SBM 3: High-End System

Optical Drive: "Samsung" SH-203B

From the collaborative effort of Toshiba and Samsung, named Toshiba Samsung Storage Technologies (TSST), comes a DVD burner that's setting write speed records across the Web: the WriteMaster SH-203B. Yet as impressive as write speed records sound, they can't compare to the glee that many buyers have found when spotting this drive for under $35.

The WriteMaster SH-203B SATA drive lacks the Lightscribe label-burning technology found in Samsung's 18X Ultra ATA drives, but it does support the narrow SATA data cable that many of us find more important.

Another feature that we considered when replacing the previous high-end build's Sony/NEC Optiarc 7170 series drive is the SH-203B's low noise operation. This quiet drive combines nicely with the low-speed case and power supply fans to make a stealthy yet strong complete system.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.