We have analyzed several Plextor CD/RW/DVD/RW drives here at CoolTechZone recently. One thing that remains constant is quality. The smoothness of operation and attention to detail places these drives on top of the heap. One may wonder why these optical drives are among the most expensive on the market today. There are several factors, the major one being the previously mentioned high quality of build. They have added a nice software bundle that includes PlexTools, which can be considered a GUI, based BIOS for Plextor drives. PlexTools has various integrated features that can tune the drive for quiet operation or for highest possible performance. Most of the selections in the software package are full version of high-quality applications that other manufacturers do not include. The drive quality and software package lead to higher retail prices, but we feel that the premium is justified considering the product.

12X DVD writers are a sizzling market segment at the moment and represent the upper mainstream of what is available right now. 16X drives have been announced and dual layer drives are falling in price. How does this drive perform? Is it worthwhile to invest in this external drive? Read on and find out…