NEC is primarily a research and
development company that has been on the cutting edge of
technology for over a century. Their primary products are
focused on network integrated solutions and semi-conductors,
while some of their consumer oriented include projectors (I
absolutely love mine), optical drives, workstations,
networking products, and solid state components.
This is the first time we test a drive
made by NEC in one of our comparisons. Perhaps the most
important reason we specifically looked to compare against
this drive is because its popularity among system builders.
The ND-3520A has enjoyed of great reviews among consumers
that have looked for the cheapest branded drive available.
Like the Plextor drive, the NEC is compatible with pretty
much anything you throw at it, except DVD-RAM.
Installation of this drive went well and
without any problems. The NEC drive was by far the least
attractive of the bunch thanks to its generic looks. The
front of the drive is of the standard beige color, with some
official logos etched into it (DVD, RW, and Compact Disc
insignia). There is a large square activity light on the
front, and also a small pin hole for manual disk removal.
Not to be fooled by its ugliness however, the drive still
felt solid and worked absolutely perfect. The tray ejection
was quiet and fast, too.
Note: NEC recently released a slightly
updated version of this version numbered ND-3540A. The drive
should basically be the same plus the following
improvements: 1) DVD-R dual layer (DL) disc support. 2)
DVD+R (DL) write speed upgrade to 8x.
Technical enhancements include (as
listed by the manufacturer):
AOPC – Active Optimum Power
Control adjusts the laser effect in real time to achieve
optimal readability.
Buffer under run – error
protection technology
Software bundled:
Roxio Easy Media Creator
Basic – award winning software suite which
contains full-featured photo, video, music, burning, and
authoring applications for Windows XP/2000 only.
