Great Performance
Written: Dec 22 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great performance, easy install
Cons: Needs more NT instructions
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| ltowell's Full Review: Creative Labs PC-DVD ROM kit |
This DVD drive reads CD-ROM data at 24X and DVD-ROM data at 6X. It supports multiple DVD-ROM and CD-ROM formats including CD-R and DVD-R. I would not purchase the drive without the addition of the Creative Dxr3 DVD Decoder Board. This provides the ability to watch high-resolution DVD movies and games (you also get surround-sound Dolby Digital if you hook up to your TV or have the appropriate speaker system).
I have purchased and installed 3 of these DVD/Dxr3-board units without trouble. It installs easily in WIN 98 and WIN 95. The only hitch I came across was in installing it to WIN NT. I purchased all of the units directly from Creative.com and specified that one must be compatible with NT. The sales person (800 number) told me the drivers would need to be downloaded prior to install. I was relatively surprised to find that the unit shipped to me for installation on the NT machine was a Latin American version. The instructions were not in English, which worried me at first. I found out that I did not need them at all. The extra time it took me to download the NT drivers was made up by the superior design of the DELL box I was installing it on (let me place a plug here for most DELL systems -- I have yet to find a line of system boxes that are easier to get into than DELL). The entire process (even showing my colleagues the Latin American Box) was under 15 minutes. I was demonstrating the speed of the DVD drive using MYST (which came bundled) before most hardware upgrades could get started.
On the downside, Creative Labs should not sell the DVD drive without the associated decoder card (I have heard too many horror stories). The NT drivers should come bundled with the card (they are not that big anyway), along with appropriate instructions instead of relying on the sales staff. Overall this is a superior product and I will be going back to Creative for future DVD products.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ltowell
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Member: Lester Towell
Location: Brownwood, TX
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 31 members
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