Samsung SE-S204
Samsung’s 20x external DVD writer is the wild card in the deck. And it's not just wild, it's downright ugly. But what it lacks in looks is more than covered over with a slapping of makeup when you realise it writes a gigabyte of data in about two minutes. In one of our tests it even came in at just one minute and 40 seconds.
Sadly, the SE-S204 has a preposterous 5-pin din plug as a power input. It's reminds us of one of Frankenstein's boots, except that it’s made of cheap plastic.
When the device is in action reading discs it sounds like a posh microwave oven. When it writes discs it sounds like a posh microwave oven on a much higher setting. Thankfully, it is at least quiet enough when it plays audio and video.
The Samsung software does automatic upgrades and it also comes with Lightscribe for burning pictures on your discs, which shows that this beast has a heart. Best of all, you’ll only need to hand over around £50 to get one.

Rating: 9/10