MSI DR8-A: The Plextor 708A's little brother

Specifications

Below is a quick overview of specifications on the drive:

MSI DR8-A DVD-/+R Drive
Interface	IDE
CD Write Speed	40X, 32X, 24X (CAV) 16X, 12X, 8X, 4X (CLV)
CD Rewrite Speed	24X, 16X (CAV) 12X, 8X, 4X (CLV)
HD-CD Write Speed	24x, 18x (CAV) 12x, 6x (CLV)
CD Read Speed	40X Max (CAV)
DVD-R Write Speed	4X, 2X, 1X (CLV)
DVD-RW Rewrite Speed	4x, 2X, 1X (CLV)
DVD+R Write Speed	8X (Z-CLV) 4X, 2X (CLV)
DVD+RW Rewrite Speed	4X, 2.4X (CLV)
DVD Read Speed	12X Max (16,620KB/s) (CAV)
Supported Modes	DAO / DAO-RAW 16 & 96 TAO SAO / SAO 16 & 96 Packet Write MultiSession
Supported Formats	DVD+R (DAO, incremental, seq) DVD+RW (random) DVD-R (DAO, incremental, seq) DVD-RW (random) CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD-ROM XA, Mixed Mode, CD Extra Photo CD, CD Text, Bootable CD, UDF
Access Time	CD: N/A DVD: N/A
Buffer	2MB

Unfortunately, like the MSI DR4-A, access time on the DR8-A is quite high. The 8MB buffer of the DR4-A has also been downgraded to a 2MB buffer. Compared to other burners that we have reviewed, the access time of the DR8-A is one of the highest; lower times are better.

The DR8-A has very similar specifications to the Plextor 708A. However, the DR8-A supports HD-BURN, an underrated technology in our opinion. Nero, which was bundled, supports HD-BURN. You can read more about the technology here (no, we don't understand the cartoon that much either).

Click to enlarge.

The DR8-A is also unique in the fact that it supports 99-min and 90-min CDRs (both read and write). Several burners, including the NEC-2500A, do not support 99-min CDRs.