AOpen Aeolus FX5700-DV128

Advantages: Very cheap, intelligent electronics keep wasted disks to a minimum
Disadvantages: None so far. How long can something this cheap last?

...-RW and 24 speed read machine, was, as I’ve said, a good machine at the time of purchase, but it’s replacement, an AOpen CRW5224, is only costing me a shade over £30 (yes thirty!) from www.dabs.com, AND it’s got a maximum write speed to CD-R of 52x, making full CD copies possible in just a few minutes, and I do mean a few. AOpen may well be more familiar to you as the makers of motherboards. Even if this machine only lasts the 12-month guarantee period and no longer, it’ll only cost me 66p a week to own (as for the DVD player, the most that can cost me is 50p a week thanks to the 2-year warranty). Every month beyond the first year is a bonus for the AOpen, and if it lasts as long as the Yamaha, it’ll cost me about 22p a week. Anyway, that’s got the skinflint bits out of the way. What’s it like to install and use? A BIT OF THE OLD ‘IN OUT... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Extremely quite, beautiful machine
Disadvantages: CPU Cooling fan & the floppy drive connector are placed

...The latest craze in the computer world is miniture computer systems first introduced to us as the 'Shuttle' system. Since then many have taken a stab at this market and the EZ18 is AOpens answer to the call. The EZ18 comes in two colours to my knowledge (pearl white, and slick black)so its possible to accessorise according to your personal preference. I myself went for the slick black (or piano black as my friend calls it) with the glowing blue power button. I bought mine from Microdirect for about £148. Unlike some of its counterparts (the shuttle system, BioStar system) the EZ18 is more of a cube rather than a single story tower and it comes with the bare essentials (partly why they have been called 'barebone' systems). It comes with the motherboard which holds the sound card aswell as the on board graphics(i think its nVidia n... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Good speed 56x max
Disadvantages: often does't read , slow access time

...well ! aopen has launched it's new boy 56x in town.... it is surely high speed of cd rom..... but often speed gets hard luck..... the AOPEN 56X cd rom doens not performs good according to its specifications and speed, that the company claims.... i come to few of its points, that may be useful to you before buying it... ** fist of all, the tray opens with a much speed, and after using it about 1 month or less.. the tray behaviour dramatically changes... like it opens in a loose shape .. means to say that the tray then moves left and right..... and i experienced one thing about this fact at my friends home... that the tray's this behaviour broke a small moving plastic part right back of the tray.... also it goes back even more speed and some time it feels that now the cd rom has got it's end.... :) ** Secondly, the 56x capable... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful