HP CD-Writer Plus 9310i |
Internal IDE drive. Rs 20,450 Speeds: 10x/4x/32x Software for CD-R: EasyCD Creator 3.5 Software for CD-RW: DirectCD Cache: 4 MB Vendor: HP India Chandiwala Estate Maa Anandmai Marg Kalkaji New Delhi 110019. Tel: 6826000 Fax: 6826030 E-mail: bibhor_bansal@hp.com |
This
is a high-end drive with 10x rated write speed. It can be used for CD
duplication, data storage, and backups. It’s an internal IDE drive with 4
MB of buffer, and rewrite and read speeds of 4x and 32x respectively.
It took about 22 minutes to
directly write 652.3 MB of data, which was slightly more than the rest in
its category. Here, it spent more time (13 minutes) in caching the data on
the hard disk before starting the actual burn. The subsequent burning of
data onto the CD was speedy.
In
the second round, where we first made the ISO image before burning it, it
took about four minutes to create the image and about eight minutes to burn
it onto a CD. Formatting an RW media with the drive was a breeze, taking
just 28 minutes, which was also the minimum of the lot. It gave 533 MB
capacity after the format.
It gave the best throughputs
on RW disk at 0.495 MB/sec. It was also the best performer when it came to
copying audio tracks from an audio CD, taking just 11.5 minutes to copy
around 60 minutes of audio tracks.
The drive has a good
collection of software, which include Neato to create CD labels along with a
plastic applicator and Acid Music, a music jukebox where you can mix and
match built-in music sequences.
The price tag of Rs 20,450 seems to be well
justified by its performance. The drive is surely a good buy.
When it came to copying audio
CD tracks, the 2 MB buffer showed its limitation. It took about 20 minutes
to copy around 60 minutes of audio.
Like the HP 9310i, it also
comes with Neato and Acid Music. It also has Broderbund’s PrintShop
Multimedia Organizer to manage your photographs and photo albums in style.
At a price of Rs 20,052, this is a bit costly
as far as performance is concerned. However, its portability and ease of
install make it an attractive buy.