I've decided that I want a neogeo CD. I understand that the 1st gen was the front loader and the 2nd gen was the top loader.

Is one more reliable than the other? Are there any benefits of one over the other? I personally like the way the 2nd gen looks more - is this the only difference?

I know that there was also a CDZ released in Japan with better load times, but I don't want to spend the bucks required on this.

Also, has anyone played windjammers on CD? are the load times tolerable?