I bought this Samsung 52 - 32 - 52 CD RW drive last summer.. I have extensive use of this device, and I had absolutely no problems for one whole year.. actually 11 months, after which it constantly returned the ’Power Calibration’ error.. The Service Centre made me do a few trips to it to actually get it working.. Though it seemed like reliable at start, its just AVERAGE!
Though The Data Transfer rates are Good with DMA, it doesn’t help since i’ve at times had problems with this drive enabling DMA.. Its just a pain without DMA n a lotta cds maybe the cost!
the Bundled Software was Nero Express, which aint really useful for a pro, but good for a Home User.. And the Usual Warranty of 1 year holds
but I’ve also had problem with this device with the format it burns the cds in! They Seem all fine, n the cd works just great in my drive, but when tried on a different drive it just doesn’t live up! Either the cd isn’t read at all.. Or its read after mins (searching for the track record probably)
Conclusion: there are Better CD RWs and Combos in the Market, but if ur a Samsung Fanatic or something, its fine!
Update:
Few days after I wrote this review I once more faced this same problem and this time the service centre said its ir-repairable. Seems to be a pick-up problem. The life Span of my Samsung Cd writer: 17 months!