An 8X/4X/32X drive with a FireWire interface adapter, the Predator is not as fast as most internal IDE drives available, but it smokes any drive with a USB connection.

Not content to get by merely on its looks, the Iomega Predator's performance gives it some substance as well. It's not the fastest CD burner on the planet, but the Iomega Predator CD-R/RW drive with FireWire AU$849 did post respectable scores on our benchmark tests. An 8X/4X/32X drive with a FireWire interface adapter, the Predator is not as fast as most internal IDE drives available, but it smokes any drive with a USB connection.

The Iomega Predator CD-R/RW can almost pass itself off as a sleek, new Sony Discman. Far from the clunky design of other external CD-R/RW drives, the top-loading Predator is thin and light and has an attractive silver and blue colour scheme. But this drive is more than just a pretty face. With this external drive, you get 8X write, 4X rewrite, and 32X read speeds--if you buy it with the FireWire module--which, last year, would have been the top speed for an internal drive.

Pros and Cons Pros Small form factor Easy to set up FireWire gives you 8X write speed in external drive Cons CD-R read performance was a bit slow No blank CD-RWs in the box

Our test drive shipped with a FireWire connection, but you can add different interfaces to the Predator via plug-in modules. Iomega sells the drive with a USB 1.1 interface adapter, which reduces drive speed to 4X/4X/6X, for AU$149. A USB 2.0 adapter is expected by the end of the year; pricing information was unavailable as of this writing."

Aside from its connection flexibility, the main advantage of the Predator is its small size. Its 4.6x16.5x24.9-cm (HWD) footprint reduces the amount of consumed desk space. The small form factor also brings the Predator's weight down to 1.3 pounds, allowing you to carry the drive in a notebook bag without feeling bogged down. Setup is straightforward: install the drivers, plug in both the FireWire and the power cables, and Windows assigns it a drive letter. The included audio cable connects the Predator to your sound card for CD audio output. A hard volume control and a headphone jack on the front panel are nice touches. Even though the Predator's small size makes it easy to transport, don't be fooled: this is not a portable CD player. The Predator needs to be connected to a PC to function--there's no battery pack or play button, and the drive needs to be turned on to eject a disc.

Based purely on write, rewrite, and read speeds, the Predator performs respectably. Compared with other 8X write drives such as the MicroSolutions Backpack Tripleplay or Samsung's SM-308 RW Combo drive, the Predator's write speed of 988KB per second was on the fast side. However, its rewrite speed of 452KB per second trailed slightly behind other 4X rewrite drives, namely the CD CyClone CDRevo and the Samsung RW Combo drive. The CD-R read performance of 2,140KB per second was slower than other 32X drives as well, but its CD-RW read speed was on the high end at 2,506KB per second, beating out every external drive that we've seen, as well as a few internal ones.

Overall, the Predator's performance lives up to its billing--it performs ably for an 8X/4X/32X drive. The fact that it can be used with either PCs or Macs is convenient, and the bundled software, which includes Roxio Easy CD Creator 4.0 for PCs and Adaptec Toast 4.1.2 for Macs, is robust and easy to use. The standout feature of the Iomega Predator CD-R/RW is clearly its form factor, and, with the FireWire module, you won't have to pay a performance penalty for its great design. If you opt for the USB module for the drive, you can expect your performance to be cut in half.

--By Rich Brown

Iomega Predator CD-RW External Drive 8X4X32X w/FireWire
Company: Iomega
Price: AU$849 RRP
Distributor: Selected Iomega dealers
Phone: (02) 9925 7700

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