Even though we did experience some problems with the data transfer mode of the drive, it still produced solid test results that make it worth considering.
If you're fussy about your drive's appearance, then you will appreciate the extra bezel that Gigabyte supplies with this drive, which allows you to dress it up in either black or white. For extra funkiness, you could mix and match the tray plate with the main bezel and become the only kid on the block with a black and white burner!
Aesthetics aside, during our tests this inexpensive unit provided excellent DVD write performance using the CAV method, but slightly sluggish read performance.
During our testing, it mysteriously changed from using Ultra DMA mode to PIO mode. This was perhaps due to the drive having a problem reading one of our pressed discs, and it took us a few system restarts to get the drive working in DMA mode again. For the record, using PIO mode with this drive, even on a powerful system, really made for snail-paced burning and used up to 100 per cent of our system CPU.
The drive comes with Nero Express 6 and PowerDVD. That's fantastic value considering this drive can be found for less than $100.
35 per cent of professionals feel frustration due to bad audio. And yet, while organisations have rushed to enable remote work policies over half (51 per cent) of organisations still only allow certain teams to order headsets or headphones.
What's new, plus best mac-related tips
and tricks
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G
Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
MSI P65
This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
MSI GT76
It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
MSI GS75
As the Maserati or BMW of laptops, it would fit perfectly in the hands of a professional needing firepower under the hood, sophistication and class on the surface, and gaming prowess (sports mode if you will) in between.
MSI PS63
The MSI PS63 is an amazing laptop and I would definitely consider buying one in the future.
Brother RJ-4230B
This small mobile printer is exactly what I need for invoicing and other jobs such as sending fellow tradesman details or step-by-step instructions that I can easily print off from my phone or the Web.
