If the new 52X CD drives could actually write at 52X speeds over an entire disc, you'd be able to duplicate a 650MB CD in about 1 minute 20 seconds. But the units reviewed here are constant angular velocity (CAV) drives, so recording speed varies according to how close a track is to the center of the disc. In other words, 52X refers only to the maximum write speed, which occurs at the outer tracks. The average record speed is less.