I, for one, have no need for anything that fast. If I was using the drive to house a massive data store, and needed to access that from a program in a timely manner, I could see the benefit. Still, I think that such a need is a very small percentage of users. This is where marketing hype gets in the way of what consumers really want and need. Most of us just want a reliable, 'quiet' running drive that reads fast enough for installations to be quick and multi-media to run smoothly. Is a 52X CD-ROM needed? Is faster always better? Not if speed has gone up and the mechanics have stayed the same.
Try buying a 32X CD-ROM drive at your local department store or computer shop. The manufacturers keep hyping the need for speed to make CD-ROM drives comparable to hard drives, as well as other removable media options. I'm sure that there are surpluses on the Web for slower drives, but you will pay nearly as much as for them as you would for a 52X. What would be nice it to have software controls on how fast the drive spins. Then you could dial-in your max, and save wear and tear on the drive, your computer (from the vibration) and on your nerves! T ----- Original Message ----- From: "JoeD" In some cases the problem may be the cd label but a recent article that I had read (don't remeber where) had put the blame on the way that the newer faster drivers clamp and hold the cd's by putting the blame on poor mechanical design. The comment was to use a better quality lower speed drive. CD's have been found to shatter in the new 52X supersonic drives due to being off balance and or manufacturing defects with the cd and also due to the inability to clamp down the cd properly. 32X is fast enough for me and I don't have to listen to 747's taking off. JoeD
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