All DVD Drives

The Bottom Line: The SD-R5002 reads DVDs well, but for critical DVD write/rewrite speeds, it can't keep pace with newer drives.

Specs: DVD-RW, 40x (CD) / 12x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 2x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 1x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: If you're shopping for a DVD-recordable drive, put the fast, flexible DRU-500A at the top of your list.

Specs: DVD±RW, 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 24x (CD) / 4x (DVD-R) / 2.4x (DVD+R), 10x (CD) / 2x (DVD-RW) / 2.4x (DVD+RW)

The Bottom Line: With a retail price of less than $300, the DVR-A05 is easily the fastest, cheapest way to burn DVD movies.

Specs: DVD-RW, 32x (CD) / 12x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 8x (CD) / 2x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: With its easy setup, fast write speeds, and good software package, the DVDRW228 is a good buy for movie mavens.

Specs: DVD+RW, 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 12x (CD) / 2.5x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 2.5x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: This external DVD+R/RW drive is easily as fast as internal models, and it costs about the same.

The Bottom Line: The Plextor PlexCombo is a versatile drive for those who need a CD-RW and a DVD-ROM drive in a single bay.

Specs: CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo, 40x (CD) / 12x (DVD), 20x, 10x

The Bottom Line: Although it's fast, this drive's quirky software bundle is a liability. For now, pick the HP DVD200i.

Specs: DVD+RW, 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 12x (CD) / 2.4x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 2.4x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: Though the compatibility of DVD+Rs with other hardware is still unproven, the DVD200i is a fast all-in-one optical drive and excellent for both backing up your system and for mastering DVDs.

Specs: DVD+RW, 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 12x (CD) / 2.4x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 2.4x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: The DVR-A04 works great at creating highly compatible, inexpensive DVD movie discs, but the upcoming DVD+RW drives could beat it on speed and compatibility, so we'd wait before buying.

Specs: DVD-RW, 24x (CD) / 6x (DVD), 8x (CD) / 2x (DVD), 4x (CD) / 1x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: CenDyne's DVR-104 works well for authoring home DVDs, and a few updates make it a better deal than its predecessor. But this device is a bit slow compared to DVD+RW drives with second-generation DVD+R capability.

Specs: DVD-RW, 24x (CD) / 6x (DVD), 8x (CD) / 2x (DVD), 1x