#NEC 74 CD-ROM Drive
7 messages in this thread
David:
I have experience with NEC 74 drives, and others. The NEC will meet your
needs. So will the the TEXEL DM-5024 (which I've also used and is a bit
faster), or the new drive from Toshiba (which I've not used but understand is
faster still). All are MAC and PC-Compatible and will read Photo-CD's. They
will meet your requirements, but I wouldn't pay $650-750 for a bare drive from
NEC or anyone else. You shouldn't pay more than about $500 for these drives if
you shop carefully, perhaps a bit more or less. The internal variations (NEC
CDR-84, TEXEL DM-3024) should sell for $75-100 less. Bundled prices with
software will of course be higher, but should only be proportionately so.
Good Luck, Steve Shaffer MicroDataware
Thanks for the info, Stephen.
I assume the faster Toshiba mechanism you mention is the one used in the
CD/Allega II, which is 180 ms access time, and claims to be the fastest on the
market.
While I've seen access times for dual-spin drives anywhere from 180 to 230 ms,
the transfer rate seems to only vary between 300 and 330 Kb/sec.
I'm leaning toward the bundled NEC deal, even though it is not the fastest nor
cheapest, because the NEC seems to have better dust protection, which the
outside door, and I like the bundle.
The one negative I've read about the NEC 74 is that it has an internally
terminated SCSI, requiring it to be the last device in the chain.
But, I'm not going to order til early in the week, and can be persuaded to
something else via killer negative comments about the NEC 74, or highly
positive comments about something else.
$500? I must not know where to look. I'm seeing multispin/multisession prices
in the $650-750 range. Can you recommend specific sources for the
drives discussed at $500 standalone?
Thanks again for your comments,
David
David, check the adds in the big computer mags (God knows there are enough adds
in them!) for prices in the range I mentioned. NEC is typically somewhat
higher than TEXEL. I noticed, just as one example, an add from Computer
Discount Warehouse (CDW) recently with prices in this range, but there are
others (no endorsement – I don't know the company). BTW, Texel has an external
door as well.
Don't expect to see drive speeds change too much in the near future. I'm told
by an engineer with one of the companies that the main design problem is a
fundamental one – CD-ROM drive have to spin at varying speeds depending on
where you are on the disk so the drive motors have to be beefy enough to
accomplish the rapid speed change while still fitting in a half-height
enclosure. Larger enclosures would permit bigger motors so faster access times
and perhaps transfer rates as well, but we consumerd don't like things getting
bigger, we want them forever smaller. So there you are, but the same engineer
told me to "stay tuned" so who knows what they have up their sleeves.
Best of luck! Steve
< Don't expect to see drive speeds change too much in the near future. >
I understand what you are saying about size, Steve, but since Pioneer already
has a 6-pak quad-speed (612 Kb/sec) drive which looks to be about the size of a
large toaster, I'd guess quad-speed drives will be commonplace, smaller, and
cheaper next year.
But, that will be then, and the need/desire is now. So, I'll shop for the best
deal on DS/MS/CD drives, excluding deals which sound too good to be true, such
as the PowerUser for $300 (Problems are already being reported here), and say,
"Goodbye money, hello cd."
Thanks for thinking this through with me.
David
Speaking of PowerUser CD-ROMs, I just received MacWarehouse catalog 20.0 in the
mail, and see (on page 130) that they have introduced PowerUser Pro, using the
Toshiba TXM-3401 mechanism, rated at 200ms, 330 Kb/sec, and with a 256K buffer.
Its $549 price is more in line with other dual-sided, multi-session, Photo-CD
compatible drives.
So, what are we to assume about the DS/MS/PCD drive which is on sale for $299?
David
Ah, yes. "Toaster" you say. Toaster = big drive = big motor = big speed.
Ta-Da! Actually, I think the Pioneer "six-pack" you refer to is a full-height
system, twice the size of today's conventional internal drives. Some space for
five more disks, some space for a bigger motor. But the aforementioned
engineer was, I believe, hinting that his company may have something coming in
the way of a super-motor for half-heights. So, we'll all wait and see, I
suppose. I fully agree with your decision to go ahead today. The time lost
not taking advantage of the technology which _is_ available while we wait for
technology which is _not_ available is much more valuable than the few dollars
we often wind up quibling over. That is true for all computer-related
technology, obviously, not just CD-ROM drives.
Nice chatting with you. Hope you enjoy your new drive.
Steve.
< BTW, Texel has an external door as well. >
Perhaps I should have said double doors. Here's what MacWorld says only NEC
has:
"NEC's MultiSpin 74 model gets top honors here, whith its double dust-door
covering."
Having dust problems because of where I live next to an unpaved marina and less
than pristine housekeeping, dust protection is an important factor to me.
But, I have no experience with how often CD-ROM drives have problems as a
result of dust.
David