Hi-Val DVD-RAM drive

Advantages: Easy to Install on XP literally plug and play
Disadvantages: Marginally slower than an internal

...means that it can be connected with little fuss. There is in theory a difference in the speed due to this but I hav'nt noticed since it takes time to burn to disc anyway especially to DVD. Another disadvantage is that with the introduction of dual layer devices this single layer version is already yesterdays technology. For anyone thinking of buying a drive like this I would recomment the Freecom as a good reliable drive which is easy to use. There are cheaper drives out there some with dual layer but in this case its better the devil you know. P.S. I am Assumining that it supports USB 2 since there is no mention of it in the packaging I can't be sure. But on the system it is classed as a Hi speed device which usually indicates USB 2. I also see no indication of you being able to use it as a DVD ram drive.... Read review

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Advantages: Good price, smooth playback, no graphical glitches
Disadvantages: 8x isn't the fastest anymore

...A few months ago I brought Creative's 8 speed DVD-ROM kit, and since then have been enjoying smooth DVD playback and no problems whatsoever. The price was very acceptable, £150 (probably a lot cheaper now), and well worth the 8x drive and the excellent MPEG2 card. On a PIII 600 with 128MB RAM playback is fast and smooth for a long time, although it needs to be restarted beforehand and again after about 2-3 hours to keep the video synchronised with the sound. But this is long enough to watch the movie and usually any extra features (and a useful tip to avoid sync problems if the video lags behind the sound is to hook it up to a hi-fi, which will usually play a sound after a 1/2 second delay). This is yet another Creative package that is value for money and of excellent quality.... Read review

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Advantages: Fairly fast processor, DVD-ROM drive, Good appearance
Disadvantages: Windows XP Home and 256 MB RAM are bound to cause problems and they do!

...This computer would be great as a computer for the kids or as a cheap family computer because it is affordable but still with plenty of features such as two drives - CD-RW and DVD-ROM which means you can easily copy a CD without having to put the media onto your computer. The Celeron processor is OK but Windows XP Home is installed and only 256MB RAM is installed so the computer crashes a lot - even on startup. The easiest and best solution is to install more RAM - add another 256MB RAM and the computer works very well. If you upgrade the RAM TO 1Gb, it would really move along. We upgraded to 512MB RAM and the computer now works very well doing average tasks such as internet browsing, emails and average games. The 80GB hard drive is excellent - it has two partitions: the normal C drive and another drive called the D drive which... Read review

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