Conclusion

So you have watched a competition between two DVD-ROM drives from the eternal rivals LG and Samsung. Both models are of the same class and price, so choosing between them is rather difficult. I’m going to single out strong and weak sides of each device for you to choose what suits you better.

The LG GDR-8163B has a slightly higher declared CD read speed, but it was not always better than its opponent in this parameter on all media types. It is, however, very fast with Audio CDs. The drive features an efficient C2 error correction mechanism and thus can successfully handle damaged media. Among the disadvantages of this drive I can mention its big offset, its inability to reach the specified read speed on the DVD-ROM disc and a high level of noise at work. The noise factor is seldom mentioned in reviews, as it is clear that high speeds are unavoidably accompanied with more noise, but the LG GDR-8163B was rather too loud, above the average. I hope this was a defect of our particular sample.

The Samsung TS-H352 has a slightly lower declared CD read speed, but would sometimes outperform its rival in the tests. It offers a better performance with CD media overall. Undeclared by the manufacturer, the ability of this drive to support DVD+R/RW media was revealed during the tests. Samsung’s drive has a small offset and features a quite efficient C2 error correction mechanism (but worse compared to the LG drive).

So, these are the points to consider when shopping for any of these devices. I hope this review will help you make a wise choice.