PX-504UF: Plextor's External DVD+R/+RW CDRW

It was much to my surprise the other day when I got a call saying there was a package for me over at Dallmann Computers. It seems as though Plextor sent out another unit. This time I get to take a look at the PX-504UF. It's spec'd the same as the PX-504A, but this unit is external and supports both Firewire and USB 2.0.

This should be a fairly interesting review. This drive will be benchmarked using the exact same bunch of tests that I used on Plextor's Internal DVD+R drive, and at the end of the tests, will show a couple of charts to see how they compare. Do you have to sacrifice performance to go external? You'll have to read on and find out.

• 6-in-1 drive: 4X DVD+R, 2.4X DVD+RW, 12X DVD-ROM, 16X CD-R, 10X CD-RW, 40X max CD-ROM
• Buffer Underrun Proof Technology prevents errors in CD-R/RW writing
• Lossless Linking prevents errors in DVD writing
• High capacity - Holds 4.7 GB of storage on DVD media
• 120ms Average CD Random Access
• 140ms Average DVD Random Access
• 2 MB Buffer
• Black tray minimizes jitters
• Flash ROM allows for easy upgrade over the Internet
• Supports DVD+RW background format
• Useable DVD Formats: DVD-ROM, DVD Video, Multi Border (closed disc read only), multi session
• Useable CD Formats: CD-DA; CD-ROM Mode 1; CD-ROM Mode 2; CD-ROM XA, CD-I; Photo CD; Video CD; CD-Extra; CD Text; Multi-session, UDF
• Recording DVD+R/RW Modes: Sequential write, Random access write and Disc-at-once
• Recording CD-R/RW Modes: Track-at-once, Disc-at-once, Session-at-once, Multi-session, Fixed and Variable Packet Writing
• Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP Compatible
• One-Year Full Warranty and Unlimited Toll-Free Tech Support
  

• CPU: Pentium III 800 MHz or equivalent (minimum)
• CPU: Pentium 4 1.6 GHz or equivalent (suggested)
• RAM: 128MB
• HDD: 800MB-1GB
• Monitor display resolution: 1024 X 768 16-bit color (requires a graphics card with minimum 16MB of memory)