BenQ DW1620 Dual-Format 16x DVD Writer Review

At 16x write speed, the DVD recording landscape has really jumped onto the express lane. Within a year or so, technological breakthroughs have allowed us to rapidly leap ahead and reach the current write speed peak of 16x. At the same time, we’re delighted to see the DVD ‘-’ format finally catching up in the adoption of this high recording speed. In the areas of performance, the BenQ DW1620 is a definite performer and our charts are clear testaments to this conclusion, affirming again the top-drawer quality that is a result of the technological partnership between Philips and BenQ.

Apart from its somewhat retro looking faceplate, there isn’t much we could nitpick with the DW1620. Solid performance was put up in both read and write tests, CPU usage and seek time were low across all tested CDs and DVDs. All written discs, whether they were recorded at nominal write speeds or ‘OverDrive’ speeds were flawless and error free as well. In addition to that, we found the drive’s spin noise and vibrations low, thanks to good soundproofing.

Hardware Zone 5 Star Award

BenQ DW1620 Dual-Format 16x DVD Writer @ Hardware Zone