Read Performance

Since the burners tested were all 40x max, transfer rates were pretty much the same, whether master CDs or CD-Rs. The Memorex 24 Maxx, Plextor Plexwriter 241040A and TDK Cyclone are the ones that come out on top, with transfer rates higher than those announced by the manufacturers. Only the Ricoh MP7200A gave signs of weakness, with 32x (as opposed to the 40x advertised).

Access Time

For average access time, Teac is the uncontested winner, with 80 milliseconds in the tests. The other burners keep their promises, with times often less than those announced. The slowest was the HP CD24ri, with 135 ms.