Gigabyte GO-5232A
DVD/CD-ROM Combo Drive

      When it was first introduced all those years ago, the Digital Video Disc offered many advances and promises over the then popular Video Disc and Compact Disc formats. The DVD technology itself has continued to advance and now the very meaning of DVD is a bit obscured. Calling it strictly a Digital Video Disc isn't entirely accurate anymore because we do more with DVD discs than just store video. So, a more accepted term could be Digital Versatile Disc. Even though Personal Computers have had access to the technology for a decade, console gamers have been truly enjoying the format longer because nearly ALL of their games are released in DVD format. Even to this day, PC Gamers have to buy "special edition" games to receive them in DVD format, and that's only if they are available. Because of this, many people refuse to include a DVD drive in their list of components.

     Equipment manufacturers are doing everything they can to make the technology more accessible and the purchase decision a little easier. This 52x Combo drive (Model# GO-B5232A) from Gigabyte is a perfect example. Combo drives blend space, price, and functionality into one drive and bay. With the ability to read just about any optical disc formatted for the PC, it can also write in eleven different and specialized formats on CD-R or CD-R/W media.