detail information

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

The data read tests are divided into five sections:

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

Transfer Rate Test - Introduction:

Let's start with a screenshot of the detected PleXCombo read speeds with PlexTools. In this screenshot you can also see some more information on the drive itself like firmware, interface and access time:

As you can see from the screenshot the PleXCombo PX-320A can read mode 1 and mode 2 data discs at 40x. The maximum audio read speeds are also detected as 40x. However, CD-RW disc can be read at a maximum read speed of 32x. You can also see that the disc are being read in the CAV mode and that lower read speeds are being done in CLV mode.

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 of the PleXCombo drive:

In the left screenshot you see that the PleXCombo has a high average reading speed of 31.21x. As you can also see from the screenshot, the PleXCombo PX-320A has no problems reaching 40x and even faster speeds. The top read speed was 41.21x. The seek times with original/pressed media were pretty good as you can see in the screenshot on the right.

In the table below we compare the achieved times with other drives we've previously reviewed. The PleXCombo just falls behind the Lite-On LTR-32123S drive with its read speeds:

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. Here's the ATIP information from CDR Identifier:

• ATIP: 97m 28s 12f
  
• Disc Manufacturer: Gigastorage Corp.
  
• Reflective layer: Dye (Long strategy; e.g. Cyanine, Azo etc.)
  
• Media type: CD-Recordable
  
• Recording Speeds: min. unknown - max. unknown
  
• Nominal Capacity: 702.83MB (79m 59s 74f / LBA: 359849)

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 PleXCombo drive reached with the CD-Recordable media:

In the left screenshot you see that the PleXCombo again has a high average reading speed of 31.43x, a little faster than with the original/pressed media. With the CD-Recordable media the drive can also reach 40x and even faster speeds. The top read speed was 41.36x. The seek times with CD-Recordable media were pretty average as you can see in the screenshot on the right.

In the table below we compare the achieved results to some of the reviews we've done previously. The PleXCombo again just falls behind the Lite-On LTR-32123S drive with its read speeds:

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-ReWriteable disc. We created a back-up of the disc and used the PleXCombo PX-320A to write it. The disc used was the 'Plextor CD-RW' disc, delivered with the drive. Here's the ATIP information from CDR Identifier:

• ATIP: 97m 27s 00f
  
• Disc Manufacturer: Disc ID not allowed
  
• Reflective layer: Phase change
  
• Media type: CD-ReWriteable
  
• Recording Speeds: min. 4X - max. 8X
  
• Nominal Capacity: 651.86MB (74m 12s 00f / LBA: 333750)

The CD-RW 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 PleXCombo drive reached with the CD-ReWriteable media:

In the screenshots you can see that the PleXCombo drive is indeed limited to 32x reading with CD-RW discs. It goes a little faster than that getting an average speed of 25.20x. The seek times with CD-ReWriteable media were again pretty average as you can see in the screenshot on the right.

In the table below we compare the achieved results to some of the reviews we've done previously. The PleXCombo performs very similar to the Waitec MEGALUS drive and (again) falls just behind the Lite-On LTR-32123S drive:

Transfer Rate Test - Conclusion:

Overall we can say the PleXCombo PX-320A drive is a great reader, like all Plextor drives. It has no problems reaching 40x and going even faster than that. The drive had average seek times and could compete with the other drives we've previously reviewed. The reading of CD-ReWriteable media is limited to 32x (it can reach 33x though) and although this may seem a bit slow this is a good result for a combo drive. Since this is our first review of a combo drive we cannot directly compare it to other drives but judging by the results of other reviews we've read on the internet, the PleXCombo PX-320A performs very well here.

So far for the data reading part. Now let's check the audio reading (DAE) speeds on the next page...