Why are notebook optical drives stuck at 24x/8x

[NFS4]

52x read/write desktop CD burners have been around for years and 16x DVD burners have been on the desktop for at least a year now.

So why are notebook optical drives stuck at 24x/8x? Is it just a space/heat thing? I don't think it would be a battery life concern b/c optical drives don't run all the time anyway. So what's the deal?

 

[Crism]

Ya know...I was wondering the same myself.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Power issue perhaps?

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
Power issue perhaps?

If it was running constantly like a HD, then maybe. I don't see how a 16x DVD burner (which is an occasional use item) would be any more power hungry than a 6800 Go or any other "hot" or power hungry device in a modern laptop.

 

[fbrdphreak]

If I had to guess: spinning the disc that fast in such a small space?

Great question, I'll ask around 😉

 

[phisrow]

It could well be space constraints on the spindle motor. Even in desktop drives those things aren't huge; but they are really, really tiny in laptops. Might well be that they can't get one shoved into that space that can do the job(without costing a relative fortune to construct). The only other thing that I can think is that in a system likely to be moved while in use, it might be wise to keep gyroscopic effects to a minimum(lest the disk resist the laptop's motion and end up being badly damaged).

 

[bacillus]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
If I had to guess: spinning the disc that fast in such a small space?

yup, laptop optical drives do not rotate the discs as fast as a standard desktop optical drive hence the constraint.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Hey guys,
Got a response from a contact I have who actually does OEM certifications. Pretty much sums up what we figured.

Since notebooks need to balance noise and power consumption, to keep this balance slim optical drives can only reach about 5000RPM; thus limiting the read speeds to the std ones we already discussed.

Just an FYI

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Hey guys,
Got a response from a contact I have who actually does OEM certifications. Pretty much sums up what we figured.

Since notebooks need to balance noise and power consumption, to keep this balance slim optical drives can only reach about 5000RPM; thus limiting the read speeds to the std ones we already discussed.

Just an FYI

Thanks for the detective work 😀