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Burn-Proof Testing
Since Burn-Proof is a major component of the MSI CR52-A2, I thought it'd be a good idea to make sure it works as advertised. Using the same TDK media, we burned the same data used in our 700MB CD-R test at 52x. During the burn process, I proceeded to defrag the drive the data was being retrieved from.
As expected, burn times increased from 2:25 to a whopping 6:13. Since the drive was constantly stopping, given the hard drive activity, it is natural that the burn times are a bit longer. We tested the CD for readability, and as with the earlier compatibility test, just the AOpen DVD had issues.
Final Words
Given the lack of 52x competition here in the labs, it's hard to give a grade to the CR52-A2 based on its performance against the others here. In that case, let's look at the drive on its own merits.
Burning speeds are the fastest I've ever seen, and discs came out problem free, though I did have a few problems when I tried to burn at 52x on a disc that had no speed rating. Half the data worked, and the other half didn't. Media burned at their rated speeds worked just fine.
The buffer under run protection seemed to work perfectly, and out of 6 discs burned, none exhibited any problems. I wasn't exactly sure how to test the EXACT-Rec, but seeing how the discs came out fine, I guess it worked.
The AWSS is a bit of a marketing ploy in my opinion since it was in fact louder than a Plextor 40x I had kicking around. I know that there's a speed difference, but considering the marketing behind the AWSS, I expected a little better.
In a nutshell, it did everything the Plextor I usually use could do, except a little faster. What advantages does it have then? Well, there are two. For one thing, Plextor packages the craptacular Roxio EZCD Creator 5.0, which has got to be one of the worst CD burning packages in existence. Secondly, it's the price of the MSI CR52-A2. Selling at about , this drive is cheap… a good 80$ less than what I paid for the Plextor when it came out. Those two advantages alone make this drive worth checking out.
Pros: Fast, ships with Nero, Burn-Proof and EXACT-Rec.
Cons: AWSS doesn't work so well, no IDE cable.
Bottom Line: Unless you already have a 40x burner, it's probably time to consider upgrading to a faster drive if you tend to do a lot of CD burning. Considering the overall package is quite impressive, this drive is a steal.
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MSI CR52-A2 52/24/52 CDRW: If you spend a lot of time backing up data, you'll want a drive that is both fast and reliable. On paper, the MSI CR52-A2 looks up to the task, but let's see how it does in the labs.
