Have you ever wondered what all those numbers mean when you go to buy a CD
burner? When you see a configuration that looks like 2x12x24 (three numbers
separated by the letter "x"), these numbers indicate the drive speeds
of the CD drive. The "x" stands for the transfer of 150 KB of data per
second, and each number represents a different action that the CD drive can
take. A CD-R drive has two actions -- recording
onto and reading from compact discs. A CD-RW drive
has three actions -- recording, rewriting (erasing and recording over) and
reading. When looking at the drive speeds, the first number ("2" in
the above example) indicates the speed at which the CD drive will record data
onto a CD-R compact disc. So, in the above example, the CD drive will record
data at 2 times 150 KB/second. The second number ("12" in the above
example) indicates the speed at which the CD drive will rewrite data onto a
CD-RW compact disc. So in the above example, the CD drive will rewrite data onto
the compact disc at 12 times 150 KB/second. The last number ("24" in
the above example) indicates the speed at which the drive will read data from a
compact disc. So in the above example, the CD drive will read data from a
compact disc at 24 times 150 KB/second.
CD-R compact discs are discs that can be recorded on only once. Once the data
has been burned, it is permanent and cannot be erased. CD-RW compact discs are
discs that can be recorded, erased and re-recorded over. Most audio CD players,
especially older models, can only read CD-R discs, so it is best to record music
onto CD-Rs. CD-RWs are typically used to store data or used as back up files.
For more information, see:
CD-ROM Drives
Recordable CD Format
Overview
