During a long period of time Hewlett-Packard was a leader of sales of user-level CD-RW drives. But over the last year the company was severely pressed by its competitors. This is obviously caused by two factors: lost of the sound position by Sony in the sphere of optical data storage devices and dominating Retail packages of CD-RW drives from HP. As a result, the drives have a higher price than OEM (or Bulk) models. But why do we mention Sony? The OEM collaboration, as you know, is a beneficial and popular form of working in the computer world. Some manufacturers just take a pickup from its OEM-partner, update a firmware version, install their own electronic and mechanical parts, and release such drives under their names. Some other drive makers just improve the microprogram leaving the design as is.

The 12/8/32 is the last speed modification of CD-RW drive from Sony on the "simple drive" market. After that the company started developing DoubleDensity drives (1.3 GBytes). But HP didn't follow Sony. And since the 7500 model it is the first time when the company has changed the filling of the recorder (until the 7500 line HP used the components from Philips). This is the way the company acquired a new 16x flagship.

The Yamaha CRW2100E was chosen as a contestant, first, since it is rather unique. Besides, strong price cuts and 6 firmware versions was another reason. Furthermore, both devices look very similar inside, but it will be discussed later. And now let's speak about the "TTX" HP 9710i.

The device ships in a Retail package.

The box contains:

• Installation Manual in the form of a poster with detailed illustrations in 5 languages;
• User's Guide in 10 languages;
• Installation Manual in the form of a poster with step-by-step instructions;
• Booklet in 5 languages with methods of elimination of possible bugs;
• 4 CDs with software;
• Sticker creation set HP CD-Labeler;
• 1 16X CD-R and 1 High Speed CD-RW 4X-10X discs;
• 4 screws;
• Analog audio cable for connecting the drive to the sound card;
• IDE cable.

ATIP: 97m 34s 23f
Disc Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Chemicals Corp.
Reflective layer: Phase change
Media type: CD-ReWritable
Recording Speeds: min. 4X - max. 8X
nominal Capacity: 656.40 MBytes (74m 43s 00f / LBA: 336075)

Apart from the user's guide and the installation manual the CDs contain all HP utilities. 2 of 4 CDs are in fact identical: they contain software in just different languages.

Software disk 1:

HP Assistant will say whether the recorder is installed correctly and give recommendations how to eliminate bugs.

The CopyDisk utility will help you make diskettes with the driver for reading discs in UDF. The diskette will be useful if the automatically installed driver doesn't work or works incorrectly. Besides, the CopyDisk will help you transfer the HP Assistant to a diskette.

This disc contains also DirectCD 3.01d.

MyCD 2.61 from HP is used for creation and recording of CDs. The utility has a simple interface, and its tips will help you realize your project.

Another interesting program is HP Simple BackUp 4.2a. The program is very simple to use - it is the main advantageous since all functions are similar to other such programs.

Besides, on the disc you can find video clips showing how to install the CD-RW drive into the system.

Software disk 2:

The second disc contains utilities for working with multimedia data.

The ACID XPress 2.0C from Sonic Foundry allows adding different musical instruments into songs or melodies.

The MusicMatch Jukebox will download, record, extract sound tracks from a CD, order and play MP3-files. Besides, you can create your own cover for a CD.

By the way, CDLabeler will help you make a picture on the idle surface of the disc, print it out on self-adhesive paper, and the special device will help you stick the picture smoothly to a CD-R.

Another intriguing program is PhotoCenter 2.1 from ArcSoft. It is a simple manager of multimedia files with a lot of various methods for organization of presentations. It will help to create albums with photos, video clips with accompanying sound in the form of one document for convenient storage, search and ordering of different files.

Software disk 3:

The Roxio EasyCD Creator 4.02 will take the control of CD recording very seriously.

The filling of this drive is from Yamaha. When I pressed the tray button I heard leisurely rustling of a Yamaha's drive. Besides, the tray itself is white, while its front panel is gray.

The HP 9710i inherited a lot of features of the Yamaha CRW2100E. For example, one LED. The worst disadvantage of the Yamaha drive is irritating noise during disc reading.

All features I expected from this recorder are verified by the Nero.

The design of the HP's CD-RW drive is similar to the previous models: the same relief wave, 1 LED, a headphones jack, volume control and a round tray button. The drive can be installed only in horizontal position. Unlike the Yamaha CRW2100E, the 9710i has a functioning digital-out on the rear panel.

Test results

For the performance comparison in reading operations, apart from the CD-ROM Teac 540E and Yamaha CRW2100E firmware 1.0N, we have chosen Plextor PX-W1610TA and Yamaha CRW2100E firmware 1.0D.

CDWinBench 99 CD-ROM Transfer Rate

The Hewlett Packard's drive has the better performance than the Yamaha CRW2100E with the old firmware version, but it is lower than that of the Plextor. With the updated version the Yamaha 2100E improved its results up to the level of the HP 9710i.

Here the 9710i has neared the CD-ROM TEAC and outscored the Yamaha. Even the updated firmware version didn't help the 2100E to approach the cd-writer 9710i. The PlexWriter PX-1610A is still far ahead of the HP.

CPU utilization in the CD-ROM Transfer Rate test:

With the average performance level in the CD-ROM Transfer Rate tests the HP's CD-RW drive goes after the Plextor in the CPU utilization subtest. The Yamaha (1.0D) looks much more modest here. The updated version lifts the demands of the CRW2100E up to the level of the HP 9710i.

CDWinBench 99 CD-ROM Access Time

None of the recorders managed to near the CD-ROM TEAC. The drives from HP and Yamaha go on a par and outscore the PlexWriter.

CDWinBench 99 CPU Utilization

The total CPU utilization by the HP and Yamaha (the latest version) devices is the lowest among the contestants.

The performance of the 9710i is average. It doesn't make the recorder look beneficial especially because of the great noise it produces.

The update of the Yamaha CRW2100E raises the productivity significantly.

Time taken for CD recording

Recording of the CD-R Sony CDQ-74N1 (cyanine, 16x rated record speed) 16x

The HP 9710i outperforms the Yamaha CRW2100E with the old firmware version by half a minute. But the CRW2100E model v1.0N has the identical result with the cd-writer 9710i - 6 min. 21 sec.

Recording of the CD-R Mirex (phthalocyanine, 12x rated record speed) 16x

All recorders, except the old Yamaha, write the phthalocyanine discs at almost the same speed.

Recording of the (phthalocyanine, 12x rated record speed) 12x

The HP and the updated Yamaha record CD-Rs at 12X a little faster than the Plextor drive does.

Recording of the CD-R "noname"(cyanine, the rated record speed is unknown) 4X

The results obtained in this subtest do not differ much either.

The data of these 4 tables show that the modernization of the Yamaha CRW2100E up to the v1.0N improves not only reading capabilities but also the speed in recording operations.

Time spent for full formatting of a CD-RW disc in UDF format

Philips CD-RW 4x

Ricoh CD-RW 10x

The Yamaha and HP drive implement formatting of the High-Speed CD-RW discs slowly probably because of the defective internal components. That is why even the latest version didn't improve the situation, unlike the operation with usual 1X-4X CD-RW discs where the v1.0N of the CRW2100E and the v1.0M of the HP 9710i speed up the formatting process by 3 minutes as compared with the PlexWriter drive.

Recording of a CD-RW disc (UDF)

Philips CD-RW 4x

CD-RW Ricoh 10x

The drives based on the Oak Technology pickup could never boast of fast recording of CD-RW discs. In case of the Yamaha CRW2100E or HP cd-writer you are to wait for completion of the recording process during 2 or more minutes. That is why these drives lose such badly to the PlexWriter. The clearer difference can be seen with high-speed CD-RW discs.

Besides, the latest firmware versions decrease the recording speed of the drives (if we compare the v1.0M HP and v1.0N with the base v1.0D).

BLER factor of the recorded CD-R discs

* The Yamaha CRW2100E v1.0D was used to record old cyanine discs with the color of the working surface like that of TY, while the today's ones are dark-blue, similar to the Metal-AZO.

Here are the data for the Plextor PX-W1610TA

(for these tests we used a device described in the fifth part of our review)

Here are the graphs produced by the CDCATS SA3 station:

CD-R disc, recording speed	Yamaha CRW2100E (1.0N)	HP 9710i
Sony CDQ-74N1, 16x
Mirex, 12x
Mirex, 16x
"noname", 4x

HP 9710i

Yamaha CRW2100E (1.0N)

The Yamaha CRW2100E updated to the v1.0N writes discs much better now. However, I don't understand why the HP 9710i CD-R Sony has recorded the disc so badly. But I think we should blame the disc since the Mirex one was recorded excellently.

Nero CDSpeed

Hewlett Packard cd-writer 9710i

Graph of reading of the CD-R CD-R Sony CDQ-74N1 (16x - writing speed)

Graph of reading of the CD-R Mirex (16x - writing speed)

Graph of reading of the CD-R Mirex (12x - writing speed)

Graph of reading of the CD-R "noname" (4x - writing speed)

Yamaha CRW2100E (1.0N)

Graph of reading of the CD-R CD-R Sony CDQ-74N1 (16x - writing speed)

Graph of reading of the CD-R Mirex (16x - writing speed)

Graph of reading of the CD-R Mirex (12x - writing speed)

Graph of reading of the CD-R "noname" (4x - writing speed)

Both drives perform quite well, but both still failed to reach 40X.

Test results of the recorded CD-R Sony CDQ-74N1 (16X)

Test results of the recorded CD-R Mirex (12X)

CDSpeed test results of the recorded CD-R "noname."

On the whole, both HP 9710i and Yamaha 2100E have rather good results in the Nero CDSpeed. The average speed should be, though, higher for 40X drives, but in real applications you will hardly notice it . The spindle up/down times are not record, but not the worst either. All other results are also average.

CDSpeed test results of the CD-RW discs recorded in UDF.

Yamaha CRW2100E (1.0N)

Hewlett Packard cd-writer 9710i

Both drives read CD-RW discs excellently. The rewritable discs (ISO) are read at the speed just a bit worse than the CD-R and CD-ROM media.

CD-ROM Drive Analyzer

The tests of both CD-RW drives were implemented with the earlier version of the CD Drive Analyzer (2.2.1).

Graph of reading of the recorded CD-R Sony CDQ-74N1 (16X)

Hewlett Packard cd-writer 9710i

Graph of reading of the recorded CD-R Mirex (12X)

Hewlett Packard cd-writer 9710i

Graph of reading of the recorded CD-R "noname" (4X)

Hewlett Packard cd-writer 9710i

Yamaha CRW2100E (1.0N)

The amplitude of oscillation of the graphs is rather big. But it is difficult to say what graph is better: in case of the base version 1.0D,

Sound track extraction from audio CDs (CDDAE 99)

HP cd-writer 9710i

Yamaha CRW2100E (1.0N)

Such a high quality of track extraction is possible due to the altered algorithm of the drive operation in the latest firmware version. The first hard-to-read area on the disc made both drives reduce the speed harshly to 4X-6X. After that the drive recovered the speed very slowly but accurately. At the Yamaha's site you may find the FastAudioRip program from Ahead Software for fast and smooth track extraction.

Sound track extraction from audio CDs (EAC 0.9 prebeta 9)

HP cd-writer 9710i

Yamaha CRW2100E (1.0N)

Advanced DAE Quality

The detailed information on the tested parameters are given in the help file to the CDSpeed99 test program.

All the results of the HP and Yamaha drives are good enough. The only drawback is lack of a possibility of reading data from Lead-In and Lead-Out. Nevertheless, a high audio data extraction speed, fast access and precise results make these recorders useful and beneficial solutions if a CD drive is mainly used for working with audio data.

Overburn

HP cd-writer 9710i

The Overburn on the HP 9710i provides an additional capacity, but it is less than you can get from any Ricoh pickup based recorder. But neither 90- nor 99-minute discs are supported for overburn by the CRW2100E and 9710i.

Direct copying from recorded CDs to a hard disc

Copying of the recorded CD-R Sony CDQ-74CN1

Copying of the recorded phthalocyanine CD-R Mirex

Copying of the recorded CD-R "noname"

Reading of damaged CDs (Windows 98)

HP cd-writer 9710i

"Golden" CD (Windows 98SE)

Scratched disc (Windows 98SE)

The golden disc was read with the same saw as the recorded CD-R discs. The graph of the scratched disc is more interesting. After sharp falls the drive immediately gets up to the level it was before. And only at the most difficult part, on the edge, the HP 9710i lowered the speed to 9X without further attempts to gain it.

Conclusion and summary

The HP cd-writer 9710i cost rather expensive taking into consideration that the similar Yamaha CRW2100E is much cheaper. Nevertheless, the HP's drive will be a good choice for people who prefers everything from brand companies. Besides, the CD-RW drive ships with a large set of programs and with a device for creation of discs with your own logo. Moreover, the Hewlett Packard is always backed with a 1-year warranty.

The HP 9710i and Yamaha 2100E are not leaders in recording and rewriting of discs, but they read them just excellently. However, you will have to take easy the noise and vibration they are producing during their work.

As for the Yamaha CRW2100E, I must admit that the last firmware version greatly improved it. But isn't it too late? Today there are such drives as TEAC CD-W516E, NEC NR7800A and soon the Mitsumi CR4808TE will appear. Each of them have similar characteristics and has a close price tag!

Test programs:

• Ziff Davis CD WinBench 99 version 1.1
• Nero CDSpeed 99 version 0.83 Beta
• CDDAE 99 version 0.2 Beta
• CD-ROM Drive Analyzer version 2.31

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