A Closer Look at the ASUS DRW-2014L1T


Here is the front and back-end of our new ASUS DRW-2014L1T. On the front there are the requisite logos listing all of the different capabilities this drive has. The back-end of this drive shows you the SATA connection and the SATA power connector.


The left side of the drive has 4 screw-holes to secure it in your 5.25” drive bay of your case.

The top is also very interesting....well, not really. It has a white label, with a specially marked yellow section. This warning reads this: INVISIBLE LASER RADIATION, AVOID EYE EXPOSURE WHEN OPEN. So please...just listen to the label. Other than that warning, it sums up where the drive was made(China in this case), what voltages it runs on and the model and serial-number.


This Asus drive uses a standard tray loading mechanism instead of a slot-loading bay. There are some people out there who love slot-loading drives but they add to the cost of an otherwise inexpensive drive and are sometimes prone to problems. The disk tray of the DRW-2014L1T is the standard-sized 8/12cm CD/DVD tray. Also notice the blue warranty sticker? Needless to say, remove that sticker or damage it and you’ll lose your one year warranty.


Here we see the extra front bezel which Asus included with their drive which is finished in a white / grayish beige color. If you have a standard (and I don’t mean to say old-fashioned case) beige case, you shouldn't have much of a problem removing the black cover and installing the beige one on. Unless you like a black drive in your beige rig that is... Your installation manual describes exactly how to do this in easy-to-understand directions which are only mildly muddled by some odd English translations.


When we installed the DRW-2014L1T we noticed something a bit off. Do you see the color difference between Asus drive and our older BenQ model? The black from the ASUS Drive looks more like a dark blue to me and it doesn't go well with the color found on most black cases. The same goes for the white/beige/grey front cover which has a tone that is closer to white than beige.