IBM/Lenovo X41 laptop...to buy or not to buy?

i'm considering buying an X41 laptop for its portability. my needs are basic (i'm a writer) and i anticipate wanting simple office functions, web browsing, and a place to store my digital music and photos. i like the X41 because of its size, but am dismayed by the lack of optical drive. i know i can get the X4 dock and find myself with the optical drive i need...but I'm wondering if that's necessary. so...my questions:

should i consider buying an X41 without its docking station, and just look to buy an external CD/DVD drive? (Can this even be done with this model?)

should i just buy the X41 with the doc?

of should i consider the T series?

 

If you need a notebook that you are going to be moving around all the time then get a X series. If not I'd go with a T series for the reasons you listed and it should cost less.

Personally I liked the features on the X31 better then the X41 so I ordered a refurbished X31. If I was only going to be using the CD drive while at one desk I'd go with a dock. If on the road then a slim USB drive.

 

I have the X41 and use it with the X4 dock, I like it a lot and love the extreme portability -- I carry this laptop everywhere and it's so easy to use and type on. But I must confess to missing having a built-in optical drive, if you want an external solution for a slim DVD USB powered DVD burner then that certainly exists for the X-series http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail~dpno~336775.asp

The T series 14-inch is certainly worth a look, it's a couple of pounds heavier -- but you get a bigger screen and optical drive of course -- you just have to figure out how portable you need to be and how much you value light weight, if you highly value it then the X is a good choice.

The X will meet your power needs, since you're not doing anything drastic there.

 

I have the X40. It is great if you have to carry your computer around with you everyday like I do. The X4 is great but a little to expensive for my taste. Luckily I also have a desktop at home so I set up a home network with my X40 and desktop to share the optical drives in the desktop. works great. If I didn't have the desktop I'd buy an external USB cd/dvd instead of the X4 to save some money. But if I didn't care about saving the $300 I'd go with the X4 dock.

 

I prefer the x32. It uses the regular Dothan Pentium M and 5400RPM hard drive for much better performance. The x32 has better battery life than the x41 with the four cell battery. You can of course opt for the eight cell battery for the x41, but that makes it close in weight to the x32. If you need the lightest, the x41 is it.

As for the optical drive, you can spend the money for the ThinkPad branded model, but you can get a USB powered case here for $15:

http://www.centrix-intl.com/?DirectBuy=yes&ItemPartNumber=EX-BLK-01

You can put most any laptop drive in it and power it from the USB port. You can go with a combo drive to save a few bucks or if you don’t think you need a DVD burner. I personally use the same case for my T42 as the NEC DVD burner in it is better than any drive offered on a ThinkPad.

You can Xbase/Dock on eBay much cheaper than from Lenovo. Good Luck.