By Marc Spiwak

Thank goodness CD-ROM drives are now standard fare on new PCs. High-capacity CD-ROMs have eliminated the "floppy shuffle" when installing software and offer reams of information that would clog most hard disks. But as more software and content show up on CD-ROMs, one drive may prove insufficient. Panasonic's SQ-TC500N Big 5 CD-ROM drive is a 4X, five-disc CD-ROM changer that fits in a standard half-height 5.25-inch bay.

The Big 5 has an enhanced IDE interface, so you can connect the drive to your systems IDE controller. In my tests, Windows 95 recognized the drive immediately, and the drivers and utility software installed easily. Once it's installed, it appears as though you have five separate CD-ROM drives, each with its own letter designation.

The drive's front panel has five eject buttons, a headphone jack, volume control and a busy light. A drive door window lets you see the white tabs on the edges of the five disc trays. When a CD-ROM loads, its tab disappears from view.

I tested the Big 5 with Quarterdeck's CD Certify Pro CD-ROM test suite and confirmed that it has a 4X transfer rate of 600KB per second and an access time of just under 220 milliseconds.

The Big 5 comes with software that helps you track disc titles and an audio CD player that you can use to program your own playlists.

One minor annoyance is that each time you boot up, you have to wait about 20 seconds as the changer updates its disc directory. If you replace a disc or open My Computer, you're in for the same wait.

But if you have a little patience, you can't beat the convenience of having five CD-ROMs at your fingertips in about the same space a single-disc drive would occupy.

--INFO FILE--
Panasonic SQ-TC500N Big 5 CD-ROM drive
Price: $399
Pros: Convenience
Cons: Lack of speed
Platforms: Windows 95, 3.1x, DOS
Panasonic Communications & Systems Co.
800-742-8086, 201-348-7000
WinMag Box Score: 3.0