Asus CD-S500 50X CD-ROM

- The Good
- The Bad
- Test System Configuration
- Conclusion
- Rating

ASUS launches the world's fastest CD-ROM Drive. The CD-S500, a 50x CD-ROM drive, transfers data at a fiery 7,500 KB/sec and offers remarkable access times of 75ms.

"The CD-S500 is the result of the cooperation and devotion of the R&D team, which has generated remarkable success for our CD-ROM in the European market," said Charles Chi, the Director of CD-ROM Division at ASUSTek Computer Inc. "In the CD-S500, ASUS has made remarkable technical improvement to overcome the vibration associated with motor rotation speeds of up to 10,000 RPM, as well as the heat dissipation associated with the spindle motor and driver IC."

The ASUS CD-S500 breaks through the bottlenecks inherent in traditional CD-ROM technology with innovative solutions to sustain accuracy and stability of high-speed data transfer. The next-generation DDSS II (Double Dynamic Suspension System II) anti-vibration design used in the ASUS CD-S500 offers unparalleled performance to match the demands of high-end systems. DDSS II reduces vibration so that the drive's pick-up head can access data with optimum stability and accuracy. The drive offers rotation speeds of up to 10,400rpm and supports UltraDMA/33 transfer mode for minimal CPU utilization. The unit features audio play and skip buttons on the front of the unit.

The release of the CD-S500 50x CD-ROM drive represents ASUS' second victory in the CD-ROM speed race. ASUS was first to implement 40X speeds in a CD-ROM drive, which led to a "Product of the Year" Award in 1999 on PC ACHAT from France.

About ASUS Computer International

ASUS Computer International, located at Newark, California, is a leader in graphics card design and manufacturer, providing user-friendly utilities, powerful features and optimized performance drivers. The company, which is the US branch of the ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated, markets all the ASUS brand of computer products, including varieties of PC motherboards, graphics and SCIS adapter cards, CD-ROM drives and notebook computers. ASUSTeK Computer Inc. (ASUS) was founded in 1990.

CD-ROM Specifications
Interface	ATAPI Enhanced IDE supporting PIO mode 4
	Multi-word DMA mode 2
	Ultra DMA/33 mode
Transfer Rate	3300 - 7500 KB/s
Access Time	75 ms
Rotation Speed	10400 rpm
Ultra DMA 33	Yes
Data Buffer	128 KB
Supported CD Formats	CD-DA, CD-ROM/XA (Mode 1, Mode2)
	Mixed Mode, CD-ROM/XA (mode 2, form 1 & 2)
	VCD, CD-I/MPEG, PhotoCD, Karaoke CD,
	CD-Extra(CD+), I-trax CD, CDR, CDRW

Conclusion

Woohoo the new kid on the block is also the fastest kid on the block. I was kinda suspicious about how it really performs in our real world....so I decided to encode some MP3s and see how it does there...

Ok we shall use Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On as the MP3 victim, the CDROM reached CD read speeds in the neighbourhood of about 9X, very respectable speed. The software used was Xing's Catalyst at 128 KB/s at 44khz.

Another part of the Asus which I find pretty nifty is the tray, I just hate trays that shoot out like its a ballistic missile, the Asus slides out confidently and the impression of the whole CDROM in general is one that is sturdy and well...we already know its fast.

Weighted Suite	Asus CD-S500	Unit
CD-ROM WinMark 99	1280	Thousand Bytes/sec
Test
CD-ROM / Transfer Rate
Inside	3450	Thousand Bytes/sec
Outside	*2530*	Thousand Bytes/sec
CD-ROM / Access Time	*72.9*	ms
CD-ROM / CPU Utilization	*11.1*	% Percent

Test System Configuration
Processor(s)	Intel P2-300 0.25 micron Chip
Ram	128 MB Siemens SDRAM
Motherboard	Microstar MS-6111
HardDrive(s)	IBM 6.4 GB Deskstar 6
Operating System	MS Windows 98 Build 4.10.1998
DirectX Version	MS DirectX Version 6.1
Other software used	Winbench 99

Overall Rating (Out of a maximum of 5 Star)
Installation	*****
Performance	********
Price	********
Software Bundle	**
Material Quality	*****
Overall Rating	********