The speed of dvdxcopy?

[Sage]

Can I change the speed of my drives to record a little faster? I have read where some people can read and write faster.

I have a P4 2.53 gig
512 Corsair xms 2700
Pacific digital 16x DVD Drive
Sony Dru500a DVD Burner

Also can you set up dvd xcopy to burn straight to the dvd burner or does it have to record it to your hard drive first.
This usually takes about 30 mintues to read then about 45 minutes to burn per disk. Is this normal?

Thanks for any info!