The CD-ROM(compact disk read-only memory) is a read-only optical storage medium capable of holding up to 682MB(650 megabytes) of data (approximately 333,000 pages of text), 74 minutesof high-fidelity audio, or some combination of the two. The CD-ROM is very similar to the familiar audio compact disk, and can, in fact, play in normal audio player. The result would be noise unless audio accompanies the data on the CD-ROM. Accessing data from a CD-ROM is somewhat faster than floppy disk, but considerably slower than a modem hard drive. The term CD-ROM refers to both the disk themselves and the drive that reads them.
A CD-ROM drive should be considered a mandatory item in any PC you construct these days. This is because most software is now being distributed on CD-ROM, especially multimedia programs. In the future, systems will be able to boot from CD-ROM drives. There are several types of CD-ROM drives to consider these days, but mostly recommended is a minimum of Quad-speed drive interfaced via an IDE connection. this results in the best possible performance with the minimum amount of hassle.
CD-ROM Drive Specifications-tells you the drive's performance capabilities.
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1. Data Transfer Rate 2. Access Time 3. Internal Cache or Buffers(if any) 4. Interface |  |