DVD speed

[hobbes2112]

What benefit do you get from having an 8x DVD vs. say a 4x one?

Are there really any data DVDs so that this matters?

Don't DVDs just play at 1x, like music cds in a 42x cd-rom?

[H@rdw@reXpert]

Yup...there is no point in getting a faster speed DVD drive since all DVD's run at 1x. But it doesn't hurt to have more speed.

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[Momaw]

There are a few multi-disc games coming out with DVD-rom as an option so you don't have to switch discs... but for the moment, no, not really any point to a fast dvd drive.

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[hobbes2112]

That is what I thought, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

[jubjub]

Lest you plan on transfering data from the DVD, say ripping it. There are just a handfull of games on DVD now

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He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
-Albert Einstein

[al bundy]

Originally posted by hobbes2112:
That is what I thought, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

Nope! You're not missing anything.

[dBLiSS]

1x DVD-ROM drives provide a data transfer rate of 1.321 MB/s (11.08*10^6/8/2^20) with burst transfer rates of up to 12 MB/s or higher. The data transfer rate from a DVD-ROM disc at 1x speed is roughly equivalent to a 9x CD-ROM drive (1x CD-ROM data transfer rate is 150 KB/s, or 0.146 MB/s). DVD physical spin rate is about 3 times faster than CD (that is, 1x DVD spin ~ 3x CD spin)

So if you are using your DVD rom as Cdrom as well for standard use then faster is always better.

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