressed discs and CD-R discs.

In the table below we compare the achieved results to the Waitec MEGALUS. Again we cannot compare the results with the Plextor and Lite-On because these reviews were done by someone else (StevieB) and otherwise we cannot guarantee the achieved results:

Transfer Rate Test - Conclusion:

Overall we can say that the Mitsumi CR-480ATE is not the fastest 40x reader out there. Although the differences are minimal the Plextor PX-W2410 seems unbeatable (for now?). However when it comes to seek times and the reading of CD-RW discs the Mitsumi really achieves an excellent result.

Now that we've tested how well the Mitsumi can read normal/unprotected data it's time to see how it performs with protected data...