The PX-712SA Up Close...

From the front, the PX-712SA looks like any other burner, but the back side is all new...

Say goodbye to all those pins and clumsy connectors and say hello to Serial ATA! All this baby has is one SATA power connector and one SATA data connector.

Installation

     Serial ATA makes installing an internal burner even faster; simply slide the drive in an empty bay, install 4 screws, install the power cable and SATA data cable and your done. Gone are the days of recessed or bent IDE pins. The only thing you really need to check before you purchase this burner is that you have an extra SATA port on your motherboard. If not, you'll have to purchase a separate SATA interface card like I did. I went with an inexpensive Silicon Image SATA interface card. This reminds me of the good old SCSI days where you had to purchase a separate interface card, however these days most motherboard manufacturers are adding more than two SATA ports on their boards just for this reason.

     One last thing I want to point out about installation is that this drive is only support by Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Support for alternate OSes may be coming, but don't hold your breath because you may be waiting a long time.

Firmware Upgrades

     As of the date of this review, there was a new firmware upgrade that fixes a few known bugs. I recommend going to the Plextor site and downloading the firmware update Version 1.03. The update is an exe file and will update your drive automatically. Very nice...

Software Bundle

     Plextor has included one of the most extensive and complete software bundles I have ever seen. Besides the comprehensive Plextor Tools, you also receive Roxio® Easy CD & DVD Creator™ 6 - DVD Edition, and Roxio PhotoSuite® 5 SE.