Hewlett-Packard CD-Writer Plus 9310i

SUMMARY

WHAT'S HOT: Though a tad slower than the 12X/4X SCSI drives we've tested so far, the 10X/4X/32X 9310i sets a new speed standard for IDE-based drives. The 9310i wrote our 430MB test image to CD-R in 5 minutes, 51 seconds--over a minute faster than the quickest 8X/4X drive we've tested. The 9310i comes with the same clearly written manual and generously illustrated, multilingual documentation that other HP drives include. The documentation is supplemented by an AVI movie detailing how to physically install the drive. The 9310i's software bundle includes Adaptec's Easy CD Creator 3.5 and DirectCD 3.0 packet-writing software; Sonic Foundry's Acid music authoring software; and disaster-recovery, cataloging, and backup utilities. HP provides labeling software and a label-application tool.

WHAT'S NOT: No weekend tech support. And the read performance could be better: The CD-Writer Plus 9310i's CD Tach rating of 14.9X was the lowest we've seen from a 32X-rated drive, and many 24X-rated products produced better numbers.

WHAT ELSE: HP backs this drive with a one-year warranty along with tech support for 12 hours on weekdays. The call is on your dime. HP's 9300i is identical to the 9310i, except Corel's Print Office replaces Sonic Foundry's Acid in the software bundle.

BEST USE: A very good choice for users wanting maximum CD-R write performance in an IDE drive.

IDE, internal, 4MB buffer, CD-mastering and packet-writing software, one-year warranty, support (not toll-free) for 12 hours on weekdays.

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