Lite-On’s latest IHAS220-08 provides Serial ATA data and power connections and lets you burn DVDs at a competitive rate of up to 20x and CDs at a rate of up to 48x.

The use of a Serial ATA interface, instead of IDE, is a welcome decision. If your system isn't too old, this drive shouldn't have any problems being detected. The major benefit of the SATA interface is that it takes up less room in the case, so it's perfect for users with a small PC enclosure.

We ran our tests on a Gigabyte motherboard with an Intel X38 Express chipset. The motherboard recognised the drive without hassle and was able to boot discs from the get-go.

In terms of DVD writing speeds, the Lite-On doesn’t disappoint. We burnt 4.13GB of data onto 16x DVD-R discs in a time of 5min 35sec. This is a fast speed, but users with 20x-capable discs should be able to burn even faster.

Reading the data back on to the computer took 4min 56sec, which was a few seconds quicker than expected.

When we turned to burning CDs, the IHAS220-08 created one coaster, but subsequent burns went well. We wrote 635MB of data onto a 32x disc in 4min 50sec. Keep in mind that the drive’s maximum speed is 48x, which will allow faster speeds when using better discs. Reading the same data took just 3min 33sec, which was in line with expectations.

When the Lite-on is running at full speed, the vibrations emanating from the drive aren't excessive; while it's not silent, it doesn't make too much noise.

Despite Blu-ray winning the next-gen format war, the place of DVD burners in PCs isn't in any danger. After all, we all need to one to load drivers and games. Besides, Blu-ray drives are still too expensive (the Sony BWU200S costs $599, for example), and this Lite-On costs only $50. It comes bundled with Nero Essentials 7, which includes the basic tools needed to burn all types of DVDs and CDs, as well as black and beige face plates.