When choosing a CD Drive, the first thing you need to determine is what you will use the drive for. For example, if you need a drive that will play music CD’s, then a normal CD ROM will do just fine. If you are someone who plans on watching DVD movies on your computer, you’ll need a drive that supports DVD, not just a normal CD drive.
Aside from watching movies, DVD’s are also used to store other types of data, and significantly more than a standard CD. A single layer DVD holds 4.7 GB, whereas a dual layer holds about 8.55 GB.
Below are the standard disc types supported by most drives:
DVD+RDL ROM: DVD and CD reading, DVD dual layer recording of +R format
CD ROM: CD reading only
DVD-RW ROM: DVD and CD reading, DVD recording and rewriting in -RW format
DVD+RW ROM: DVD and CD reading, DVD recording and rewriting in +RW format
DVD ROM: DVD and CD reading only
CDRW ROM: CD reading, recording and rewriting
Internal vs. External
External devices are convenient because they can easily be transferred between different computers. Installation is also as simple as connecting it to the computer’s USB port. However, they are also generally slightly more expensive than internal drives.
Speed
Each drive has three speeds that need to be taken into consideration. The first is the read speed, which represents how quickly the drive is able to read information already on the disc. Next is the recording speed, which is usually faster for CD and slightly slower for DVDs. The final important number is the re-write speed, which is useful for RW usage.
More Info
If you have any questions about CD/DVD Drives, you can send us an email and we will be happy to assist you.
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