The
X-Factor is the maximum spin rate for
CDs. The spin rate determines the speed of the discs rotation. The X
factor correlates with the maximum transfer rate of your drive. The most common
are 32X drive and 40X drive.
The
Buffer plays a big part in the
performance of the drive. Find a drive with 256 KB or more or your
performance will suffer.
Seek
Time is the amount of time on average it
takes the drive to find data on the discs. A seek time that is less than
500 ms is recommended.
Maximum
Transfer Rate is how fast the drive can
transmit data. Look for at least 4,800 KB/s, the higher the number the
better. This is directly related to the X factor of the drive. As
the X goes up so does the maximum transfer rate.
CD
ROM lets you read CDs on your computer.
CD
R allows you to write once CDs.
CD
RW permits you to write a CD multiple
times.
