WHAT'S HOT: The Buslink CD-RW 40x12x48 took 3 minutes, 25 seconds to write 650MB to CD-R on the fly, a heretofore sterling showing, although Pacific Digital's Mach 48 is stunning all comers this month with a result 49 seconds (24 percent) faster. The CD-RW performance was within a few seconds of the quickest, however--the drive took only 1 minute, 8 seconds to write our 100MB folder.

WHAT'S NOT: Buslink's drive uses the same mechanism as Lite-On's 40X/12X/48X drive, but it costs $25 more than the Lite-On. Buslink doesn't provide technical support in the evenings or on weekends, and it doesn't provide a toll-free number. Buslink's documentation consists of a skinny pamphlet with pictures and instructions for installation and setup of the drive. The instructions for using the burning software, Nero Burning ROM, came on a sheet of 8.5-by-11-inch paper.

WHAT ELSE: Buslink says this drive offers support for the Mount Rainier specification. According to the Mount Rainier site, this standard is supposed to enable "native [operating system] support of data storage on CD-RW," thus eliminating the need to install hardware drivers and CD-burning programs, like those from Roxio and Nero, for you to be able to drag and drop files. However, Windows XP doesn't support it, though Microsoft does plan to add it to the next full upgrade of Windows.

UPSHOT: A $30 price drop makes this reasonably quick drive a more attractive choice than in the past for people who don't need a lot of technical hand-holding.

SUMMARY

Buslink CD-RW 40x12x48 40X/12X/48X, IDE, internal, 2MB buffer, buffer underrun protection, Mount Rainier support, Ahead Nero Burning ROM 5.5 and InCD 3.2, one-year warranty, 9.5-hour weekday support (calls are not toll-free). $100 877/684-6462 www.buslink.com