HP DVD Drives

The Bottom Line: This external drive is great for ripping DVDs but a tad slow when writing.

Specs: DVD±RW (+R DL), 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD), 40x (CD) / 8x (DVD-R) / 16x (DVD+R) / 2.4x (DVD+R DL), 24x (CD) / 4x (DVD±RW)

The Bottom Line: HP's innovative DVD Movie Writer dc3000 offers an easy route from VHS to DVD, and it's a decent burner to boot.

Specs: DVD+RW, 40x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 2.4x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: HP's replacement for the DVD200i is solid, if uninspiring. You get decent performance and features and superior support for a darn good price.

Specs: DVD+RW, 40x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 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 DVD100i is an excellent, speedy drive for backup or for authoring DVD movies that will work in newer players. However, it can't match a DVD-R drive for compatibility with older drives and players.

Specs: DVD+RW, 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 12x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 2x (DVD)

Specs: DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM, 48x (CD) / 16x (DVD), 48x (CD) / 20x (DVD±R) / 8x (DVD±R DL), 32x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 12x (DVD-RAM)

Specs: DVD-RW

Specs: DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM, 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 6x (DVD±R DL), 24x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM)