Big B
HWF Godfather
Samsung is a pretty familiar name in the electronics sector. They gained some big popularity a few years ago when their DDR memory turned out to be some good stuff for overclocking that didn't cost an arm and a leg like what was being offered from Corsair. While that may not be the hot item of the moment, Samsung is quite diverse in it's offerings. They manufacture other PC components, including the SW-252FENB (52x/32x/52x) CD-RW drive. I've used a couple of their CD-ROM drives, one of which I've had for just over 4 years and counting. I probably paid more for that 48x CD-ROM than what you can find the SW-252FENB for. But, enough of the hardware sentiments, let's take a look at the SW-252FENB.
There are several different models of the SW-252 series, but I didn't really find anything useful on Samsung's site to really tell the difference between them. The 252FENB is a black face CD-RW drive. Black is always stylish, no matter how you cut it.
The drive is less than an inch longer than the Lite-ON 52327S CD-Burner I reviewed awhile back, so it's not too big. The back of the drive has nothing that's surprising. You have the audio connectors, the jumper block, the IDE interface and the power connector---standard fare.
Looking at the cover toward the back, Samsung has the lables for each connection stamped into the metal casing. Personally, I like to have the markings on the back of the drive, right above the connections, but it's not like you'll be lost without the markings elsewhere.
The tray is black, which severely reduces reflections during the burning process due to the fact that black absorbs light. It does have a function other than looking good.
The drive I recieved was an OEM bulk drive, so there is no retail box to show. The only thing you might be missing here, besides the box, is an IDE cable. However, for most people, this isn't going to be a problem. Samsung includes a quick setup manual, a CD with a detailed manual, a full version of Nero Burning ROM, and an audio cable. I'm glad to see the full version of Nero packaged as Nero Express has been buggy from my experience.
[attachfull]1020[/attachfull]
There are several different models of the SW-252 series, but I didn't really find anything useful on Samsung's site to really tell the difference between them. The 252FENB is a black face CD-RW drive. Black is always stylish, no matter how you cut it.
[attachfull]1021[/attachfull]
The drive is less than an inch longer than the Lite-ON 52327S CD-Burner I reviewed awhile back, so it's not too big. The back of the drive has nothing that's surprising. You have the audio connectors, the jumper block, the IDE interface and the power connector---standard fare.
[attachfull]1022[/attachfull]
[attachfull]1023[/attachfull]
[attachfull]1023[/attachfull]
Looking at the cover toward the back, Samsung has the lables for each connection stamped into the metal casing. Personally, I like to have the markings on the back of the drive, right above the connections, but it's not like you'll be lost without the markings elsewhere.
[attachfull]1024[/attachfull]
The tray is black, which severely reduces reflections during the burning process due to the fact that black absorbs light. It does have a function other than looking good.
[attachfull]1025[/attachfull]
The drive I recieved was an OEM bulk drive, so there is no retail box to show. The only thing you might be missing here, besides the box, is an IDE cable. However, for most people, this isn't going to be a problem. Samsung includes a quick setup manual, a CD with a detailed manual, a full version of Nero Burning ROM, and an audio cable. I'm glad to see the full version of Nero packaged as Nero Express has been buggy from my experience.
