Storage Review has posted a review on the Artec CHA-52 16X DVD-Rom
CD-ROM drives have come a long way since their humble 1X beginnings in 1987. Along the way, we've seen proprietary interfaces, a change in read styles from CLV to CAV, and finally stagnation in read speeds. Current CAV-style readers top out at 56X maximum transfers, or 8.4 MB/sec. The reason for the limitation is related to spindle speeds. Whereas the 1X readers of yesteryear topped out at about 200 RPM, today's 56X readers spin at a constant 12,000 RPM. Such spindle speeds not only create high vibration and noise-levels, they also require precise balancing in order to maintain read accuracy.Read more
