Iomega CD-RW USB 2.0

External CD-RW drives are something of a luxury. Traditionally, they are slower and cost more than their internal cousins. However, many people buy them because they don't have to open up their PCs to use them.

The Iomega CD-RW USB 2.0 turns this on its head. It's an external drive that is not slow but does require that you open up your PC; not to install the drive itself but to install a USB 2 expansion card. The card, which fits into a PCI slot, is the key to the high speeds that the drive can achieve.

It can read a CDRom at 40-speed, write to a CD-R at 16-speed and write to a CD-RW at 10-speed.

This means that you can record an hour of music on to a CD-R in about four minutes. As a special introductory offer, the drive is available with a USB 2 card bundled. If you had to buy this separately it would cost an extra £50.

Don't worry if you want to use the drive on another PC which doesn't have USB 2. It will work more slowly with an ordinary USB, writing disks at 4-speed and making a music CD in about 16 minutes.

Installing an expansion card can seem like a daunting task but it's actually straightforward. We reckon you should set aside at least an hour to get from opening the box to recording CDs.

Recording CDs should be a very pleasant experience thanks to the buffer under-run protection included. This means you can use other applications when recording a CD without fear of having a 'bad burn'.

Its bland interface and inability to save play lists of music CDs didn't endear us to the Iomega software though.

We found the Iomega CD-RW USB 2.0 a fast and reliable CD-RW but an internal drive is better value if you have the room.

Price: £199 (inc. VAT)

Contact: Iomega 020 7365 9527
www.iomega.com

Also consider: Waitec Megalus
A super-fast, burn-proof internal CD-RW. £99 ****.

See also:

Plextor PlexWriter 48/24/48U

A solid and stylish external CD writer that performs well.  08 Jan 2003

Lacie Studiodrive/Plextor PX-W4012TU

Two external USB2 CD writers go head to head.  13 Sep 2002

Iomega HDD 20GB

Easy to fit and well built Iomega's latest hard drive is fast - if you've got a USB2 port.  06 Aug 2002

Plextor Plexwriter 24/10/40U

An external CD-RW drive with a reassuring two-year warranty.  16 Jul 2002

Asus & LG 32-speed CD-RWs

Two of the latest CD writers are put to the speed test.  29 May 2002

LaCie Network CD Box

An excellent way for multiple users to access CD information over a network.  24 Apr 2002

Plextor 24/10/40U (USB 2.0)

An extremely fast, solidly built external CD writer.  02 Apr 2002

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