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Features Breakdown:::...
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MSI's ABS, or "Anti
Bumping System" is a technology designed
purely and simply to quiten operational noise
and to reduce vibration, and it does! In use this
is probably the quietest 52x reader that I've
heard. |
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I'm not
quite sure what SoftBurn entails but the explanation
I've seen is to do with the fact that rotational
speeds stay constant during the burning process
which actually makes it nothing more than another
name for CAV. |
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With the average depth
of an optical drive being somewhere around the
190mm mark, the CR52 is some way shorter at 170.8mm.
This could make it particularly useful for use
in small form factor PCs. |
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Despite being capable
of reading a CD at 52x, by default read speeds
are pegged at 40x maximum. This is because CDs
were never intended to be rotated at such high
speeds and worn disks in particular run the risk
of literally exploding under the centrifugal stresses
created. Obviously an exploding CD will wrech
your drive but far more importantly it may smash
its way though the front of the drive and do all
manner of damage. MSI can't stop a CD failing
but by reinforcing the front of the drive they
can constrain the shards and minimise the risks
and this is the basis of HyperGoard. |
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For some people, upgrading
firmware is a drastic step needed only when things
go irreparably wrong, but in fact where optical
drives are concerned the only way they can be
made to recognise and support the new media that
appears from time to time is through a firmware
update. It may not need doing very often but it
will need doing and less experienced users tend
to feel safer working from within Windows. This
is where Live Update 3 makes the process so much
easier. |
MSI Flash Eyes:::...
MSI's Flash Eyes seems like a really great system,
only it doesn't work! At least not on my unit it doesn't.
The drive I was sent doesn't light blue when a disk
is loaded, in fact I've never seen it light blue at
all yet. What it does do is it flashes green when
it's reading and lights red when it's writing and
that's about it. Odd considering this little demo
from the MSI site:
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Reading
The button flashes blue while drive
is reading data.
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Writing
The button flashes green while
drive is writing data.
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Disc is Loaded
The button lights up blue when a disc
is on standby for reading or writing, which
helps check if the disc is on the tray without
opening the door.
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Full Speed
The default drive reading speed is 40x.
To increase reading speed to 52x you press the
button for 3 seconds. The default speed is restored
when the disc is ejected.
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You still get the info you need other than whether
or not a CD is sat in the tray so it's not a terminal
problem, just an odd one. It's quite possible the
MSI site needs correcting and as soon as I know for
certain I'll post an update. For now I'm waiting to
hear back.
Now let's look at the headline feature that makes
the new CR52 such an interesting proposition, MSI's
Active Panel feature.
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