PS2 Is SMB Faster Than PS2 Slim's DVD Drive? Worth Setting Up?

[Agent Smith]

Hey everyone,
I'm considering setting up SMB on my PS2 Slim and wanted to know if it's actually worth the effort in terms of performance.
Right now, I'm using the PS2's built-in DVD drive to load games, but I've heard SMB over network can be faster and more reliable. For context, my internet is Starlink with the following speeds

• Download: ~344Mbps
• Upload: ~47 Mbps
• Latency: ~40 ms

My main concern is whether SMB will offer better load times and overall smoother gameplay compared to using the PS2's DVD reader. Has anyone done a direct comparison?
Would love to hear if the setup is worth it — especially for playing demanding games like COD 3 and not worrying about scratched discs.

Thanks.

 

[Kevstah2004]

USB v1.1 - 12 Mbps
Memory Card: 24 Mbps
Ethernet: 12.5MB/s
CD/DVD: 24x speed CD-ROM [3.6 MB/s], 4x speed DVD-ROM [5.28 MB/s]
ODODE:
iLink / FireWire / IEE1394: 6Mbps
HDD ATA interface: ATA-66 (Roughly 66MB/s).

 

[Dariush Aghaee]

In terms of compatibility, the DVD drive is more reliable and is the way PS2 is meant to load games. But some facts make everyone pick another way.
First, your legit copies of your games aren't produced anymore. So you need to save them from scratches for instance. Also, Disk drives become weak over time affecting loading times and what you call performance. A brand new Disk in a brand new drive may work faster than SMB. But that doesn't last too long.
Also, the other ways to load games have great compatibility thanks to the devs. So you don't need to worry about having issues while playing your games. Additionally, they bring several interesting useful features (VMC, Pademu, etc.)
One other thing. The SMB doesn't have anything to do with your WAN (the quality of your internet connection). It works in your LAN (local area network). A wired connection and correct network configuration will make it.