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Build Computers:
Choosing a DVD / CD Player
There's not a lot of differences between today's CD-ROM drives, so it's usually ok to get whatever you find at a good price. A good CD-ROM reference is CDSpeed2000. For example, their CD-ROM Data Speed chart shows the actual measured speed for numerous CD-ROM drives, and their CD-ROM FAQ Page is helpful. Oftentimes a CD-ROM drive is sold under another name, so it may not be immediately obvious what it is you're really buying. For example, a Digital Research CD-ROM is actually the same as an Afreey CD-ROM drive.
32x/10x/40x. These numbers refer to the transfer rate of data. A speed of "1x" corresponds to 150 kilobytes of data per second. The three numbers in the speed rating correspond to the speed of writing CD-R discs, writing CD-RW discs, and reading CDs respectively.
CD-RW CD-ROM Labs is an excellent source of information on the latest CD and DVD drives. be sure to check out their CD-ROM and CD-RW Reviews page. This page catalogs almost every drive ever made. Also, each review is very consistent which makes it easy to compare the reviews of different CD-ROM or CD-RW drives. For CD-RW drives, the reviews also cover the installation, use and features of the packaged software to burn CD's.
The most important considerations in purchasing a DVD-RW drive when building your own computer is to get a quality drive that supports both the DVD dash and DVD plus format. This will ensure the greatest compatibility today and in the future. There are other things to look for as well.
Any DVD-RW device should provide the same functionality as a CD-RW device, namely to read CD's (CD-ROM), to write once CD's (CD-R) and to write a CD multiple times (CD-RW). But the speed of these three CD-RW functions may vary from one DVD-RW device to another. Be sure to check the CD-RW speed ratings of the DVD-RW device so you know what you're getting.
The retail package of a DVD-RW drive should include software. Some DVD-RW drives will provide a better software package than others. A DVD-RW drive has very useful purposes. The most common DVD uses include making system backups and video support, such as video capture, video editing and video production. It's a big bonus if the DVD-RW drive not only includes software that supports all of these uses, but that the software is top-rated software. And the software should also include support for making audio CD's since, don't forget, the DVD-RW drive is also a CD-RW drive.
I recommend using a DVD-RW/CD-RW combo drive when you build your own computer. With prices so low it no longer makes sense to have a CD-RW drive and a separate DVD-RW drive. It also reduces the heat and power burden on the computer. The installation procedure for the drive itself is the same for either a DVD-RW or CD-RW drive.
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