Kenwood 72X TrueX

If you need to read large files from a CD, then the Kenwood 72X TrueX will do it in the blink of an eye.
Built around Zen Research's multibeam technology, this 72-speed TrueX CDRom is a very fast drive - at least when it comes to reading very large files. A standard CDRom drive consists of a single, narrow laser beam that reads the data on the disk. Zen's technology splits the reading laser into seven beams, allowing seven tracks to be read at once. The gathered information is interpreted by a custom chip that processes the information in parallel, as opposed to the serial chips in other CDRoms. We tested the drive's ability to perform various read tasks against a 52-speed Creative CD5220, with mixed results. In a large single file read test, the drive performed miraculously, with 507Mb transferred in a mere 54 seconds. The Creative, by contrast, completed the same task in one minute 35 seconds. Transferring mixed small files, however, revealed a more mediocre performance: 214Mb took two minutes 17 seconds, compared with the Creative's one minute 16 seconds. Browsing 44 Paint Shop Pro images, with file sizes totalling 203Mb, highlighted a less marked performance deficit, with the Kenwood completing the task in one minute 24 seconds compared with one minute seven seconds from the Creative. The Kenwood is clearly an excellent drive if you plan to read very large files, appealing to those who need to access high-quality video without disc caching. For broad-spectrum reading purposes, however, the drive is weaker than existing units. Depending on what you need to use your CDRom for will ultimately determine whether the Kenwood would be a wise purchase or not.

Verdict:
If you need a CDRom drive to read large files quickly, then this is a good bet. If not, there are faster and cheaper alternatives out there.