This drive stands quite literally apart from the others, as it is an external unit. If you're only using DVD-RAM with one computer then this is not much of an advantage - however, with a SCSI connection an external unit can be moved around from one machine to another. Since its interface is usable on both PC and MAC, this drive is ideal for a design studio or publishing house.

The drive appears to be a Panasonic unit, similar to the one elsewhere in this review, and comes fitted in one of Lacie's external system units. This is a clever design enabling multiple external drive boxes to be built into a stack, tidying up all those cables into one tower. Lacie goes to some lengths to make certain that you can connect the drive, supplying an Adaptec 2930B SCSI card and dual software for both MAC and PC.

When we installed the card it was immediately recognised by Windows. We then chose a SCSI identity for the drive and set termination to 'on'. Once we restarted the system the SCSI device was detected and ran perfectly. This drive comes with a good manual and is built for professional use; it may be expensive but does use one of the best performing drives available. A serious bit of kit but at a price.