Memorex 4224 EIDE CD-RW

The Memorex 4224 CD-RW is your
typical CD-RW, with a read speed of 24x, Write speed of 4X, and a
re-write speed of 2x. What really set this CD-RW off from the
others to me was the cost. At Best Buy, I picked this thing up
for $160 US, which, as most of you know, is cheap for a CD-RW in this
day and age.

Model Type	Internal
Interface	40 pin ATAPI (Enhanced IDE)
Data buffer memory	2MB
Data Capacity	up to 650MB using 74min CDR
Reading/Writing Speed	24X 1,800KB/sec (Reading Only) 24X 4,223KB/Sec (Reading Only) 4X 614KB/sec (Mode 1, Mode 2 Form1) 4X 697KB/sec (Mode 2 Form 2)
Average Access Time	Less than 120ms
Installation Direction	Horizontal
Applicable Formats	Format	(Write)	(Read)	(Play)
	CD-DA	*	*	*
	CD-ROM	*	*	*
	CD-ROM + CD-DA	*	*	*
	CD-ROM XA	*	*	*
	CD-I	*	*	*
	Photo CD	*	*	*

The software that came with the
4224 is made by NewTech Infosystems. Being I never heard of that
company before in my life, I opted to install Adaptec Easy CD Creator
for making CD-R media, and Adaptec Direct CD for use with CD-RW
media. Of course, the Adaptec software makes using your CD-R very
easy, as the title suggests. I picked up on the software in less
than 5 minutes, and was copying all my Applications on my Hard Drive in
no time.

The speed of this drive is excellent for the
price you pay. For only $160, you can make a Full 650MB CD is less
than 20 minutes (Burn Only). With a 2X CD-R, you’d be waiting 40
minutes just to make one, not to mention testing the media, which takes
another 40 minutes on a 2X CD-R. Waiting 80 minutes just to make
one CD isn’t exactly time saving. You can make and test 2 FULL CDs
in the time it takes a 2X CD writer to make just one.

Office 97 Professional Test	Test and Burn Time	Burn Time
Test and Burn, CD to CD	46:31	19:51
Burn CD to CD	—	29:02
Test and Burn from Image	40:03	18:25
Burn from Image	—	24:13

All above tests used
Office 97 Professional CD

As you can see from the
tests above, write times are cut down by about 13% when you make a disk
image. Of course, making a disk image takes time. If you
just want to copy a CD quickly, then doing a CD to CD copy is the
smartest idea. If you want to make 5 copies of that CD, then it
would be a good idea to make a disk image, before you write your CDs.

Overall, I feel that this
CD-RW Drive is the best buy on the market today. It’s cheap, fast,
and reliable. The CD-R media runs about $10 for a 10-pack, while
CD-RW media runs a little more. If you’re looking for a CD-RW
Drive under $200, this is the CD-RW drive to buy.

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