#Sony CDU-31A CDROM Drive
5 messages in this thread
Gateway 2000 is offering the Sony CDU-31A CDROM driver for $225. The spec
sheet claims Kodak CD-R Photo CD compatibility and other nice features but
the access time is slow…. 490ms average. Does anyone have any experience
or advice regarding this drive? Is it a bargain or a dud?
When I asked my Gateway rep about it, she told me 700ms. Steve
Steve,
Yes, there seem to be a couple of conflicting specifications floating
around. I'm trying to figure out whether the CDU31A is a new drive from
Sony or a repackaging of an old drive. The interface card is an 8 bit
board, which sounds a bit clunky, but if it works OK, it may well be a
bargain at $225. I'm hoping that someone out there can give me more
information so that I can reach a purchasing decision.
Larry Lutton
Ed Cetron compared the complete list of GW/Sony 31A specs to those of the
Sony CDU-535. The bottom line is that the 31A appears to be somewhat
slower that the 535, maybe 1.5x to 2x. In particular:
CDU-535 CDU-31A full stroke access time 530 ms
1169 ms
average access time 340 ms 527 ms
–David.
David,
What about software compatibility? The GW/Sony CDU-31A is claimed to
support Kodak Photo-CD format as well as just about every other format that
I've heard of. Is this an important consideration, or are the drives all
compatible with just different software required for the different formats?
Larry Lutton