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CD Burners: Ratings of Sources
Total of 8 Sources

For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.

1. PC World
May 2003
Top 10 CD-RW Drives
by Editors of PC World
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

PC World's evaluations of CD-RW drives are incredibly thorough. Drives are tested on speed by writing a 100 MB file to a CD-RW and ripping 320 MB of audio tracks. Software and support is also evaluated. Two… LG Electronics drives on this chart earn a Best Buy rating. One is the LG GCC-4480B, which editors say "provides the best balance of price, performance and support policies." The other is the GCE-8520B, which is fast and well supported by the manufacturer. Like most reviewers, PC World has shifted coverage to DVD burners, and models have been discontinued.

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2. PCMag.com
July 3, 2003
Four High-Speed CD-RW Drives
by Loyd Case
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Like most other publications, PC Magazine has turned to rating and reviewing DVD burners. This is the most recent roundup we found of 52X CD-RW drives. No overall winner is declared, but editors make a good case for the Samsung SM-352BRNS. There are no reviews of currently available CD burners.
3. NewEgg.com
As of Jan. 2008
CD/DVD Burners & Media
by Contributors to Newegg.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Newegg.com is a retailer that lets owners review products. This site caters to computer builders and IT techs, so reviews here tend to be more knowledgeable than some. Several owners of OEM drives write… that you don't get instructions or a manual -- an aspect misunderstood by some buyers. If you need instructions and software, go for a retail drive. This is one of the few places to find reviews of currently available CD burners.

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4. Amazon.com
As of Jan. 2008
CD-RW Drives
by Contributors to Amazon.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Only a few drives receive reviews at Amazon.com. Newegg.com is a better source overall for reviews. Most of the drives at Amazon.com are DVD burners.
5. HowStuffWorks.com
Not Dated
How CD Burners Work
by Tom Harris
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment If you are interested in the technology behind CD burners, this seventeen-part article is for you. It discusses in detail how CDs work and how to burn CDs.
6. Epinions.com
As of Jan. 2008
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drives
by Contributors to Epinions
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment There are a handful of owner-written reviews here for CD-RW drives, but many discontinued models are also included in the list. The top choices are combo units, but most get only one review, so this site isn't very helpful.
7. CDRLabs.com
As of Jan. 2008
Hardware Reviews
by Editors of CDRLabs.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This site started out by evaluating CD burners. Currently, they are an excellent source for reviews on DVD burners. No CD burners have been tested since 2003 and the older reviews of CD burners are no longer available.
8. CNET
As of Jan. 2008
Hard Drives and Burners
by Editors of CNet.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment The most recently written reviews here on CD burners date from Feb. 2004. CNet.com has shifted to covering DVD burners.

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This is our assessment of the review’s relevance, clarity of testing and thoroughness.

Read more about our Ratings Criteria by clicking the link at the top of the page.
 
 
 
  

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