Hi Ed,
I have a Yamaha SCSI CD-RW myself and absolutely love it. However, for backup purposes, the internal Zip drive is also quite useful (I also got one). It's quicker than the CD, but doesn't have the capacity. Media is about the same, but standard CD-R's are about 1.25-3.00 each, and the CD-RW's are quadtriple the price and then some.
Unless you're doing serious backup or copying, I would spare the money that a CDRW will cost you. The zip drive is good enough for most things. Depends of course on what uses you have.
The DVD...don't recommend either. However, the price has really come down, so they're not as extravagant as before. You'll need an extra 'decoder card' so that the movie actually looks good on your screen. If it's an HP built system, they'll probably include the card. And it serves as a standard CD-ROM at the same time. More of a luxury than a necessity. And if you do get it, make sure you have atleast a 17inch monitor.
Take care,
Richard |
