Dual layer media is still fairly expensive and not very reliable in terms of finding 8x compatible media. In fact, even though the Verbatim DVD-R DL media was listed as 8x compatible, several of the 8x drives were unable to reach speeds beyond 4x or 6x. Because of this and the various speed ratings, performance varied widely for the drives.
The ASUS DRW-1608P2 provided the best overall performance out of all the drives completing a full 8.5GB disc in under twenty minutes. A surprising result was the 23 minute and 7 second performance from the Plextor PX-760A that did better that topped one of the 8x compatible drives. The BenQ was very disappointing. Even with a 4x rated speed, the drive failed to write a disc in its first attempt.
In terms of playback performance, all of the drives scored very similar average speeds of roughly 6x with no clear performance leader. Access times were also much more even than previous tests. The only real standout was the Plextor PX-760A that had the best performance compared to its specifications as well as having the lowest overall CPU usage.
