The box contents are quite complete indeed; QPS provides everything needed to use the drive (other than the firewire card).

The manual, while not the excellent quality of a Plextor one, is quite good. It walks through both Mac and PC installations so users of both platforms should make out just fine.

As this drive is compatible with both Macs and PCs, included is software for both platforms. For Macs there is the widely used Roxio (Adaptec) Toast and for PCs it’s, you guessed it, Easy CD Creator 4.0 and Direct CD. These three titles are probably one of the most, if not the, most widely used CD burning titles on the market.

Thankfully, the power cable does not use a wall-wart (I can’t stand those things – is it just me or should those have been outlawed back in 1987?). Instead, the power system makes use of a standard computer power cable and a separate adapter with a long enough cable so it can rest on the floor.

The carrying bag is an excellent and welcome addition to the package. It can hold everything that you need, from the power supply to extra media with ease in its numerous compartments. Its walls are padded for extra bumpage protection and the outer material is very sturdy so rough rides shouldn’t be a problem. There is also a shoulder strap that is included but not being an “over-the-shoulder” guy I didn’t try it out for myself. Options are great though, so if you do have an “over-the-shoulder” type personality, you’ll be in strap heaven.

The drive itself is quite a weighty one, tipping the scales at about 1.2Kg (2.64lbs). The casing is made out of tough, yet stylish plastic that is somewhat reminiscent of the Mac G4 – perfect for the accessorizers out there.

Installation

As long as you have a (working :] ) Firewire card installed, installation won’t be a problem. You plug everything in and go. I’m serious. That’s it. Software installation is also a piece of cake, so there are no worries there either.

Installation is actually one of the less touted advantages of external peripherals: they don’t require tedious work inside of the case that many people don’t even feel comfortable doing in the first place.

Impressions

The Que! Fire drives are quite cool looking, as I mentioned earlier. The slightly transparent casing faintly reveals the actual drive, but it is also fairly bulky, measuring 20cm wide, 24.8cm long, and 6.7cm high. Part of this is due to the slightly rounded nature of the plastic casing that leaves a decent sized gap of air between the plastic and the drive itself. Both the shape and gap provide a little bit of extra structural integrity to the unit, which is important as it will most likely see a lot of traveling.

Test System

Operating systems:
Windows 98SE (v4.10.2222 A)

Hardware: