Sony DRU-540A: Sony's Answer to the 12x Call

Final Thoughts

Being nearly identical to the MSI DR12A, we predicted the Sony DRU-540A to perform in the same way - which was not a good thing. The 540A had trouble many some of the media we tested, though low quality, but we hoped it could handle the lower quality media.

The DRU-540A did however perform exceptionally well with the higher quality CMC MAG and Ritek R03 DVD+R media. The DRU-540A specifically was capable of writing to the 8x R03 media at 12x. Sony mentions on their website as well as in their documentation of the 540A that it can write to some certified 8x media (Ricoh Co. Ltd 8x, Taiyo Yuden Co. Ltd 8x, Hitachi Maxell, Ltd 8x) at 12x.

As expected in all new DVD burners today, the DRU-540A performed flawlessly on all four types of CDR media we tested. The drive's 40x CDR write speed was quick enough to write a complete 700MB disc at around 3:10. Playback was very good and we saw no issues.

We were a bit disappointed the HD-BURN capability was not implemented in the DRU-540A as it was in its twin, the MSI DR12A. The Plextor PX-712A is a much more efficient drive but also comes at a steep price. For the price, about $120 at some retailers, we would definitely recommend the DRU-540A for the average user, although there are better drives to be found. Get ready for our massive 12X+ DVDR roundup in the upcoming weeks!