First off, the drive: It is supplied as a retail version in a very nice box and is protected therein by Papp moldings and a film. On housing, there is no wear or damage (which calms me down, because some reviewers my ASUS drives would often look as if they had ever landed on the trash).
Is irritating that the housing is completely identical to my quite old DVD burner LG GSA-H62N, but the inside that counts, yes.
Attached is a Quick Installation Guide for the hardware, a declaration of conformity and a software CD. Furthermore, even the "kit", consisting of 4 small screws, no cables there!
An important drawback is the included software CD. When you start the setup gives a completely moronic translated mask with 3 options to install the burning software Power2Go 8, an E-Green software to save power and a link to the firmware update on the manufacturer website. That the heading "ASUS Drive Package software" is not adapted to the automatically detected language's get over yet, but why then the switches and descriptions shall be of English-Spanish-German mix that makes me my hitherto good opinion of ASUS abruptly Forgot. The error is also very clear: If you open the language file, then reigns there pandemonium of translations.
The burning software Power2Go 8 is because at least no Sprachwirrwar, but because really needs to be advertised everywhere for Commercially available Version 9 and a say so that the straight mitgekaufte Version 8 is the last crap basically already?
Well, I've been writing software, so what the heck.
But at least I now have a 16x BR drive that should read in a monkey-like speed data on BluRay disc and write. Well, there is then already the catch: There is simply no blanks for this speed! Current state is 6x and 8x I do not have, can not find 10x, 12x or even 16x blanks.
But well, then you should bring the jaw to fold down at least reading BluRays purchased. But no. I have now read a dozen BluRays soon and have never come out about 7x which are then about 30 MB / s.
Granted this is significantly more than my current Samsung SE-506AB / TSBD 6x burner which positioned closer to 2x. But of 16x far and wide no track.
So now 16x blanks must only times to hit the market, then you will probably eventually get the power that you actually bought.
I have made to the sample sometimes a few attempts to read with the "normal" files. Read was Verbatim 6x LTH-blanks which theoretically also with 6x, ie 25 MB / s, could be read (t) s.
Results:
Reading pictures with 300kB to 6MB goes well with 5.5 MB / s
Reading zip files with 10-30 MB comes with about 11 MB / s
Read video files with approximately 3GB comes with up to 16 MB / s
I have sacrificed a 6xBD blank for a write test, while 3 per written about 3GB large files, of course, with the included burning software Power2Go. 8
The burning took 6:20 minutes to 8.62 GB, which 23.3 MB / s, corresponds to the 6x-blank is thus utilized very well.
The subsequent reading of the blank just described took about 10 minutes was carried out with about 16 MB / s
One could perceive acoustically, as during firing the speed gradually went down, which is normal, because discs are always described from the inside out and therefore less speed for the same number of bits is required.
On the subject of "Silent": Yes, this burner is very quiet in operation, but not silent. When he steps on the gas, then it is already clearly hear in "normal" speeds you take but true only the positioning of the laser. But why must give the drawer motor such a yelp that is believed he was about to bless the temporal, the secret of ASUS will probably remain. As one might have to spend really 50 cents more for a quiet and powerful engine. That would be a reason to return, if I knew, which burner (except my old LG DVD burner) his drawer without the impression of imminent exitus contrary pushes the user ...
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Addendum: A few days later I met with Verbatim to a compatibility list and realized that there favorable LTH blanks in conjunction with the ASUS drive only up to max. 6x function, the non-LTH-blanks (Verbatim labeled "Data Life") but should work to 12x.
So I thereof a spindle concerned and in fact: here Power2Go offers now 12x as maximum speed.
So I made here also a test run and was 25 billion bytes bring (= 23.85 GB) in exactly 11:59 minutes on the blank and are 34MB / sec and thus 8x!
During the subsequent reading of the data, the device also up a gear now higher and reached for large files 36 MB / s, and thus the limit of 8x.
Then there but nothing more "silent" but I have the same noise as with any CD, DVD or BluRay burner, I had so far.
On 12x or 16x I have to wait probably still ...
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Addendum 2: Today I have at a purchase-BD doch mal whopping 50,4MB / s = can reach> 11,7x! So come on very strongly to medium.
