NeoSolo--yes, nice find. Looks like I'm too late. Search for Plex showed nada. Oh, a couple other interesting buys:
Promise /66 card w/mobil hard drive rack $36 (what do I use this for?).
Diamond MX300 PCI $32
Totally Mad CD-ROM Collection $29 (is this any good?)
Above are before discount.
I have 32x and 40x paired with 12x burner. All read RAW with the latest firmware. I see no diff in reads with the 32x/40x. I think CDSpeed shows very little if any diff. With CloneCD, I can burn OTF from ~7 min. to ~12 min (the 12 min. was to backup my legally owned copy of Diablo II--I had to uncheck a few things--I think it possibly has bad sectors in unexpected places). Plextor requires NO offset for bit perfect DAE. In fact, I like the 32X better. The tray on the 40X seems clunkier.
However, I wonder about only a 90-day warranty. I think the new ones are 2 years? But, hey, ride it hard and put it up wet for those 90 days.
GeoffS--Naw....I think it's an unfunky 4 pin, w/one unused. BTW, there are different configuration 4-pins. But, don't buy a special one. Just take the 4 pin you have, and pry up the itty bitty keeper tabs (yeah hard to see), and swap the wires to where you need 'em.
kenwood TRUE-X 72X--yeah, like I'm gonna get one after the fiasco with the earlier units. Sure, they've supposedly overcome the problems....maybe I'll get one in a year.
bretta--yeah, they prolly can, if they are running in the correct configuration off a Promise card, and a "working" 72X will smoke the Plex...but, like, do I care?
Kwad Guy--Try CloneCD. Only coastered two at 12x OTF. Couldn't figure it out. Same source cd. DOH. Looked at it, and it had a nice "space" between a couple tracks. Hmmm.... Nero ripped it to the hard drive and burned just fine though.
--Randy