/> ED I T O R S ’ C H O I C E IN N O V A T IO N A W A R D
X
Apple's record earningsHappy Data Privacy DayNeil Young pulls music from SpotifyOur Wordle obsessionMinnie Mouse pantsuit

CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission.

Sony DRU 830A internal burner review: Sony DRU 830A internal burner


The Sony BWU-830A is a high-performance internal DVD/CD rewritable burner that offers the latest speeds (18x DVD+/-R and 8x DVD+/-R DL), a nice design touch (interchangeable faceplates), and a full complement of software. Unfortunately, at $70, it's on the expensive side for an IDE drive.

7.0

Sony DRU 830A internal burner

The Good

Fast task speeds; interchangeable faceplates for different color systems.

The Bad

A bit finicky with different brands of media; pricey for an internal drive.

The Bottom Line

The Sony DRU-830A is a fast drive, but it's on the expensive side.
Sony DRU-830A internal burner

  • Drive type: Internal DVD/CD Rewritable
  • Supported Media: DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD+/-R DL, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, DVD-RAM, CD-DA, CD-ROM, Video CD, Photo CD, CD Text, CD Extra, CD-R, CD-RW
  • Max Write Speed: 8x DVD+/-R DL, 18x DVD+/-R, 48x CD-R
  • Max Rewrite Speed: 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 12x DVD-RAM, 32x CD-RW
  • Max Read Speed: 16x DVD-ROM, 48x CD-ROM
  • Buffer Memory: 2MB
  • Mounting: Horizontal or Vertical
  • Dimension: 5.75 x 6.69 x 1.63 inches (WDH)
  • Notable design features: Interchangeable faceplate(black or white/silver)
  • Connection options: EIDE/ATAPI
  • System Requirements: Pentium III 800MHz or faster (or equivalent), 256MB RAM, 10GB HDD
  • OSes supported: MS Windows Vista/XP/2000 Pro
  • Software included: Nero 7 Essentials, including NeroVision Express, Nero Express, NeroInCD, Nero Showtime DVD, and Nero BackitUp
  • Any additional features: Support 8cm or 12cm discs
  • Service/support: One-year limited warranty; toll-free phone support; live chat; e-mail to tech support; site includes FAQs, tutorials, and software/driver downloads.

The CNET Labs' test results revealed above-average performance for the DRU-830A. Ripping an 8.46GB commercial DVD to the hard drive took 22 minutes, 43 seconds. Burning that image to a DVD+R DL disc took 20 minutes, 43 seconds. Burning a 4.48GB mixed-data file to a DVD+R disc took 8 minutes, 34 seconds. Ripping a 746MB commercial CD took 2 minutes, 40 seconds. And burning that image to a CD-R disc took 3 minutes, 20 seconds.

The only issue we had with the DRU-830A was that we couldn't get it to work with all media brands, though it did work seamlessly with Verbatim discs.

Rip tests (min:sec)
(Shorter bars indicate faster performance)
 Commercial CD rip (746MB)  
Commercial DVD rip (8.46GB)  
Sony DRU-830A
02:40 
22:43 

Burn tests (min:sec)
(Shorter bars indicate faster performance)
 CD-R burn (746MB)  
DVD+R data burn (4.48GB)  
DVD+R DL burn (8.46GB)  
Sony DRU-830A
03:20 
08:34 
20:43 

7.0

Sony DRU 830A internal burner

Score Breakdown

Design 7Features 7Performance 7Support 7
See full specs