WOW, I cannot believe it, but here it is:
Not the fastest (6:10), but for Fugi 8X DVD+R, Yuden 000 T02, overspeeded to 16X, not bad.
This was burned on my Dell 400sc with bios A08, using FireWire connection to my NewEgg BenQ/OEM 1620>EW1621 47L9. The BenQ is installed in a Plumax/Prolific Chipset, USB 2/FireWire case, with Prolific 09-07-2004 updated firmware.
Until this time I was only able to burn at 12X max, with a FireWire burst rate of 21MB/s.
I just updated my motherboard bios from A05 to A08, checked my burst rates & saw I was now getting 23MB/s to 24MB/s over FireWire. This is equal to my internal IDE BenQ burst rate. So gave it a go..........
My scans:

Very good for external burn !!

Congrats Dishinit!

You seem to have found the Holy Grail for the 1620-1621 and external case issue. I'll have to be satisfied with my StoreTec case with the unflashable Prolific chip and a max 12x burn with my 1620. Must resist buying another external case!!...

Very nice dishinit!! I was thinking about going with the StorTecc Prolific enclosure, but I think I'll get the Plumax enclosure instead... even though US Microlabs makes both of them.

Wonder if this is true with other notebook manufactures when upgrading to the latest MOBO BIOS??

Edit: Just read the post more carefully: "BenQ/OEM 1620>EW1621 47L9". I guess with the B7P9 firmware, 12x is the highest the drive can do...

I got 28MB/s burst rate from the first test on 1394. An outdated SiS motherboard though the 1394 chipset is not SiS.

nice work!!

crea78,
My Dell 400sc is a server from Dell Small Business. This is the system that I updated the bios on and hit 16X external.
I still get only 12X on my Toshiba laptop, last time I checked. I swap my external from one system to another. Both systems have 2.4GHZ P4's HT'ed.
I'll have to look again at my burn speeds on my Laptop, but don't expect to see a change.
I think part of the equation involves individual system harware, ie: my Dell has a NEC 1394 controller. While my laptop has a Toshiba American 1394 controller. Perhaps there is an update to my Toshiba bios???

But just to prove it was not a fluke.......see this post:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showpost.ph...&postcount=124

I'll try to look inside the case here later. I need a new camera to take pictures of chipsets and circuits. I was going to buy Olympus or Nikon or Sony or Minolta or Panasonic, but just couldn't decide on anything after all, but I still need one. (Other than my LG LP3500 which just can't do proper focusing and zooming because it's a small phone.) Someone once said it's also a Prolific chipset.

I would like to see 16x DVD writer result or something like 30MB/s to 40MB/s on USB 2.0 connection. I haven't been able to do it myself. Only 1394 (1394a also limited to about 30MB/s.)

Can I flash a regular IDE internal 1620 to 47L9? Those scans look great!!!

danielwritesback,
You can flash it, but what it does when run on your internal drive???
Perhaps someone more knowledgeable could answer that.

As far as I know there are no usb 2 that can reach 30, but i know for sure that firewire B not A can reach 60 mbs

Unfortunately, I have no IEEE 1394b case/controller/drive. I guess most other people don't. It's cheaper to have IDE2SATA external instead of IDE2IEEE1394b external and also faster. USB 2.0 is the cheapest but sometimes can't reach 16x. 1394a can reach 16x but it has to be good chipsets on both sides of the connection. Somebody should make Intel to make IEEE 1394b standard in their next motherboard chipsets.

1394 b is becoming a standard and also I saw some review on external cases for hdds on Thg where i got those numbers. !394 b will be standard in the production of new mobos by spring next year.

OK,
Now I am beginning to think that the EW1621 47L9 firmware, may have something to do with my increased firewire transfer speed.
I cannot be sure as I updated my Intel Chipset on my Tosh Laptop just before I ran this latest burst test in CDSpeed 3.42.
I am now getting 23MB/s to 24MB/s over Firewire on my laptop, enough to do a 16X burn. Not the 30 to 60MB/s refered to, using the new 1394 b hardware revision, but good enough to produce this scan on "Fugi" 8X, overspeeded to 16X:

Laptop owners of BenQ 1620's take heart.
dishinit

Are you implying I don't need to spend US$300 to US$400 for a motherboard with IEEE 1394b since I'll be able to buy one for US$50 sometime after spring of 2005?

16x = a little over 22MB/s so 23 to 24MB/s burst rate seems just enough but if one starts using the same 1394 connection with other 1394 devices... not enough. It must be Fujifilm. I was not able to burn my Fujifilm 8x YUDEN000T02 at 16x. Hm most of my drives burn TYG02 only at 8x max.

Kenshin,
That's Yuden 000 T02, not "TYG02". But doesn't your BenQ 1620 burn them at 16X?
My QScans (Normal) are starting to get better as I go through my questionable Fugi 50 pc spindle.
Some burns I have not even QScanned. Just said 16X, "Do It". One scan is 90, the rest, more than 94.
Respectfully, I don't think it's the media.
dishinit

there are already mobos with 1394 B and they cost between 95$ and 200

the 200$ has also 6 sata
(2 sata 2), 2 gigabyte lan, wireless, and lots of other great stuff, and is a Gigabyte Nf4 flagship

I know you meant YUDEN000T02. What I meant is that most of my drives burn TYG02 at 8x. I said about TYG02 only because it's TY's 8x DVD-R media and TY's mainstream products are: YUDEN000T02 and TYG02. Fujifilm also sells both YUDEN000T02 and TYG02, usually at the same prices, like Fusion and most others of TY OEM, and also that's TY's own That's pricing.

I didn't know that. You must be in the US to get them for so low. I have to pay between US$300 to US$400. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had any reason to stop me from buying at least a few of them.

Hm. BTW, I meant Intel-chipset motherboards.

Unless the SATA on VIA and SiS and NVidia and ALi chipset motherboards support optical drives on SATA just as well as Intel.

By the way, I really think this thread belongs to the "General Hardware" forum. So many threads on external cases for optical drives and so so many repetitions.

Thank you for the clarification, I did not mean to sound like a SA, I actually thought you had made a typo error.
I just looked up 8X DVD-R, TYG02 in the BenQ Media Support list, recently referenced in this forum, & see that it it claims 16X capability.
And you say are not able to do this on your BenQ 1620? Strange.

I do understand that different burners have different write speed strats, but not sure what that has to do with your statement:
"16x = a little over 22MB/s so 23 to 24MB/s burst rate seems just enough but if one starts using the same 1394 connection with other 1394 devices... not enough. It must be Fujifilm"
As I do not have any other media capable of 16X writing, I cannot be absolutely sure, yet, I still do not think it is a media phenomenon.
I have used this external BenQ with my Dell 400sc with Nec 1394 controller, & now my Tosh Laptop with a Texas Instruments 1394 controller, & am getting successful 16X 1394 burns. I am not sure if this is what you meant with
".....but if one starts using the same 1394 connection with other 1394 devices....not enough"

My claim to fame, small as it is, is that I got my Plumax external cased OEM BenQ 1620, to successfully burn at 16X, over 1394/Firewire.
Something, that I have not seen successfully posted up till now (specific to the BenQ 1620).
I have seen posts refering to Nec 3500's on external, accomplishing 16X writes. And now your LG on 1394 (again, I am humbled....wow, I want one)
With all the difficulties & struggles I have read about, regarding matching a external case & chipset to your 16X writer and actually achieving 16X write speeds, I was compelled to post. Well that, and a little ego building (even if self initiated) dosen't hurt.

I have struggled with my external enclosures, having them go south, when I installed XP SP2. Then the hours I spent, searching the forums to find a solution, which was a Prolific firmware update. Then resigning myself to 12X burns using them.....until now.

I would like others to achieve the same 16X results in an external case, and if in any way I might be able to shed some light on how to do this, this is the reason for my posts. Actually, in my mind, this is & are, the reasons for this forum, Sharing knowledge.
I want you to know that you, among many others, are definitely one of my mentor's, which is so easily illustrated in your media & burner knowledge.
I really appreciate the education I have gained by reading these forums. I am a beginner, you are an accomplished expert. I appreciate your feedback.
Sorry for the long post.
dishinit

I do think it is very inportant to check the capability of the firewire chipset on the mobo. It can be done by using a HDD conected on a enclosure with a tool such as hd tach. If the transfer rate for the HDD are higher than 23 mbs than , that speed can be acheeved with the dvd rw.

As my experience each and every mobo chips function not quite to standard
One more thing: I saw a simple connector for arround 12$ on thg (tom's hardware guide) test that can do the trick. The only thing u have to also provide the power either from the computer or from an external transformer from 220/110 to the power required by the drive

Sounds to me as a bargain

Nice, which case did you buy?

PM-525C2-PPS - http://www.dealsonic.com/plcoideusb2i.html
or
PM-350C2-PPS - http://www.dealsonic.com/plpmcousb20f.html