RELATED SEARCHES

» Overview

Along with the progression of CD, CD ROM and DVD technology to enhance the performance and storage capacity of PCs, illegal copying of copyrighted music and movies had also risen. Moves by the RIAA and MPAA have attempted to make pre-recorded CD's and DVD's unplayable in CD ROM drives to prevent the illegal copying of such materials. Many times this is accomplished by introducing errors to the discs, which stand alone CD and DVD players can easily compensate for, but CD ROM drives are unable to overcome. Many other software, music and movie providers have attempted to thwart the efforts of pirates by encrypting the disc, protecting it from being copied by software products intending to do just that. In order to determine which CD ROM drive is the best for you; take the following points into consideration: What will you be using the drive for? Primarily reading prepackaged software, storing personal files, music and movie playback, or all of the above? Does your computer already have a CD ROM drive? Is the CD ROM drive you want to purchase an upgrade? How fast is your PC's processor? What operating platform is your PC operating under? Do you want your CD ROM drive to be internal or external? All of these factors come into play when deciding what CD ROM drive to purchase. The most important considerations are user use and price. If the use is primary playback, either of software or entertainment CDs, it is not necessary to purchase a CD ROM drive with burn capabilities. Purchasing a CD ROM drive without burn capabilities will significantly reduce the amount of outlay when it comes to price. If you will be using eh drive to store data, then you must include burn functionality, but the burn speed can be reduced if you are storing purely personal data. If you are utilizing the drive in a high data intensity environment, you will need to purchase the top of the line CD ROM drive in order to get the best quality output and longest use before needing to replace the hardware.