CD-ROM and CD-RW...

CD-RW drives are an easy area to skimp on price. The cheapest one you find is pretty much the drive for you. The last drive I bought was a LiteOn 52x24x52x. The first number is the speed at which the drive can burn a CD-R, the second number is how fast it can write a CD-RW, and the third is the reading speed of a CD. A speed of 1x for a drive would process information at 150 kilobytes per second.

Nearly all computers today have a CD-RW drive. Some people prefer to have a CD-RW drive and a CD-ROM drive to speed up the time to copy a CD (however, 2 drives are not required to make a copy); if you feel like you must have 2 drives, get a DVD-ROM drive (more on that later).

CD-R media has gotten so cheap (along with other developments) that current computer manufacturers have discarded the installation of floppy drives altogether. If you shop around when buying CD-R media, it is very possible that after rebates, you have just gotten 50 CD-R's for $5 or less.

CD-RW media is not that common, as it costs more and it burns slower. I use it to back up essential files on occasion, which helps to simplify my entire CD collection, but that's about it.

You do not necessarily have to go out and buy the newest model of burner out there. CD burners are so fast today that the difference between a 48x and a 52x is a mere two seconds. CD-ROM technology will probably not advance much faster either, as the CDs physically cannot spin any faster (or else the media will actually shatter in the drive... pretty cool, huh?). If you're so inclined, check out the exact differences between CD-RW, CD-R, and factory burning technology.

One of the cooler new technologies out there in the CD burning field is Lightscribe. Developed by Hewlett-Packard, it allows you to 'burn' a label onto your CD, using special HP discs.

For those with more of a creative streak, I would definitely consider this type of drive when purchasing a CD burner.



Also, most drives come with free burning software such as Nero. However, I recommend checking out MusicMatch's Media Jukebox, which rips and burns CDs while also efficently organizing your music.

 

Here again are my complete recommendedations for a great CD-RW drive at a low price!

 

Next - Picking a DVD Drive »

 

Shopping Tip: When you look for a CD drive, you should look more at the miscellaneous stuff, as all the drives are pretty much the same. I recommend looking closely at the burning software that is included. I've found that the new edition of Roxio Easy Media Creator is a quality, comprehensive software package. Google the burning program that they include to find the features available to you.