LiteOn Super AllWrite LH-20A1S review

Although in theory the SATA interface for optical drives and hard disks is faster than PATA, our tests of two of the latest SATA DVD writers, Samsung's Super Writemaster SH-S183L and LiteOn's Super AllWrite LH-20A1S, show only modest speed gains at best.

The Super AllWrite is rated at 20X for writing single-layer DVDs, but it managed less than half this speed in our tests. It couldn't match its claimed 8X write speed for double-layer DVDs either, but it was one of the fastest writers we've seen for DVD-R DL discs.

The Super AllWrite comes with an excellent bundle that includes a SATA data cable, mounting screws and some alternative coloured fascias.

In contrast, the Super Writermaster comes without any extras, as it's a barebones OEM product. Unlike the Super AllWrite it can burn labels on compatible LightScribe discs. Even though it's rated at only 18X for writing single-layer DVDs, it was actually faster than the 20X Super AllWrite and produced one of the fastest single-layer writing speeds we've seen. We were less impressed with the Super Writemaster's two-layer writing speeds, though.

It's hard to recommend either drive completely. The Super AllWrite has an excellent software and accessories bundle and is fast at writing dual-layer DVDs, but otherwise its performance is disappointing. The Super Writemaster is notably quick at writing single-layer DVDs but comes without any software.

Unless you absolutely must use a SATA port for your DVD writer, we'd recommend Samsung's PATA Super Writemaster SH-S182M instead. Its performance closely matches the SH-S183L's but it comes with Nero Recode and is cheaper than both the drives reviewed here.

Author: Alan Lu