The delivery-pack: Retail.

Complete set includes:

• Thick user's manual in 10 languages
• CD with drivers and a program for recording and creating CDs - Nero Burning Rom, version 5.0.1.2, from Ahead Software, and Prassi abCD with user's manual for these programs.
• One CD-R, one CD-RW (the Ricoh disc for rewriting up to 10x speed)
• Four screws, spare jumper and "Eject Stick"
• Analog audiocable to connect the drive to the soundcard
• IDE-connector.

ATIP of CD-R:
ATIP: 97m 27s 60f
Disc Manufacturer: CMC Magnetics Corp.
Assumed Dye type: Cyanine (Type 0)
Media type: CD-Recordable
Recording Speeds: min. unknown - max. unknown
nominal Capacity: 658.89 MBytes (75m 00s 00f / LBA: 337350)

ATIP of CD-RW:
ATIP: 97m 27s 00f
Disc Manufacturer: Disc ID not allowed
Assumed Dye type: Disc ID not allowed (Type 0)
Media type: CD-ReWritable
Recording Speeds: min. 4X - max. 8X
nominal Capacity: 651.86 MBytes (74m 12s 00f / LBA: 333750)

At first sight it looks very similar to the drive from Plextor. Considering unsuccessful experience in dealing with the previous model - the Creative CRW8432E, we don't pin hopes on the equivalent performance level. And since the difference between the drives from Creative and Plextor is significant we do not account on the same.

The detailed studying of the recorder showed that absolutely all characteristics of the both drives coincide. We didn't pay close attention to the writing "Burn-Proof", but we were interested in "Windows 2000 compatibility". It proves that more and more companies become oriented to this operating system.

Once the company Plextor refused using a clamp (that prevents damage while delivering), the company Creative followed them here.

A shell for installing programs (which are kept on a CD) is familiar, though with some nuances: the list of available programs has got MediaRing Talk 99 and Lava! Besides, there you can find Player 2.01 (Creative).

The Nero from Ahead Software has quite simple and friendly interface, the displayed information is rather detailed.

Quite opposite impression was created be the program for realization of packet recording. This program allows formatting a disc much quicker than DirectCD and PacketCD, but it doesn't mean that you will gain much time: the saved time will be spent while recording. Unfortunately, when we carried out the tests none of the versions of PacketCD or DirectCD worked good with the recorder Creative RW121032E, therefore we used Prassi.

The Ricoh disc damaged by the abCD CD-RW poured oil on the flames. At the end of the tests we had to clear the disc from the information recorded. The program formatted the disc but didn't let any recordings saying that there is no enough space on the disc. Nothing helped but for ... the TDK that formatted it with the usage of a usual DirectCD.

The design is ordinary. On the front panel you can find: headphones jack, mechanical volume control, open button, one indicator showing that drive is working and emergency ejection hole. The drive can be installed both in vertical and horizontal position, for what there are two spring clamps.

The tray opens immediately after the button pressed, but slowly with some specific noise peculiar to Plextor.

The rear panel is standard: for connectors for IDE bus, power supply, analog and digital SPDIF cable, and a panel for switching jumpers.

Overburn CD-R Philips Silver allowed gain of 2 m 19 s. (77:02:48)

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