Disk drive. What is an optical drive and a floppy drive. Optical drive types

Most likely, testing DVD drives would be most relevant for consideration in an article devoted to optical drives, but not everything is so simple. It is unlikely that in our time of the rapid proliferation of drives that can work with DVD, any of the users will refuse to purchase them if they have enough financial resources. The only reasonable reason can only be the lack of a functional need for such drives. In this article, we will look at three CD-RW drives - devices that are not capable of working with DVD media, but allow, in addition to reading, also writing data to CDs.

Monitored drives

Mitsumi CR-488TE

The drive design is typical of all Mitsumi products in this category - there are practically no "decoration" elements. The tray has a symbol for the device type. In addition, on the front panel we see an oblong with rounded edges control button for loading / unloading media, an operating mode indicator and an output for connecting headphones with a signal level control. The rear side of the drive contains power and interface connectors, analog and digital audio outputs, a set of pins with a jumper for positioning the drive in the system.

The drive provides up to 52x CD read and write speed. For CD-RW, a rewrite mode up to 32x is provided. The buffer size is 2 MB. The claimed average access time is 100ms. The drive supports the E-IDE (ATAPI) interface. The drive can work with CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD-RW, CD-ROM XA, CD-R, CD-I, Video-CD, Photo-CD, CD-Extra, CD-UDF, CD-Text media. The drive supports Mt.Rainier and Buffer underrun prevention technologies. The overall dimensions of the drive are 148.6 x 41.8 x 193.3 mm, and the weight is 1 kg.

The approximate retail price of the drive is $ 39.

Samsung SW-252FF

The Samsung drive can be easily distinguished from similar products from other manufacturers thanks to the characteristic design of the front panel. The end part of the tray has rounded edges, and a closed contour is also highlighted on it using a raised "groove". Although there is no manufacturer's name on the front panel, there is a symbol for the device type and its speed characteristics on it, making it clear that you are dealing with a CD-RW drive. Under the tray there is a round button for loading / unloading media and a miniature LED indicator of the operating mode in a small depression. On the rear side of the case there are power and interface connectors, analog and digital audio outputs, a set of pins with a jumper for positioning the drive in the system.

The drive can read and write CD media at speeds up to 52x. For rewriting CD-RW, a mode up to 32x is provided. By the way, it is in this parameter that modification 252F differs from 252B, which supports a 24x rewrite speed. So, for whom it is important - make no mistake when buying. The buffer size is 2 MB. The declared average access time is 100 ms. The drive supports Ultra DMA Mode 2 and meets the Mt. Rainier. The drive can work with CD-R / RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM / XA, CD-ROM, Video-CD, CD-I, Photo CD, CD-Extra, CD-TEXT media. The drive is equipped with buffer underrun protection technology, and noise and vibration levels are reduced due to the DVA (Dynamic Vibration Absorber) innovation. The overall dimensions of the drive are 148.2 x 42 x 184 mm, and the weight is 0.77 kg.

The approximate retail value of the drive is $ 25.

Teac CD-W552G

The Teac drive is no problem to distinguish from other models, thanks to the manufacturer's name on the tray, there is also a symbol of belonging to the class of writing drives. Under the tray there is a rectangular media loading / unloading control button, an operating mode indicator and a headphone output along with a volume control. On the rear side of the case there are power and interface connectors, analog and digital audio outputs, a set of pins with a jumper for positioning the drive in the system. Traditionally, for optical drives from TEAC, we can note the reduced length of the case of this model, which makes life easier for the user when mounting the drive in "cramped" system blocks.

The drive provides up to 52x CD read and write speed. For CD-RW, up to 32x rewrite mode is supported. The buffer size is 2 MB. The declared average access time is 100 ms. The drive supports IDE (ATAPI) interface. The drive can work with CD-ROM Mode-1/650 MB / 700 MB, CD-DA / 74 min / 79 min, CD-RW, CD-ROM XA Mode-2 (Form-1) / 650 MB / 700 MB , CD-MRW, CD-ROM XA Mode-2 (Form-2) / 738 MB / 795 MB, CD-I, Video-CD, Photo-CD (Multisession), CD-Extra. The drive supports Mt.Rainier and Burn Proof technologies. The speed of extracting audio tracks from audio CDs reaches 52x. The dimensions of the drive are 148.4 x 42.8 x 170.0 mm, and the weight is 0.86 kg.

The approximate retail value of the drive is $ 33.

Testing technique

In order to determine the operating characteristics of the drive, the following programs and utilities were used:

• Nero CD-DVD Speed \u200b\u200bversion 3.12;
• Nero Info Tool version 2.11
• Nero CD DAE version 0.4B;
• Andre Wiethoff Exact Audio Copy (EAC) version 0.95 prebeta 5;
• Nic Wilson DVDINFOPro version 2.35;
• SlySoft CloneCD version 4.3.2.2;
• Ziff Davis Media CD WinBench 99.

The configuration of the test computer was as follows:

• System board - Intel Bonanza D875PBZ;
• Central processor - Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz;
• Hard drive - IBM DTLA-307015 15 GB;
• Graphics adapter - GeForce2 MX400 64 MB;
• RAM - 512 MB;
• Operating system - Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1 and DirectX 9.0b installed.

The drives were connected to the second IDE channel in the "master" mode.

Nero Info Tool and DVDINFOPro

Mitsumi CR-488ETE

Samsung SW-252F

TEAC CD-W552G

In the screenshots above, you can see the information that the tested drives reported about themselves. The Mitsumi CR-488ETE drive turned out to be unable to work with graphics on CDs (CD + G). Samsung device SW-252F cannot do anything with C2 errors. Only the TEAC CD-W552G "claimed" to have a complete set of useful functions.

In terms of CD WinMark, the TEAC CD-W552G drive is noticeably ahead of the other two devices, which demonstrated approximately the same results on all types of discs. Its superiority reaches approximately one and a half times the size.

Among other indicators, it can be noted that the minimum access time is in general for the Mitsumi CR-488ETE drive, and the maximum for the Samsung SW-252F.

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Basic Tests (CD)

To carry out a group of basic tests according to the worked out scheme, the following CD-carriers were used: a "stamped" CD, which comes as an application with a computer magazine, seven-hundred-megabyte CD-R and CD-RW with data recorded using the utility itself, eight hundred megabyte CD - R prepared in the same way and licensed audio CD.

The area of \u200b\u200bapplication of optical drives is not only the computers we are used to, but also the car radios, DVD players we use, and some types of optical discs use tape recorders. Even with all this, many people question the need for such devices for reading optical discs. But in order to know how correct this statement is, you must first know what an optical drive is and what capabilities it has.

The development period of the optical disc drive has more than one generation. Its work is based on a laser beam that is precisely aimed at the reflecting disc layer. This is necessary just to read information from the depressions visible only under a microscope on optical discs, in fact, to recognize information from which it is needed. Therefore, such storage media as optical discs are often called laser.

An optical reader is referred not only to the computer hardware, but also to the multimedia, and all due to the fact that the prevailing information stored on disks is multimedia directed.

What is an optical drive

Optical drive, what is it for? Regardless of the fact that this device has been used by people for a long time, not everyone knows what kind of drive it is. Let's move on to decoding the current term.
An optical disc drive or optical drive is a device that combines both mechanical and electronic components, all of which is based on the use of a laser, its function is precisely to read information from optical discs, while some representatives are also endowed with the ability to write data.

To designate an optical disc drive, synonyms are often used, it can be called an optical drive, just a drive, a floppy drive, and sometimes you hear its less common names. The term floppy drive, like many other terms associated with computers, originated from the English. Disk Drive (Disk drive), which means, in a rough formulation - sets in motion, and it spins, as mentioned earlier, it is the disks. The optical drive is not the only representative of disk drive devices, but the only one used to this day in current computer configurations.

What a standard optical drive looks like

Optical drives are by no means monotonous, which can be evidenced by the presence of their representatives not only in an ordinary system unit with the usual dimensions, but also thinner in a candy bar or laptop, moreover, the drive can be portable.

The main interfaces for connecting to a computer are SATA and USB; such drives are connected to outdated computers using IDE loops. There are other ways to connect the drive to a computer, but they are not popular.

A portable, it is also external, usually, with a USB drive connection interface, is suitable for those who like to use the disc, even if such an option is not provided in the device. In addition, such optical drives can be used on several personal computers, which is also convenient.

There are a lot of different modifications of drives, for example, with a tray, usually controlled by a button, either at the program level or with an inlet with the ability to automatically take a disc. It is worth paying attention to a small hole, usually located next to the eject button of the tray, which will help to remove the disc from the drive by dipping a needle into it and thereby activating the ejection mechanism, which is important when the computer is off or when the mechanism is stuck. There is nothing strange here, as long as a perfect technical solution most likely does not exist.

Types of optical drives and their functionality:

An important functional feature of an optical drive is determined by its type, which characterizes the work with the drive used in the future, and with it the possible capacity of the disc, the speed of writing and reading from it. For a more complete understanding of what an optical drive is and what functional diversity it has, consider the capabilities of each type.

CD drives

CD - the drive is considered the most common device for reading optical discs, it is divided into:

CD-ROM is a CD-ROM read-only device.

CD-RW - just like CD-ROM, it has the ability to read information from a disk, but in addition to reading, such devices can also write.

DVD drives

DVD - the main function of such optical drives is to use DVD discs:

DVD-ROM - can only read information, DVD-RW reads and writes, but here you need to pay attention to the fact that DVD drives can read and write operations from CD media.
A drive such as DVD - RW DL fulfills all the functions of previous DVD drives with a small bonus, which is the ability to write on double - layer discs with higher capacity.
Among DVD devices, there is one exception, which includes the combined DVD / CD-RW drive, which, in addition to reading all CD and DVD formats, can only write to CDs.

Blu-ray drive

BD-RE is an optical drive designed to read information from Blu-ray discs with a layer size of 23.3 GB. Its work in comparison with DVD devices is based on a shorter laser wavelength and blue emission spectrum, as well as an increased protective layer of discs. This layer provides high read and write reliability.

Blu-Ray technology is mainly used for storing high-definition video on such discs and, along with previous types of drives, has the ability to use CD and DVD.

HD DVD drive

There are also such types of drives as HD DVD for reading information from all types of discs except Blu-Ray and its more advanced relative HD DVD / DVDRW, which not only reads, but also writes. The main functionality of the device is represented by reading HD DVD discs and reading and writing in the case of HD DVD / DVDRW. Single-layer discs have a capacity of 15 gigabytes, and double-layer discs are 2 times larger.

The importance of an optical disc drive in a modern computer

If the average computer in the mid-90s, well, simply could not exist without such a device as an optical drive, now this is not entirely true. Although such a reader is capable of expanding the capabilities of a personal computer, it cannot be called a mandatory computer configuration.

The popularity of drives began to fall sharply with the introduction of other sources of information into the masses: such as flash memory, which takes up much less space in your pocket and, at the same time, every year, it has increased its space for storing information and is probably the most popular way to get something. the Internet has become on my computer and the development of piracy in it. Why buy something if it is much more convenient to download it on the Internet and bring it to a friend on a flash drive.

Distributing software, film music, and other variety on discs is far from the only way these information products are distributed. Even if we exclude piracy on the Internet, almost everything can be purchased in online stores and stored, for example, on a hard drive, and not on an optical one.

For some, the use of disks is a matter of habit, for someone it is the ability to use previously stored information on them, maybe someone's radio in the car does not have the ability to read from USB media, but in turn copes with reading MP3 disks , of which a huge collection has already accumulated. Of course, it's too early to throw away such devices if they are still needed.

Many people are more accustomed to buying a collectible game edition or a music album on an optical disc with beautiful packaging for their collection. Some have kept old, but not forgotten photographs, video footage from the wedding, and it is not always clear where the information will be stored longer.

For example, when assembling a computer, not everyone has the opportunity to download drivers from the official website, but if you have a drive included in the kit, then it will undoubtedly help in this situation, hardware manufacturers complete their technical products with software on a disk.

Summing up the article: what is an optical drive and a floppy drive, it becomes clear that it is too early to discount such devices. Those who do not know about them, rather, do not need to start using them, because they already did without them before. Those who know the value for themselves of drives will not get rid of them soon. Here, for everyone, their own version will be the best, and new formats of such devices present new opportunities.

How to choose a DVD drive for your computer

The fact that DVD media is slowly but surely fading into oblivion is difficult to argue. They repeat the fate of their predecessors - floppy disks and CDs. No "revolutionary" solutions like the release of double-layer or double-sided DVDs could drastically change the situation, and the digital media market in small batches goes into the hands of manufacturers of flash memory and Blu-ray discs. Nevertheless, the DVD format is still the most widespread in the distribution of movies, software, games and music (together with CDs), so the DVD drive is still considered an integral part of the personal computer.

Let's start, as usual, from scratch. A "scientific" DVD drive is an optical drive, a device designed to read and write data from digital media, which, in particular, include CD-R, CD-RW, DVD - / + R and DVD- / + RW. Many people still remember the days when a DVD burner was a luxury rather than a necessity. Today, it is practically impossible to find a read-only drive on sale, and there is no particular need for it. Even if you rarely or never use this function (recording), it has practically no effect on the final price, so it makes no sense to purchase a regular DVD drive or even a CD-ROM writer. Unless you collect them.

If you buy a computer from scratch, then by default an internal (packed in a system unit) DVD drive is included in the package. This applies to both stationary PCs and notebooks with netbooks, although the latter are equipped with their own, thinner and more expensive models of disk drives. The need for a separate purchase of a DVD drive may arise for only two reasons. Either your disk drive for some reason failed (there can be many reasons - from a factory defect to carelessness during device operation), or this model does not suit you for some parameters (noise, speed, design, compatibility), but find out it was possible only in the process of working with the drive.

Drive speed and major media formats

The question is, what can be bad about this or that drive? The main parameter that is supposedly worth paying attention to is the speed of reading and writing. For in fact, you can feel this speed only if you are going to read or write discs on a truly industrial scale. It is also worth deciding what media you will most often "feed" the device with, because the same CDs are read much slower (more than 9 times) than DVDs. It is logical to assume that if most of the information on the market today is sold on DVD media, then you will mainly shove discs of this format into the drive.

Drive speed is indicated in 1x, where 1 corresponds to 150 Kb / s for CD-ROM and 1.385 MB / s for DVD-ROM. The maximum volume of a standard CD, on which music albums and small-sized computer games (as well as databases and software) are most often found on sale now, is 700 MB. By today's standards, the size is ridiculous, but quite sufficient for recording a dozen uncompressed music tracks, text files, programs or a disc with corporate information (catalogs, prices, instructions, etc.). Theoretically, the CD reading speed is limited to 56x, but in practice this figure does not exceed 40x, because the faster the disk spins in the drive, the more noise it creates during operation.

If you often and enjoy burning discs CD-R (disposable) and CD-RW (rewritable), then your ability to read these media will be limited to 40x and 48x, or even 24x (for CD-RW). As far as writing is concerned, by default the drive will run at the highest possible speed, which can be manually changed to a lower speed. 700 megabytes usually fill up within five minutes.

Now let's turn directly to the DVDs that you will encounter most often, both in the process of reading and in the process of writing. We remind you that data exchange with DVD-media can be carried out only by means of a DVD-drive, a regular CD-ROM will not cope with this function by definition.

At the moment, the following DVDs are distinguished. This is primarily the most common DVD-ROM, which is the base for film products, games, software and other data produced and sold in series. Writing to DVD-ROM at home is not possible, read only. DVD-ROMs come in single-layer and double-layer, with capacities of 4.7 and 8.5 GB, respectively.

The most common disc format you will encounter is the one-off "blank" DVD-R and DVD + R, which are most often used to store "heavy" information like video and software. Why plus and minus? Quite simply, minus disks appeared a little earlier with the filing of the well-known company Pioneer, while the “plus” technologies belong to Sony and Phillips. The difference lies in the presence of special markings that facilitate the positioning of the drive head, and the use of other reflective material. At first, these differences were critical for the quality of multiple rewrites (of course, for DVD-RW and DVD + RW discs), but today most drive models can easily cope with any version.

The maximum speed of reading and writing to DVD-R and DVD + R discs is, depending on the drive model and the quality of the disc, from 8x to 24x, which, when fully loaded with data, will take about 4 to 8 minutes. There are also two-layer disposable discs with a DL (dual layer) prefix in the name, with a volume of 8.5 GB. However, the write speed for these "giants" is no more than 12x.

In terms of rewritable media, DVD-RW, DVD + RW and DVD-RAM are distinguished. You've probably already come across the first two: 4.7 GB disks with a maximum write speed of 8x. As for DVD-RAM, which can be written to simultaneously with the data reading process, their mass use is limited due to the prohibitive cost.

What else do you need to know about DVD drive speed? Considering the fact that this parameter of the device directly depends on the carriers used in it, it is impractical to strive to buy the fastest drive. Blanks that support high read and write speeds are expensive and are not sold everywhere. Remember that discs are extremely fragile media that are prone to scratches, chips, and other physical surface deformation. At high rotational speeds, such interference can lead to destruction of the disc, which simply shatters into fragments and can cause irreparable damage to the drive. As they say, you drive quieter - you will continue.

Features of connecting a floppy drive and sales packaging

Probably everyone has seen an ordinary internal drive. Rectangle (148x42x198 mm) without unnecessary design delights weighing under a kilogram. There are also shortened versions (for compact bodies) with lengths up to 170 mm and lightweight ones up to 750 grams. The most elegant are, of course, DVD-drives for notebooks - square dimensions (130x130 mm) with a thickness of only 13 mm and a weight of 120 grams. Nevertheless, these devices are very expensive and capricious in terms of installation, which is best left to professionals.

Exterior of laptop DVD drive

The DVD drive, being an internal device, is connected via a ribbon cable to the computer motherboard, and therefore there are two types of connection - through the parallel IDE interface or the SATA serial interface. IDE today is being replaced everywhere by the more advanced SATA, so when buying a drive separately, you should check the insides of your computer, or rather, with the connectors on the motherboard, so as not to get into trouble. New motherboards are likely to work with SATA already, so you can safely purchase the appropriate drive. What is the advantage? Theoretically - in speed. But in practice, you most likely will not notice the difference.

About the packaging. The fact that second-hand drives are not worth buying is, I hope, clear without further ado, because all computer components have their own limited resource. The store will offer you two options: OEM and Retail. OEM - “for the poor” package, which includes a plastic bag plus a disc with installation software. As part of the Retail-kit, in addition to the drive itself, you will find wires (ribbon cable), bolts, screws, blank disks, and if the manufacturer is generous, then an audio cable and even replaceable panels. Naturally, the second option will cost you a little more than the "polyethylene" one.

Manufacturers and prices

It's no secret that in the DVD drive niche, a brand or trademark often becomes the determining factor in choosing a particular device. The system unit contains many different elements, from the motherboard, video card and ending with the power supply unit and, in fact, the system case itself. But all these components, as a rule, are impersonal, because not everyone would think of going inside to see the manufacturer of a sound or motherboard. Many, not too advanced, users are more focused on specific parameters, rather than on the names of companies. With DVD drives it is different, they are just "face" to the consumer, proudly adorning the system unit with an inscription like NEC, Sony or.

There is always a lot of subjectivity in the selection of a specific brand, because few people have to test drives from different manufacturers at home. Usually, we stick with our souls to a specific model, after which we don't want to hear about its change to something else. Nevertheless, there are a lot of players in this market, which we will talk about at the end of the article.

DVD-ROM from Plextor

If you have to deal with the recording process often and in large quantities, then there are actually two options. Either constantly change cheap devices, or occasionally face the need to buy expensive models. For both, the resource is a parameter with a finite value. If you are more satisfied with the second option, then pay attention to the quality of the company Plextor, the devices of which are distinguished by high reliability and performance. The cost of Plextor drives is not the only, but the most significant reason why only a select few can afford to communicate with this brand (from 5000 rubles and more).

Roughly the same situation with the products of American companies Dell and Hewlett-Packard (HP)... Good, even remarkable quality, high operating speeds, reliability, but the price in the region of 4000-5000 rubles will please not everyone. Moreover, their products are rarely found on store shelves, and the same Dell prefers to specialize in ultra-thin laptop models.

Actuators produced with the label ASUS and Sony Optiarc (since 2006, the official merger of two companies - Sony and NEC) - strong average. At a cost of around 1000 rubles, they demonstrate high recording quality, and discs created with these drives can be read without problems by devices from other manufacturers, as well as many DVD players. Not noisy, stylish, practical - the best value for money.

Sony Optiarc DVD-RW Drive

The drives from Samsung, Toshiba and Pioneer are considered the most capricious in terms of the quality of the discs. LG drives are the best at handling scratched media. Of course, these conclusions were made in the process of testing specific models, which, as you know, can be both successful and not very good. In other words, you can be incredibly lucky and your Samsung DVD drive will be omnivorous and tireless, while the ASUS drive, which received high marks from the "experts", will stumble at every turn.

In any case, when buying a DVD drive, pay attention to three things: the package bundle (OEM or Retail), the connection method (IDE or SATA) and the speed characteristics. Well, the design, of course, because the black NEC sticking out on the white case will be striking. Each brand has its own advantages and disadvantages, but in this market, if we are not talking about elite semi-professional quality models, the main and determining factor is still the price of the device, which for the vast majority of DVD drives varies from 600 to 1500 rubles.

A big step forward at one time was the emergence of drives on recordable and then rewritable optical media. They had significantly greater functionality compared to the conventional CD-ROM drives at that time. True, their rapid distribution in system units was hindered by the high price of such models. With the passage of time, the technologies implemented in CD-RW drives have been constantly improving, and the cost of drives has been steadily decreasing. The latter process took place at a much faster pace compared to classic CD-ROM drives. The consequence of this was that the gap in price between the two types of drives at the moment has become about $ 30, which is no longer a serious obstacle to their purchase by the majority of users. The ability to burn and rewrite CDs on CD-RW models is worth the money spent on them. It is for these reasons that more and more buyers immediately prefer to purchase CD-RW drives. At the same time, those users who have CD-ROM drives change them to models with the ability to write or install the latter additionally - for working in tandem. Looking through the price lists of computer companies, you can pay attention to the fact that in terms of the number of offers for the sale of CD-RW drives are beginning to outstrip classical models. This is the best evidence of the growing popularity of recorders. On the other hand, it should be noted that combined models that allow reading DVDs and writing CDs are starting to compete with CD-RW drives. The ever-improving -RW, + RW, etc. DVD drives are also starting to play an increasing role in the market for recordable optical media. But their wider implementation is still hampered by the price factor. In our current review, we'll focus on the more familiar CD-RW drives - ten models from seven manufacturers.

BURN-Proof

One of the problems that owners of old models of CD-RW drives have faced and continue to encounter from time to time is the Buffer Under Run error. As a result, CD-R discs are irretrievably damaged during the recording process. This is due to the fact that the data from the buffer necessary for "burning" the disk begins to be "consumed" faster than it arrives there. As a result, the recording process stops at a certain point and cannot be resumed. In practice, this is due to the fact that the computer is not able to ensure the "delivery" of data to the drive buffer faster than they are used in work due to insufficient computer power in general or due to the fact that it uses some of its resources to solve any other parallel tasks. Likewise, the reason could be too high write speed of the drive itself. In all cases, the problem began to arise when a certain balance between the capabilities of the drive and the computer was violated during operation. The likelihood of such a situation hindered the wider promotion of CD-RW drives on the market, which naturally did not suit the developers. And the way out was found.
In 2000, Sanyo introduced the Burn-Proof (BufeR UndeRun ProoF) technology, which prevented disc damage in the event of an empty buffer. Its meaning is as follows. The drive controller constantly monitors the buffer status during the recording process and, if a situation arises when it can be empty, stops recording. The position at which recording was stopped is remembered. After the level of data in the buffer reaches the required level again, the write process resumes. The gap (empty area) in the place where the recording was stopped, in this case is minimized and amounts to several microns, which does not affect in any way later when reading information from a CD.
Sanyo's innovation has been supported by many optical disc drive manufacturers. They use the Burn-Proof technology directly in their drives or its modified versions under their own names. But

Overburn

Remember how one man wanted to have seven hats made from the same hide. Similar desires sometimes seize many users who are trying, by all means, to write on the carrier the amount of information that exceeds its official capacity. Let's not be too critical - in some cases it is really a shame when 5-10 megabytes do not fit on the disk, because of which you will have to take another disc. A way out in such a situation can be the use of the Overburn mode, which in translation into Russian will sound something like "overburning" or "overburning". In general, something like that. It can help you exceed the manufacturer's capacity limit for your media. The fundamental possibility of this appears due to the fact that according to the Red Book specification for audio discs, the obligatory presence of a Lead out zone was provided for, which should be recognized by all drives on optical media. This section of 90 seconds of digital silence was supposed to inform the drive about the end of all recordings. The Lead out zone is not included in the declared disk size and under certain conditions can be used, allowing you to write an extra 13-15 MB of data. In fact, this value may be even higher, but this can only be determined in practice. The exact numbers will depend on the combination of drive, media and software used. All drives have different abilities to write to discs the amount of information more than that provided by the manufacturer due to their hardware capabilities and sometimes due to a specific firmware version. Likewise, media from different manufacturers, although nominally the same capacity, may actually have different "additional" capacity. In order to perform Overburn, you will also need software that allows this procedure. Quite good opportunities for this are presented by the popular in our country program Nero - Burning Rom by Ahead Software. To do this, in the Preference option, select the Expert Features tab, put the checkbox opposite the Overburn mode item and set the maximum recording length. Before you try to "re-burn" discs at random, it's a good idea to check the media for this possibility using the CD Speed \u200b\u200bprogram that comes with Nero. Having decided to write the "excess megabytes" to the medium, you must be prepared for the fact that in certain situations you can spoil the "disc" or some of the files will not be read. In addition, it should be remembered that a disc that you have successfully "overburned" may not be readable on other drives.

UDF

Very often in life there are situations when, even with a writing drive, transferring information to CDs using special programs is not the best solution. It is much easier if the user could transfer the data he needs from a computer to optical media in the drive, treating them like ordinary floppy disks. Probably, guided by approximately the same considerations, the OSTA (Optical Storage Technology Association) organization at one time showed concern for neighbors and proposed in 1995 the UDF (Universal Disk Format) specification, which in turn became an integral part of the ECMA 197 standard. The goal of developing a universal disk format became the maximization of data exchange, minimization of cost and usability. The shadow side of this technical solution is the loss of about one-sixth of the storage capacity for the file system.

Mount rainier

The Mount Rainier specification was proposed by the group of the same name, which includes such well-known manufacturers as Compag, Microsoft, Philips and Sony. The new standard got its name from the Rainier Mountain in Oregon, at the foot of which is the headquarters of Microsoft. Another designation for this format is the abbreviation CD-MRW (CD Mount Rainier Rewrite). This new open standard is another step forward from UDF. It should have better support from the operating system and have increased compatibility and performance from CD-RW drives. All users will be able to work with files in the usual drag and drop mode. Actuators that pass the 100% test of compliance with the new standard receive the "EASYwrite" logo. Microsoft plans to provide full support for this technology in the next version of its operating system, codenamed "Longhorn".

The main advantages of Mount Rainier are as follows:

Formatting in the background. In order to transfer information to CD-RW using the UDF packet write method, you must first format the disc. According to the Mount Rainier standard, recording to media can be started before formatting is complete, which will occur in the background.

CD-RWs can be removed from the drive at any time, even during formatting. The process will continue automatically the next time the disc is loaded into the drive.

Unlike continuous packet writing methods that use 64KB chunks, Mount Rainier is based on 2KB chunks. This greatly increases the efficiency of disk space utilization and reduces the time required to copy files.

Unlike UDF, which supports software defect administration, Mount Rainier specifies that this procedure is performed at the hardware level and assigned to the recorder. The result is freeing up system memory and processing power for other tasks.

ATIP (Absolute Time in Pre-Groove)

All optical CD-R and CD-RW media on sale have a special area on the surface in the non-working area (pre-written section) where some service information recorded by the manufacturer is stored. this area contains information about the manufacturer, batch number and some characteristics of the disc. The latter may include information about the disc type (for example, audio only), dye type, disc capacity, supported write speeds, absolute Lead-in time, the last address where information can be written, manufacturer's recommendations for optimal laser power, etc. P. In addition, a special spiral track ensures correct positioning of the recording head and provides the recording drive with timing information.
In practice, not only media from the same batch may have slightly different properties from each other, but even the characteristics of the working surface of the disk in different areas may vary somewhat. For this reason, many modern drives are not limited only to reading information from ATIP for high-quality recording, but use a number of special technologies for this purpose. This is also quite reasonable from the point of view that some of the information in ATIP may not always correspond to reality. This is due to the fact that some manufacturers of "blanks" purchase dies for their production in other companies, and the information posted on the discs sold later will refer only to the master disc of the company that made it.

Testing technique

Recorder drives differ from read-only models in the presence of a large number of additional features. For this reason, their testing is based on a group of tests used for "reading" drives, plus additional tests to determine their "writing" properties.
CD Winbench 99 ver. 1.1.1 of the company was used to determine the CD-ROM WinMark 99 indicator, which reflects the performance of hard drives and a number of more specific tests that determine the speed of reading data from the surface of the media with plotting, access time and processor load factor. In order to better identify the ability of the drives to work with various types of media, copies were made from a branded stamped CD on CD-R and CD-RW discs and all tests were duplicated with their help.
Nero CD Speed \u200b\u200bhas been used for the vast majority of tests. With its help, a complete set of basic tests was carried out with four types of media. Their roles were: a standard stamped disc as an attachment to a computer magazine, a CD-R disc with data recorded using the CD Speed \u200b\u200bprogram itself, a CD-RW disc with an Mpeg4 movie recorded on it, and a licensed audio disc. In addition, a number of specialized tests were carried out. First, the ability of the drive to operate in Overburn mode was determined. For this purpose, we emulated recording on CD-R media Memorex 8X and TDK 48X. Secondly, the Advanced DAE Quality Test was carried out using an audio disc specially prepared using the CD Speed \u200b\u200bprogram. It allows you to evaluate how well the drive is able to "extract" audio tracks. Thirdly, a CD Quality Test was carried out for the ability of drives to work with media with mechanical damage to the working surface. For this, a specially prepared scratched disc was used. Fourthly, a Transfer Rate test was carried out in emulation mode on a blank CDR media.
The CD ROM Drive Analyzer utility version 2.32 was used to capture the transfer schedule from the surface of discs (stamped, CD-R, CD-RW).
CD DAE was used to determine the speed and quality of extracting audio tracks from an audio disc.
The CloneCD utility was used to determine the time required to create an image from an audio disc on a hard drive and the time required to copy it to a CD-RW medium.
Sandra 2003 Professional was used to determine the performance index when working with two stamped CDs. One comes as an attachment to the magazine and the second with a film in Mpeg4 format.
Nero Burning Rom version 5.5.10.0 was used to time the required drive to burn Mpeg4 movies to CD-R and CD-RW media.
Finally, the Nero InCD utility version 3.5.9.1 was used to study the operation of drives with media in packet writing mode. We measured the time required to format CD-RW discs according to UDF and Mount Rainier standards, as well as the speed of transferring data to these media from the hard drive.
In addition to the test programs, two information utilities were used - Nero Info Tool version 1.0.3.2 to determine the hardware capabilities of the drives and CD-R Diagnostic version 1.7.2, which shows information about the media recorded by the manufacturer.
The list of the aforementioned tests does not claim to be absolute, nor is it the ultimate truth. You can only take into account those that inspire you more confidence. All drives have been tested as received (AS IS). This means that the firmware of the drives was not changed, and the Plextor models worked in the “default” speed mode specified by the manufacturer.

Test platform configuration:

Motherboard - Elitegroup K7S5A
Processor - Athlon 700 MHz
RAM - 128 MB SDRAM
Graphics adapter - ATI Radeon 8500 64 MB
Hard Drive - IBM DTLA 3070 30 GB UDMA / 5

All drives were connected to the second IDE channel and worked with UDMA system settings as Master. The operating system was Windows XP with Service Pack 1 installed.
To test the Plextor PX-W4824TU external drive with USB 2.0 interface, we used an EpoX EP-8K9A motherboard and 128 MB DDR SDRAM. All other elements of the system remained the same.
The absence of data in the tables with the final results indicates that this test was not performed or failed for some reason.

Monitored drives

Technical data table. Part 1

Model	Read / write and overwrite modes	Read / overwrite / write speed X	Interface	Buffer size MB
NEC NR-9200A	n / a	40/12/40	ATAPI (E-IDE)	2
SONY CRX175E	n / a	40/24/10	ATAPI (E-IDE)	2
Mitsumi CR-48XETE	n / a	48/12/48	ATAPI (E-IDE)	2
TEAC CD-W548E	CAV and CLV / P-CAV and CLV	48/16/48	ATAPI (E-IDE)	2
Yamaha CRW-F1	CAV	44/24/44	ATAPI (E-IDE)	8
Plextor PX-W4824TA	CAV and CLV / CAV, P-CAV and CLV	48/24/48	ATAPI (E-IDE)	4
Plextor PX-W4824TU	CAV and CLV / CAV, P-CAV and CLV	48/24/48	USB 2.0	4
Plextor PX-W4012TA	CAV / Z-CLV and CLV	40/12/40	ATAPI (E-IDE)	4
ASUS CRW-5224A	CAV / CAV and P-CAV	52/24/52	ATAPI (E-IDE)	2
ASUS CRW-4816A	CAV / P-CAV and CLV	48/16/48	ATAPI (E-IDE)	2

Technical data table. Part 2

Model	Access time ms	Support for Mt. Rainier	Headphone output	Cost $
NEC NR-9200A	n / a	no	no	60
SONY CRX175E	n / a	no	Yes	51
Mitsumi CR-48XETE	n / a	no	Yes	60
TEAC CD-W548E	100 average	Yes	Yes	80
Yamaha CRW-F1	130 average	Yes	Yes	117
Plextor PX-W4824TA	65 average	Yes	Yes	120
Plextor PX-W4824TU	65 average	Yes	Yes	220
Plextor PX-W4012TA	120 average.	no	Yes	120
ASUS CRW-5224A	100 typical	Yes	Yes	83
ASUS CRW-4816A	100 typical	Yes	Yes	70

ASUS CRW-4816A

ASUSTeK has recently begun to pay great attention to the appearance of its products. This is clearly seen in the drive design. Everything that can be squeezed out of his image so that he becomes one of the faces of the company has been done. The name of the manufacturer and the speed characteristics of the model are written on the tray. It is also stamped with two thin horizontal grooves that improve the aesthetic perception of the drive. The maximum possible functionality of the drive is easy to see from the front panel. There, in addition to the obligatory push-out button, there is also a second one designed to move between tracks. Both keys are made in the form of graceful thin rectangles. There are also two LEDs for operating modes. A headphone jack and a volume control complete the picture. The rear of the drive has a standard look with a little addition. In addition to the interface, power, digital and analog audio connectors, as well as a block of pins for setting the operating mode, there is another set of six pins in the left corner for factory testing. The body has four stamped grooves to increase its rigidity.
The drive can read and write discs at up to 48X, and rewrite at up to 16X. The buffer size is standard and is equal to 2 MB. A number of proprietary technologies are implemented in the drive. FlextraSpeed \u200b\u200bis designed to provide high quality recordings in situations where the discs being used require variable speed. The drive uses this technology to automatically adjust the speed depending on the media being recorded. The results of its application are the maximum use of the capabilities of the drive, minimization of CPU usage and improvement of acoustic performance with an extension of the life cycle of the electric motor.
FlextraLink technology is essentially a variation on the BURN-Proof software. It is also designed to prevent media corruption caused by buffer underruns. During recording, the state of the buffer is continuously monitored, and if the amount of data in it starts to make up approximately 1% of the total volume, the process stops and the place of stopping is remembered. When the buffer is full, recording resumes from the last position. FlextraLink uses a minimum amount of system resources and the computer remains usable with other applications.
Another of the proprietary innovations implemented in the drive is DDSS II (Double Dynamic Suspension System). This is the second generation anti-vibration system designed to stabilize the drive's readhead in both horizontal and vertical directions, making positioning and focusing more accurate. The DDSS II technology also results in reduced vibration noise and improved disc reading and playback. The system is based on the use of a dynamic mass design.
In addition to the above technologies, the AI \u200b\u200bAuto Speed \u200b\u200bAdjustment system implemented in the drive can be noted. It automatically adjusts the reading speed in accordance with the quality of certified media in different formats.
Finally, it should be noted and support for the Mount Rainier standard.
The model is supplied with an instruction manual, a quick installation guide, an IDE cable (UDMA / 33), an audio cable, a set of mounting screws, a wire extractor, a CD with Nero software and two blank discs (CD-R and CD-RW ). Everything you need to start a full-fledged work on the drive after purchase.

ASUS CRW-5224A

The fastest model in the ASUS recorder family. The design of the drive is completely identical to the previous drive. Nice and original front panel. The wide functionality of the model will appeal to fans of listening to audio CDs through headphones. Fortunately, in addition to the corresponding connector for connecting them with a volume control, there is also a button for switching from track to track. Two indicator lights make it easy to monitor operating modes. ASUS inscription on the tray indicating the speed modes will always let your friends and acquaintances understand without words which drive is installed in your computer. On the rear side of the case are the usual interfaces for connecting power and IDE cables, digital and analog audio connectors, a block of pins for selecting the operating mode and six additional pins used for factory testing. The body has four stamped grooves to increase its rigidity.
The drive can read and write at 52X high speed and overwrite at up to 24X. The buffer size is 2 MB. There is no difference in technological equipment between this drive and the previous generation CRW-4816A model. The drive features the same proprietary innovations. FlextraSpeed \u200b\u200bautomatically selects the optimum recording speed. FlextraLink technology protects against the potential for buffer underruns. The second generation DDSS system reduces vibration and promotes positioning and focusing accuracy. AI Auto Speed \u200b\u200bAdjustment Technology allows the drive to automatically select the optimum reading speed. Mount Rainier technology will allow you to work with media like regular floppy disks.
Includes a user manual, a quick installation guide, an IDE cable (UDMA / 33), an audio cable, a set of mounting screws, a wire extractor, a CD with Nero software, and two blank discs (CD-R and CD-RW ).

Mitsumi CR-48XETE

The design of this drive can be called not very expressive, which is generally typical of Mitsumi drives. On the front panel, in addition to the standard tray pull button, there is a headphone jack with a volume control and an operating mode indicator. There are no brand names or model names. The rear side of the drive looks familiar. There are power and IDE interfaces, digital and analog audio connectors, a block with pins and a jumper to set the operating mode. In addition, there is a block of six more pins intended for factory testing. Unlike other models, it is located on the right, next to the power interface.
The Mitsumi drive can read and write at up to 48X and overwrite at up to 12X. The buffer size is equal to two megabytes. Unfortunately, there is no information about this particular model on the manufacturer's website.
The OEM version does not include anything with the drive.

NEC NR-9200A

The NEC drive with the NR-9200A index turned out to be quite difficult, or rather impossible to say, to find on the corporate WEB-site. It is possible that this model is intended only for supply to OEM partners and not for retail sales. Nevertheless, it is sold in our country, and we will try to tell everything we have learned about it.
The drive design is very austere. It can be seen that no attempts were made to somehow diversify it. The only thing that may interest a number of users in this aspect is the black color of the front panel. This performance is not so common. At the same time, on the market you can find a fairly large number of cases in colors other than white. And then a little problem arises. Standard recorders with white bezels do not look very nice in dark cases. The way out of the situation can be models similar in color to the NEC NR-9200A. However, the drive we are considering can alienate some potential buyers with its minimal functionality. The front panel only has a drawer pull button. There is no headphone output so beloved by many users. There is only one operating mode indicator on the panel. The rear side of the drive presents us with a completely familiar picture. There are power, interface connectors, digital and analog audio connectors, as well as a block of pins designed to set the operating mode.
The drive is capable of reading and writing (CDR) discs at up to 40X and rewriting CD-RWs at up to 12X. The buffer size is 2 MB.
The complete set of the drive is zero, except for its element in a plastic bag. There is nothing unusual about this. The model has an OEM design and, accordingly, nothing comes with it.

Plextor PX-W4012TA

Plextor has long been deservedly considered one of the leading developers of optical drives. Three of her models were included in this review.
The drive's design makes it immediately recognizable as a Plextor product. On the end of the tray, the PleXWriter 40/12 / 40TA inscription is applied in blue letters, which also allows you to evaluate its technical capabilities. In order to somehow revive the appearance of the white front panel, there is a narrow horizontal groove on it. The latter houses the tray pull button, headphone jack, volume control and LED indicator. The back side of the drive is made entirely according to the standard scheme. It has power, interface, digital and analog audio connectors, as well as a block with a jumper for setting the operating mode. On the latter, using an additional jumper, you can disable the default Ultra DMA mode and switch the drive to Multiword DMA.
The drive allows reading and writing (CD-R) discs at 40X and rewriting CD-RW discs in 12X mode. The buffer size is 4 MB. In order to ensure high-quality operation of the drive, it uses Plextor proprietary technologies. BURN-Proof provides protection against buffer underrun errors during write. When the level of data in it decreases to 10%, the process stops and resumes when the amount of data increases.
PoweRec-II (Plextor Optimized Writing Error Reduction Control) innovation is a further development of the proprietary PoweRec technology. Its main difference from its predecessor is the use of a special "smart" algorithm that checks the quality of the media at every stage of the recording process. This continuously maintains the optimum recording speed combined with the highest quality. A feedback mechanism, implemented through the firmware, allows you to track the results of the recording process so that they always meet quality standards. PoweRec-II technology is actually a kind of symbiosis of several innovations. It is based on a combination of PoweRec, OPC, Z-CLV recording methods, as well as the Buffer Underrun Proof system. In practice, the application of PoweRec technology is as follows. When recording starts, the drive uses OPC to determine the optimum power in the first section of the Z-CLV. At the end of the first phase, the drive uses Buffer Underrun Proof technology to stop recording. Then PoweRec-II checks the data recorded at the end of the zone for the quality of the recording. If the recording quality is sufficient to increase the speed, then it increases until the next zone starts recording. In a similar way, recording occurs in the future. With each step, the speed increases until it reaches the optimal speed. After each step, the drive tests the media to make sure it supports faster write speeds.
VariRec (Variable Recordung) technology is designed to maximize audio recording quality. It allows you to manually change the laser power. This makes it possible to optimally adjust the recording level for the audio player, on which the disc will then be listened to. VariRec is used in Track-at-Once (TAO) and Disk-at-Once (DAO) modes. CD_DA discs on CD-R media are written in this case at 4X speed, although in many cases the nominal speed could be higher. Thus, the cost of using VariRec technology is a longer audio recording process.
The complete set of the model immediately provides all the minimum necessary for the work of its buyer. In addition to the drive, the box contains an operating manual, mounting screws, an audio cable, an interface cable (UDMA 33), an additional jumper, a wire extractor, and two CDs. One of them contains the programs Nero and InCD, and the second contains a set of proprietary Plex Tools software. In order to get started right away, the drive comes with five CD-R and one CD-RW disc. As you can see from the above, everything is thought out to the smallest detail.

Plextor PX-W4824TA

This model practically does not differ in appearance from the previous one. Absolutely identical design. The difference in drives installed in the system unit can be seen only by the inscription on the end part of the tray - PleXWriter 48/24 / 48A. On the horizontal groove of the front of the case, there is a tray extension button, a headphone jack, an audio recording level control and an operating mode indicator. On the back there is a standard set of connectors: power, interface, digital audio, analog audio, and a drive configuration block. In the latter, you can turn off the UDMA mode using an additional jumper and switch the drive to Multiworld DMA.
The model is one of the fastest in the Plextor product line. The drive can read and write (CDR) discs at up to 48X (CD-RW reads up to 40X), and rewrite CDRWs at 24X. The buffer size is 4 MB. The drive incorporates many of Plextor's proprietary designs to maximize performance and stability. BURN-Proof prevents disc damage during the recording process.
PoweRec-II (Plextor Optimized Writing Error Reduction Control) innovation provides high quality recording. This is achieved by the fact that the drive automatically identifies the media inserted into it and selects the best recording mode for it. The list of media previously tested by Plextor with optimal recording modes is stored in the firmware and is updated when it is updated. In practice, it happens like this. When a "blank" disk is inserted into the drive, information is read from ATIP. Further, the manufacturer, model and special properties of the media are identified. The received information is compared with the catalog of media stored in the "firmware". The media parameters are determined. PoweRec selects the write strategy - laser power and write speed, in accordance with the preset optimal modes for a given disc. The drive then performs an OPC (Optimum Power Control) procedure in order to most accurately adjust the laser power. To do this, the drive writes 15 blocks in a special spare area of \u200b\u200bthe disc using a fixed range of power levels (15 values). Then the recorded data is analyzed and the reflectivity of the "burned" recording elements (pits) in each of the blocks is checked. Too much reflectivity means that the power is too low, and too little reflectivity means too much power. In this way the drive tries to accommodate individual differences between discs defined as "compatible media". Then PoweRec continuously monitors the recording quality in real time, working together with the launched OPC system, which is designed to take into account possible changes in the quality of the working layer of the disc.
SpeedRead technology allows the user to independently enable the data reading mode at the highest speed. The default read speed is 40X, but 48X mode can be used for stamped discs and CD-Rs. In order to turn on the SpeedRead mode manually, you must hold down the tray eject button for more than three seconds. The indicator light will blink green three times and the tray will slide out of the chassis. The SpeedRead mode can also be disabled manually. To do this, simply pull out the tray again or turn off the power to the drive. Another way to enable high-speed mode is software. The proprietary utilities PlexTools are used for this. If the SpeedRead mode is turned on for the categories of discs for this purpose, the reading will still occur at a speed not exceeding 40X. These default speed limits are made to avoid damage to the drive in the event of substandard media. An interesting feature of this model is the ability to perform Self-Test Diagnostics. True, for this procedure, you will have to remove the drive from the system unit, or at least provide yourself access to its rear side with connectors. Then it is necessary to disconnect the cables, close the pins in the Cable Select and Slave positions with two jumpers at the same time. Then you need to reconnect the power cable and while pressing the Eject key, turn on the computer's power. The LCD indicator will blink green and the tray will slide out of the chassis. After that, you need to put a "blank" CD-R disc from the list recommended by Plextor. Then the self-diagnosis procedure begins. If it goes well, then the disc slides out on the tray. In case of problems, the disk does not come out, the LED blinks green once - a write or read error, or twice - an initialization error. The last technical nuance of this model is that the black color of the inner part of the tray was not chosen by chance, but in order to reduce jitter and improve the recording quality. A drive of this level, as you would expect, supports the Mount Rainier technology.
The drive package includes an instruction manual, a quick installation guide, an IDE cable (UDMA 33), a set of mounting screws, a disc extractor, a blank CD-R disc, and a CD with a software kit. The list of the latter is quite extensive and allows you to fully satisfy the needs of the user who bought the drive. The software package includes Roxio Easy CD Creator, Roxio DirectCD, SimpliCD by Oak Tecnologies, Plextor Liquid Player, Stomp Click'N Design 3d.

Plextor PX-W4824TU

The only external model in our review is the drive from Plextor. There are not many USB 2.0 drives on sale in the Russian market. Therefore, the drive aroused particular interest - whether it can really compete in performance with models that have the same declared speed, but use the familiar ATAPI interface. The design of the model is very stylish. The silver metal case has a matte sheen. The front and rear body panels are made of gray plastic and have rounded edges. On the upper part of the case, the name of the manufacturer and the brand of the model with all its characteristics are printed. The front panel of the drive is black. It has a tray pull button, a headphone jack and a sound level control in it. The operating mode indicator is one. On the end of the tray the inscription PlexWriter 48/24 / 48U is applied. A horizontal groove in which the aforementioned organs are located slightly enlivens the standard appearance of the front panel. Due to the fact that the model has an external design, the appearance of its rear side differs significantly from standard drives. There are power and self-diagnosis buttons. In addition, the rear panel contains connectors: for connecting a 12V power supply, USB and two composite audio (left and right). For the convenience of working with the drive, on the upper part of the case, on this side, there are labels with information about the organs that are under them. Inspection of the drive and work with it allow us to note the thoughtfulness of its design. Quite a large weight (over 2 kg) and four small rubber-like pads on the underside of the case increase the stability of the platform and allow you to minimize vibration during operation, and, consequently, to achieve higher quality and efficiency during the operation of this model. Another aspect of the drive design is the low noise level and smooth movement of the tray.
The operating parameters of the model are almost identical to the previous one. A suspicion creeps in that this drive is completely in line with the PX-W4824TA and they are siblings, and the difference lies only in the interface and external image. Anyway, both models identify themselves the same in the Nero Info Tool. The drive can read and write (CD-R) discs at up to 48X and rewrite CD-RWs at up to 24X. The buffer size is 4 MB. All the best Plextor technologies are implemented in the model. BURN-Proof will provide buffer underrun protection. PoweRec innovation will allow you to achieve maximum recording quality. VariRec technology is designed to improve the quality of audio recordings. Just like the previous model, you can increase the read speed from the default 40X to 48X with the SpeedRead function. Self-diagnosis mode is also possible. The tray is black to reduce jitter and improve the quality of recordable discs. The drive supports Mount Rainier technology.
The high characteristics of the drive, declared by the manufacturer, can only be realized using the direct USB 2.0 interface (Hi-Speed \u200b\u200bUSB). This remark is made so that you purchase this drive specifically for it. It can also work with USB 1.1, but the speed in this case will be several times lower and the money spent on this, in general, not cheap model will be spent inefficiently.
The drive comes with a power adapter, an instruction manual, a USB cable, a special wire extractor for ejecting discs from the drive, and two CDs. One with programs Nero Burning ROM and InCD, and the second with proprietary software Plex Tools. When purchasing this model, its owners can immediately start working. To do this, the box with the drive contains five blank CDs and one CD-RW disc. Finally, it can be noted that the high price of this drive - $ 230 makes it not very affordable, even for the majority of computer owners with a USB 2.0 interface and no need to purchase special controllers.

SONY CRX175E

The model has a rather nice "soft" design. A similar impression is created by the rounded corners of the tray and the Eject button on the front panel made in the same style. Audiophiles will love the headphone output and volume control. The operating mode indicator is one. The rear side of the drive is made according to the generally accepted scheme. There are power and interface connectors, as well as digital and analog audio interfaces. The picture is completed by a block of pins with a jumper to set the operating mode. Unfortunately, we could not find information on this particular model on the manufacturer's website.
Sony drive is not the latest generation model. Its speed characteristics are quite modest today. The read speed can be up to 40X and the write limit is 24X. Overwriting is possible at 10X speed. The buffer size is 2 MB.
OEM delivery does not include any drive equipment.

TEAC CD-W548E

The fastest model in the TEAC family of recorders has a completely traditional corporate design. The front panel is not very special. In addition to the tray pull button, headphone jack and volume control, which is quite usual, we can only note the presence of two LEDs for operating modes. There are no hints on the manufacturer on the front panel. On the top of the drive, four transverse grooves are stamped at once, which, apparently, is designed to increase the rigidity of the case and reduce vibrations. The back of the drive is made almost according to the traditional scheme. We have to make a reservation due to the fact that in addition to the interface and power connectors, a block of pins for setting operating modes, as well as digital and analog audio connectors, there is another set of pins (6 pieces) in the left edge, intended for factory testing.
The drive can read and write discs at up to 48X and rewrite CD-RWs at up to 16X. The buffer size is 2 MB. The drives use proprietary TEAC technologies.
Fine Focus Control allows you to minimize deviations in laser focusing in various modes. The laser beam is positioned strictly at a given position at all write speeds, significantly improving the quality of this process.
Intelligent Speed \u200b\u200bControl is another innovation that allows for high recording stability. This system allows you to test the condition of the media before starting the recording process and use a number of its parameters to determine the maximum possible recording speed with the best quality. For this purpose, an estimate of the number of tracks, disc balance, laser power, disc type, possible vibration at high speed can be used.
Like all modern models, the drive has protection against errors related to buffer underrun during writing - it implements Bufer-under-run Prevention technology.
Compliance with the Mount Rainier specification can make life much easier for future owners of this model.
The drive we are considering was in OEM version, which in this case means the absence of any accessories in its package.

Yamaha CRW-F1

Yamaha is one of the leading developers of optical drives with original technical solutions. The CRW-F1 is no exception. The design of the drive is generally closer to the standard, but it is noticeable that Yamaha made certain attempts to personalize its product. There is a horizontal groove in the lower part of the faceplate with two thin slots in it. The tray extension key is made in the form of a thin flat rectangle. The only indicator light shows in blue and purple. It seems like a trifle, but still a nice detail that gives some individuality to the acquired drive. Lovers of listening to audio discs will not be disappointed either. The front panel has a headphone jack and a volume control. The drive brand is easily identified by the Yamaha lettering on the tray. The back of the case has a standard look. All connectors are made according to the standard scheme.
The model has 44X read and write speeds and 24X rewrite speeds. This drive has a large buffer size of 8 megabytes. This solution is one of three key components of SafeBurn's proprietary innovation, designed to combine maximum write speed with high process reliability. The buffer is large enough to store a large amount of data, which reduces the likelihood of buffer underruns. Buffer Under Run Protection prevents the possibility of a buffer underrun error. The gap when recording is stopped is about 1 µm. The last, third element of SafeBurn technology is Optimum Wright Speed \u200b\u200bControl. It automatically adjusts the recording speed for a specific type of media.

One of the exclusive technologies introduced for the first time in the CRW-F1 is [email protected], which can be translated into Russian roughly like a disk tattoo. Its meaning is about the same as tattoos on humans. In normal mode, write drives leave discs on the surface, burned-out areas of information 0.001 mm in size, which cannot be seen by the human eye. Technology [email protected] allows you to increase this size up to 0.1 mm and, after the end of recording on the disc, drawing graphics and text on its unused external areas. Whether it is necessary or not is up to you. Not all people want to walk with a tattoo. Moreover, there are some restrictions on the type of media suitable for this purpose. In addition, the creation of such images on disks "finalizes" them and makes them unsuitable for further recording of data on them.
Another interesting proprietary innovation implemented in this model is Advanced Audio Master Quality Recording. Through its use, a number of goals are achieved. These include improving sound quality, extending the lifespan of audio discs, extending the life of discs with backup information, limiting skips and pops in mobile CD players, improving compatibility with older CD players, protecting your valuable data. The effect of using the Advanced Audio Master Quality Recording technology is achieved by reducing the jitter level by 30%, using wider elements of information storage (pits and lands). The CRW-F1 supports this innovation in addition to the original 4X writing speed, but also 1X and 8X modes.
The drive is capable of recording and rewriting using Full CAV technology. A constant rotational speed is maintained on the inside and outside of the discs. The spindle of the electric motor spins CD-R discs at an angular speed of 8700 rpm during the recording process. A 700MB disc can be written in 163 seconds. To a certain extent, high-quality recording at high speed is achieved through the use of a special damping mechanism, which significantly reduces vibration and noise.
The new YDC-132-VLSI chip plays an important role in improving the technical characteristics of the drive, which, according to the figurative expression of the developers, is the heart and brain of this model. A number of key technologies are supported with this chip:

laser power control
disk rotation control
CAV recording strategy
[email protected]
Advanced Audio Master Quality Recording

The drive supports Mount Rainier technology.
In OEM version, the actuator is supplied without any accessories.

Optical drive or a CD-ROM drive is an optical-mechanical device designed to read information from compact discs of 8 and 12 cm in size.Modern CD drives are universal, in addition to reading, they can also write various kinds of information to discs of various formats : single-use and reusable CD-disks (CD-R and CD-RW), single-use and reusable DVD-disks (DVD-R and DVD-RW).

How an optical drive works

The main element of the drive is an optical system that forms a laser beam that reads information from a rotating medium. The information on the CD is recorded in the form of a spiral track, on which microscopic depressions are burned with a laser beam. In the case of mass production of data disks, information on them is entered by stamping from a special matrix.

If you look at the surface of the disk through a microscope, you can see alternating tubercles and pits, from which the laser beam is reflected with different intensities - more from the tubercle, less from the fossa. And given the fact that the computer processes information in binary notation (encoded with a sequence of zeros and ones), then in the alternation of pits and tubercles, data can be recorded in a certain way. Here, the bump acts as a unit, and the indentation represents a binary zero.

CD-ROM drive

The most common CD-ROM drives today are internal bay devices, the so-called 5.25-inch optical drives. Here 5.25 inches is the size of the large bay in the computer case for installing devices.

Inside the iron case are an electronic board, motors for rotating the disk and the optical system, the optical system itself for reading and writing to a CD. The back of the drive contains connectors for connecting to the motherboard and for power. On the front panel there is a slide-out tray for inserting a CD-ROM, a button to extend / close the tray and a read / write indicator.

Your computer will most likely have at least one optical drive that you can insert a DVD or CD into the output tray.

Alternative to optical drives

Recently, the popularity of CD-ROMs for a computer has fallen sharply due to the massive distribution of other types of storage media, primarily flash memory or other "flash drives". The popularity of flash drives is associated with their low cost, sufficient memory and read / write speed. In addition, external hard drives are widely used to store a large amount of information.