Test machine

For this review we will be using a computer with the following configuration:

Hardware:

• Motherboard: ASUSTeK P5W DH Deluxe (Intel Glendale DG I975x chipset)
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
• RAM: 4 GB OCZ Platinum dual channel kit DDR2 800
• GFX: BFG nVidia 8800GTS (640 Megabytes GDDR3)
• Sound: Onboard Realtek ALC882 HD audio controller
• Hard disk: 2X 250GB Seagate Barracuda (SATA 2)

System setup:

The Samsung SE-T084L was connected to a USB2 connector on the main board of our review PC.

No problems with the setup

From the screenshot from Nero InfoTool above, we can see the Samsung SE-T084L supports DVD-RAM read and write, LightScribe direct disc labelling, and support for Mount Rainier.

Installed software:

• Nero Burning Rom
• Nero CD/DVD Speed
• Nero InfoTool
• Exact Audio Copy
• KProbe

Our review PC has Windows Vista Home Premium 64 bit installed.

Features and techniques

The Samsung SE-T084L being a slim-line drive will naturally not be as fast as a normal half height internal or external DVD burner. The spindle motor cannot rotate as fast as a half height drive and power consumption for a slim-line drive must be less than a half height drive. There are however advantages to this setup. The Samsung SE-T084L uses very little power compared to a standard half height drive and can be powered from the USB port that the drive is connected to, rather than having to use the supplied AC power supply.

Samsung provide a utility to check that the host PC can provide enough power to power the SE-T084L from the USB port.

As we can see from the above screenshot, the Samsung SE-T084L can be powered from our review PC’s USB port. One should note that writing speed is reduced when the drive is USB powered, for example, the maximum DVD R writing speed is reduced from 8x to 4x.

As we can see from the above screenshot, the Samsung SE-T084L uses a high speed USB 2.0 interface and the USB bridge is powered by an NEC controller.

Software bundle:

Let’s take a look at the software bundle included with our retail drive. Please note, we may not install or use any of this software in this review.

The supplied CD-ROM

Our retail package included Nero 6 OEM, which included the following software.

• Nero Express 6
• Nero Vision Express
• Nero Media Player
• InCD 4
• InCD Reader

Main Nero install screen

USB power testing utility

Live firmware update utility

The software bundle is very good and should provide a very good starting point for anyone purchasing this drive.

BookType (Bitsetting):

The Samsung SE-T084L supports bit-setting, and is capable of writing DVD+R/DL media with DVD-ROM book type.

Here is how you could check if your discs are really written with DVD-ROM book type:

Start Nero CD-DVD Speed and click the Disc info button and you should get something like this:

Another quick test is to start Nero CD-Speed and look at the disc information:

Writing technique

Now it’s time to take a closer look at the write technology used by the Samsung SE-T084L:

For these tests we used CD-Speed and wrote a full disc at the drives maximum speed.

CD Recordable:

According to the specifications of the Samsung SE-T084L, it should be able to write CD-R media at a maximum speed of 24x.

The Samsung SE-T084L uses P-CAV, (Partial Constant Angular Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 24X. This gives an average speed of 19.20x and a total writing time of 5 minutes and 28 seconds.

For comparison we have made the following table: 

CD Re-writable:

According to the specifications of the Samsung SE-T084L, it should be able to write CD-RW media at a maximum speed of 24x.

The Samsung SE-T084L uses Z-CLV, (Zoned Constant Linear Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 24X. This gave an average speed of 16.14x and a total writing time of 6 minutes and 20 seconds.

For comparison we have made the following table: 

8x DVD+R/-R writing speed:

According to the specifications of the Samsung SE-T084L, it should be able to write DVD+R/-R media at a maximum speed of 8x.

DVD+R

The Samsung SE-T084L uses P-CAV, (Partial Constant Angular Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 8X. This gives an average speed of 6.01x and a total writing time of 10 minutes and 59 seconds.

DVD-R

The Samsung SE-T084L uses P-CAV, (Partial Constant Angular Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 8X. This gives an average speed of 6.01x and a total writing time of 11 minutes and 38 seconds.

For comparison we have made the following table: 

The Samsung SE-T084L was the fastest drive when writing DVD±R media.

8X DVD+RW writing speed:

According to the specifications of the Samsung SE-T084L, it should be able to write DVD+RW at a maximum speed of 8x.

The Samsung SE-T084L uses Z-CLV, (Zoned Constant Linear Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 8X. This gives an average speed of 5.03x and a total writing time of 13 minutes and 28 seconds.

For comparison we have made the following table: 

The Samsung SE-T084L was the slowest drive when writing our DVD+RW media.

6x DVD-RW writing speed:

According to the specifications of the Samsung SE-T084L, it should be able to write DVD-RW at a maximum speed of 6x.

The Samsung SE-T084L uses Z-CLV, (Zoned Constant Linear Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 6X. This gives an average speed of 4.83x and a total writing time of 14 minutes and 50 seconds.

For comparison we have made the following table: 

The Samsung SE-T084L was the slowest drive when writing our DVD-RW media.

6x DVD+R DL writing speed:

According to the specifications of the Samsung SE-T084L, it should be able to write DVD+R DL at a maximum speed of 6x.

The Samsung SE-T084L uses Z-CLV, (Zoned Constant Linear Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 6X. This gives an average speed of 4.54x and a total writing time of 27 minutes and 42 seconds.

4x DVD-R DL writing speed:

According to the specifications of the Samsung SE-T084L, it should be able to write DVD-R DL at a maximum speed of 4x.

The Samsung SE-T084L uses Z-CLV, (Zoned Constant Linear Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 4X. This gives an average speed of 3.52x and a total writing time of 34 minutes and 56 seconds.

For comparison we have made the following table: 

The Samsung SE-T084L was the fastest drive while writing DVD+R DL media, but was the slowest drive while writing DVD-R DL media.

5x DVD-RAM writing speed:

According to the specifications of the Samsung SE-T084L, it should be able to write DVD-RAM at a maximum speed of 5x.

The Samsung SE-T084L uses P-CAV, (Partial Constant Angular Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 5X. This gives an average speed of 4.64x and a total writing time of 12 minutes and 08 seconds.

For comparison we have made the following table: 

The Samsung SE-T084L was the fastest drive while writing DVD-RAM media.

Summary:

The Samsung SE-T084L performed well with our writing tests, the drive being the fastest writer in several categories and had no problems writing our test discs.

Let’s head on to the next page where we will check reading performance….

Introduction

Reading performance