PC Hardware in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Choosing a CD Writer

Use the following guidelines when choosing a CD writer:

Transfer rate

As with CD-ROM drives, throughput is rated in comparison to standard CD-DA (CD-Digital Audio), which transfers 150 KB/s, and is designated 1X. CD-RW drives have three speeds. Usually, but not always, the first number refers to how fast data can be written to a CD-R disc, the second to how fast data can be written to a CD-RW disc, and the third to how fast the drive can read data. For example, a Plextor 40/12/40A writes CD-R discs at 40X, rewrites CD-RW discs at 12X, and reads discs at 40X. Note that fast CD writers use “max” ratings. For example, the PlexWriter 40/12/40A writes at 40Xmax, rather than writing at 40X across the entire disc surface. Also, it is common for very fast CD writers to have a lower maximum write speed for audio discs than for data discs. For example, the PlexWriter 40/12/40A writes data discs at 40Xmax, but audio discs at 24X.

Average access

The heavier heads used by CD writers also mean they provide slower average access times than standard CD-ROM drives. For example, the Plextor 40/12/40A burner has an average access of 120 ms, versus 85 ms for the fastest Plextor CD-ROM drives. If you will use the burner primarily for duping CDs, average access is relatively unimportant. If you will use it heavily for reading CDs or for packet-mode access, average access time is more important. Current models range from about 120 ms to more than 300 ms average access. Buy a model ...