LG SuperMulti GSA-4163B

While we had to wait a while before we could get our hands on this drive, the wait was definitely worth it. It turned out to be one of the fastest and most consistent drives we've tested, as one of the most versatile. In addition to DVD+R/+RW/DL and DVD-R/-RW formats, the GSA-4163B also has support for non-cartridge type DVD-RAM discs.

This makes it a jack of all trades and one the few drives we have reviewed that is capable of burning to DVD-RAM discs. DVD-RAM writing is a great feature and should come in handy for those of you who have set top DVD recorders that use this format.

For burning, the GSA-4163B uses the PCAV method, which allows the drive to reach its maximum transfer rate faster than either pure CAV or CLV methods. This was the case in our Nero CD/DVD DVD+R simulated speed test, and this method helped the GSA-4163B achieve very high data write rates in that test.

An actual burn, however, did not produce such good results. A DVD+R burn ended up quite slow, taking 8 minutes to complete.

We found the reliability of all its burns to be very good and its DVD+R DL read performance, in particular, was excellent. It had strong read performance across all media and its very user-friendly installation program and low street price make it an ideal choice if this is your first DVD burner purchase.