AcomData's USB 2.0 CD-RW Drive: Perfect Every Time
Written: Feb 14 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lots of energy, no problems, internal power source.
Cons: Bulky casing.
The Bottom Line: See Review.
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| JennJoy's Full Review: Acom USB 16x10x40x drive |
When I asked for a CD burner at work, they bought me the AcomData 16x-10x-40x USB 2.0, an external drive. In the year or so that I've had it, I've used this burner mainly for digital image archiving, music, and storage of some of the bigger print jobs my office creates and maintains. The AcomData drive has been absolutely perfect for these things, though the company also states this burner is great for video, back-up, and related functions.
The AcomData USB 2.0 comes with the drive, a 6 foot USB cable, the CD-ROM with setup software, the quick install guide and the CD for the included recording software (Easy CD Creator). This particular drive requires Windows 98/ME/2000/XP or Mac 8.6 or higher and an available USB 2.0 or 1.0 port. So, even though this drive is USB 2.0, it's backwards compatible to 1.0 (if that's what you have) and will adjust to that speed.
Setup is as simple as plugging the drive's USB cable to your computer's port. Windows detects the device and loads the drivers for you, but you also have the setup CD on hand should you need it. (Note: I do not use Macs and cannot comment on the setup process there). Installation of the drivers and Easy CD Creator are extremely quick and you will be ready to burn your first CD almost immediately. This is about as "plug & play" as a device like this can be.
The drive has a solid casing and is a bit bulky, but it's worth it for the internal power supply. This means you don't have to use a cumbersome AC adaptor to plug this baby in. Having only one cord and its own power source gives me more room to move the drive around wherever I want on my desk, which I love. Unlike many external CD-RW drives, the AcomData USB 2.0 has an on/off switch on the front of the unit, as well as red and green indicator lights so you know when the drive is on or in use. Due to the internal power source, the drive also has a built in fan which does make a fair amount of noise, particularly after extended use.
The AcomData 2.0 is energetic and recording times are quick with no problems or errors. I've yet to burn anything that this drive couldn't handle quickly and efficiently. Keep in mind though, if you connect this to a USB 1.0 port the write speed will be significantly slowed down to 4x. The Easy CD Creator software included is functional, but isn't great. I haven't bothered to upgrade to another package though, and it's definitely usable if you aren't doing any sort of heavy volume of work with this burner.
My one minor complaint about this burner is that it is rather bulky and fairly ugly looking – it lacks the streamlined look of a lot of newer storage devices and peripherals. That little gripe is well worth it though, because this AcomData drive has lots of pep, is easy to install, and has the internal power source. While the Easy CD Creator software might annoy you, the drive itself definitely won't. Just make sure you have USB 2.0, because the lower speeds on USB 1.0 don't make it worth it. I would recommend this burner to anyone looking for an inexpensive drive to use for basic data storage and audio/video capabilities. I use mine a few times per week and it has never given me any problems and its fast write speed doesn't leave me waiting around for discs to be finished.
Recommended:
Yes
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JennJoy
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Music. Nuff said.
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