MODTHEBOX.COM - Canada's Premier Case Modding Source - Reviews - Samsung SM-352B CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive Review

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The Samsung SM-352B CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive uses the standard EIDE/ATAPI interface, and has connectors for digital out, analog out, jumpers for drive settings (master, slave, cable select), as well as the standard IDE and power connectors. The unit will operate under PIO Mode 4, DMA Mode 2, or Ultra DMA Mode 2, meaning burst transfers range from 16.6MB/sec up to 33.3 MB/sec. For sustained data transfers, the unit is rated at 52X x 24X x 52X x 16X. As such, the drive should support the following maximums::

CD Write - 7800KB/s

CD Rewrite - 3600 KB/s

CD Read - 7800KB/s

DVD Read - 21600KB/s

Additionally, the unit features a memory buffer of 8MB along with Super Link Technology to ensure maximum performance. With this combination, buffer under runs are practically impossible, meaning users will have very few, if any, coasters lying around.

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DVD playback performance was impeccable while testing with regular DVD's. Even with multiple background apps and services running, the video playback was seamless. Samsung made an excellent choice in bundling Cyberlink’s PowerDVD XP. This feature-rich application will suit the needs of all users when it comes to DVD playback performance.

Using the retail edition of The Matrix, I grabbed some benchmarks with SiSoftware’s Sandra Professional Unicode (32-bit x86) 2003.1.9.26. The reported numbers were impressive and DVD performance on the unit is excellent. Users looking for complete solutions for their HTPC will have no problems amalgamating the SM-352B into their systems. This is especially the case given some additional features of the drive. Samsung indicates the drive is equipped with Dynamic Vibration Absorbers, Acoustic Noise Reduction and Automatic Ball Balancing, meaning that the noises and vibrations generated by the unit are dampened. During testing, I was quite surprised to see how quiet the drive was in all aspects of performance, from DVD Playback to CD-RW Rewriting. The motor noise was significantly quieter than my comparison LiteOn 40125s, and under most operations, the drive was completely silent.

Samsung SM352B - Click image for larger view

LiteOn 40125s - Click image for larger view

Using a retail copy of Windows XP Professional and Nero 5, the drive was tested for read performance. As a comparison unit, I choose the LiteOn 40125s, which is a 40x12x48 CDRW. The SM-352B was able to reach a maximum speed of 42.78x, and CPU utilization was significantly lower than the LiteOn. One benchmark that really stood out, however, was the Burst Rate. While the LiteOn bursted at 20MB/s, the Samsung got a meagre 1MB/s burst. Trying multiple different configurations, the same results continued to pop up. As such, I decided to run some advanced Digital Audio Extraction tests, to see if this was just a glitch in Nero’s benchmarking.