10.6 Our Picks
The
era of CD-ROM drives is rapidly drawing to a close. Many
manufacturers have ceased production of CD-ROM drives, particularly
ATAPI models, to concentrate instead on producing CD writers and
DVD-ROM drives, although first-rate drives made by companies like
Hitachi, Panasonic, and Toshiba are likely to remain in limited
distribution for some time. Most of the ATAPI CD-ROM drives still
being produced are third-rate products made by Pacific Rim
manufacturers, and should be avoided. DVD-ROM drives read CDs, so for
most systems a DVD-ROM drive and/or a CD-RW drive is a better and
more flexible choice than a CD-ROM drive. One stronghold of CD-ROM
drives remains, however, because the best CD-ROM drives provide
superior speed and quality for digital audio extraction and
duplicating CDs. Here are the CD-ROM drives we recommend:
- ATAPI CD-ROM drive
-
None. For entry-level systems and
undemanding applications, use an ATAPI DVD-ROM drive. For mainstream
systems, install an ATAPI DVD-ROM drive and an ATAPI CD-RW drive, or
a combination ATAPI DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive. See Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 for more
information.
- SCSI CD-ROM drive
-
Plextor UltraPleX
40X. Plextor makes the best SCSI
CD-ROM drives, bar none. In addition to being the fastest drives
available, Plextor drives are built like tanks and provide faster and
higher-quality DAE than any other drives we know of. The $100
PX-40TSi UltraPleX 40max supports 20 MB/s burst-mode UltraSCSI
transfers, provides true 24X DAE with bit-by-bit accuracy, and is a
superb source drive for duplicating CDs. The $115 Plextor PX-40TSUWi
UltraPleX 40X Wide drive is the same drive, but with a Wide UltraSCSI
(40 MB/s) interface. Both of these models are available in external
versions at a slightly higher price. If extracting high-quality
digital audio quickly or duplicating CDs perfectly is important to
you, it's worth installing a SCSI host adapter and a
Plextor SCSI CD-ROM drive. (http://www.plextor.com)
For updated recommendations, visit:
http://www.hardwareguys.com/picks/cdrom.html
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