Optiarc AW-G170A detail information

Test machine:

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

Hardware:

• Motherboard: ASUSTeK A8N-SLI DELUXE (nForce 4 SLI chipset)
• Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ (Toledo) Dual Core
• RAM: 2 GB Corsair TWINX 2CL DDR
• GFX: Leadtek Winfast 6600 TD (PCI Express nVidia)
• Sound: SoundBlaster Audigy 2
• Hard disk: 2x 250BG Seagate Barracuda (SATA 2)

System set-up:

The Sony AW-G170A was connected as Primary Slave and identified itself as SONY DVD RW AW-G170A. DMA (Direct Memory Access) and autorun was enabled for all devices.

Software:

Windows XP Professional is installed on the computer along with Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. We will be using the following software in this preview:

• Nero CD-DVD Speed
• Nero InfoTool
• KProbe

Installation:

We quickly installed the drive without any problems and here is a screenshot from Nero InfoTool:

Our drive came shipped with firmware 1.71. The only drawbacks we could see are: The missing Mt. Rainier support along with the small buffer size.

Features and techniques:

ACTIVE OPC:

Sony NEC Optiarc inc uses Active OPC Technology with its optical hardware. Active OPC constantly monitors the sensitivity of the media and adjusts the laser strength to achieve the best possible results. It does this by analyzing the reflection from the media's surface.

Writing Technology:

18x DVD±R writing speed:

The Sony AW-G170A uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at 18x. The average speed is 13.28x and a total writing time of 5 minutes and 25 seconds.

The Sony AW-G170A uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD-R at 18x. The average speed is 13.32x and a total writing time of 5 minutes and 24 seconds.

8x DVD+R DL writing speed:

The Sony AW-G170A uses Z-CLV (Zoned Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD+R DL at 8x, with an average write speed of 6.53x and a total writing time of 18 minutes and 37 seconds.

8x DVD-R DL writing speed:

The Sony AW-G170A CLV (Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD-R DL at 4x. We did not have an 8x DVD-R DL media to test the drive at 8x write speed.

12x DVD-RAM:

The Sony AW-G170A uses P-CAV (Partial Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD-RAM media at its maximum speed of 12x (verify off). This resulted in an average write speed of 9.73x and a total write time of 6 minutes and 8 seconds.

On the next page: Reading performance…

Introduction

Reading performance