TDK 40X/12X/48X (Internal, EIDE/ATAPI) (TDK-AI401248BX)

WHAT'S HOT: The VeloCD 40/12/48's CD-RW performance is among the most competitive. The drive took only 1 minute, 8 seconds to write our 100MB folder of files--just 2 seconds shy of the fastest drive we tested, the Pacific Digital Mach 48. It's also fast at digital audio extraction, taking 1 minute, 26 seconds to extract 320MB of audio files (1 second longer than the leading drives).

WHAT'S NOT: At $120, this drive is the most expensive on the chart. Although the software bundlle is adequate, TDK has pared it down compared to past offerings. For example, a previous Best Buy, the TDK VeloCD 32/10/40, included apps like MP-Frees and MusicMatch Jukebox, which are missing here. Furthermore, this drive does not support Mount Rainier.

WHAT ELSE: This model took 3 minutes, 15 seconds to copy our 650MB folder of files to CD-R on the fly. Although this is a very good result, the VeloCD 40/12/48 was still noticeably outpaced by the current leader, Pacific Digital's Mach 48, which completed its write 39 seconds (20 percent) faster. The drive we tested uses a Sanyo mechanism (TDK has a second drive on the market, designated by the underlying name 401248B, that uses a Lite-On drive mechanism). The VeloCD 40/12/48 carries an industry-standard one-year warranty, and in contrast to many other drive vendors, TDK offers toll-free technical support for 10.5 hours each day, including weekends. TDK's software suite includes Ahead's Nero Burning ROM 5.5 and InCD 3.2, as well as TDK's own Digital MixMaster audio utility for facilitating digital audio extraction and music recording. Documentation is clearly written and detailed; an installation video is on an included CD-ROM.