By Kire Terzievski, RMIT Test Labs
June 18th, 2002.
5. Ricoh MP5125A
The Ricoh drive combines DVD+RW, DVD+R, and CD-RW recording. This was the only drive that we tested that can record in both DVD+RW and DVD+R. It can record DVDs at 2.4x, CD-RWs at 10x, and CD-Rs at 12x. It can also read CDs at 32x, unlike many of the other drives that could only read CDs at 24x.
The Ricoh was the fastest drive, however it was also the noisiest. It was able to record a video file at an impressive 3.3MBps and audio file at 2MBps. The Ricoh also recorded the highest score in CD WinBench.
The Ricoh includes a good bundle of software, which includes B's Recorder GOLD. B's Recorder lets users create back-up copies of DVDs and CDs, as well as customised video, music and data disks. The software bundle also includes B's CLIP, which enables packet writing, WinDVD (DVD-Video playback software), as well as DVD editing software. The Ricoh also comes with two DVD+RW and two DVD+R discs.
| Product: | Ricoh MP5125A |
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| Price: | AU$1099 |
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| Vendor: | Ricoh |
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| Phone: | 1300 363 741 |
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| Interoperability: |
Writes to both DVD+R and DVD+RW disks. |
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| Futureproofing: |
Future is uncertain and too difficult to predict. |
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| ROI: |
½
Good price, fast CD burning, very flexible. |
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| Service: |
1-year parts and labour warranty. |
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| Rating: |
½Fast drive with good software. |
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14%
7%
