Asus SDRW-0804P-D review

If want to add a DVD writer to your PC you have two choices: get one that fits inside the PC and plugs into your motherboard, or get one that sits outside your PC and plugs into a USB or FireWire port.

Internal drives are cheaper, but external ones will work with any PC - even a laptop, or a desktop that has no drive bays to spare.

Asus's new DVD writer, the SDRW-0804P-D, is an external drive with USB 2 and FireWire connections for hooking up to your PC. And it looks absolutely stunning, too. The Asus, with its svelte, brushed aluminium finish and wonderfully petite proportions makes most external DVD writers look like they need to go on a crash diet. But can it keep up with its chunkier cousins when it comes to performance?

No, is the quick answer. Unlike our Best Buy external drive, the Freecom Classic, the Asus can only burn to write-once DVD discs at a maximum of 8x speed, rewritables at 4x and dual-layer discs at an unremarkable 2.4x. This translates into mediocre writing times. Burning 4.35GB of data to a DVD-R disk took a tardy 13 minutes 20 seconds. The Asus didn't fare much better with DVD+R discs, ambling to the finish in 12 minutes. Rewritable discs took their time, too. DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs completed in 16 minutes and 15 minutes 42 seconds, respectively.

Fortunately, the software bundle that comes with the Asus is pretty decent, and includes a copy of the excellent Ahead Nero OEM suite, and the useful Ulead DVD MovieFactory 3.5 suite - all you need to get you started compiling your own CDs and DVDs.

One glance at the Asus is all it will take for the gadget-obsessed among you to smash open your piggybanks. But we can't recommend it. Our Top 50 external DVD writer may not look anywhere near as swanky, but the Freecom Classic DVD+/-RW costs nearly £30 less and burns discs quicker. For all but the most fashion-conscious, we think that's far better value for money.