URGENT: questions about the x61. Found deal for 900$!

Would this be a really good deal? It may sound stupid, but I have very little knowledge about the thinkpads. I've been looking at the dell m1330, and the Toshiba U305 but never considered the x61 until i found a coupon for 20% off!

I will be using this laptop for basic word processing/internet surfing for college.

So when I configure the laptop, it comes out to be around 900$! That seems like a very good deal for a 12.1" laptop.
T7250 @ 2 ghz
2gb ram
80gb hdd

Just a few questions:
1.how often does IBM have these deals
2. isn't 12.1" really really small? I don't know if the resolution would be right for me
3. Whats the difference between the x61 and x61s?
4. Is there really no optical drive? i've never seen this before on a laptop...
5. How is the build quality?


Thanks a bunch guys, I might end up buying this laptop lol.

 

First, here's the link to the deal:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=189860

12.1" is really quite small, you'd better be really sure you need that size because it's really geared to road warriors. It is a great price, but if you're asking about the missing optical drive (yes, it's true, there isn't one) and if 12.1" is too small I'm guessing this won't be a fit. Most people that buy this sized laptop have lots of experience with laptops and know they need something really small so they can use it on the go.

The build quality is very good. Typing on my X61 right now.

 

Thanks for the quick response Andrew!

Yea, it does seem like an AMAZING deal, considering I want a toshiba 13" for about the same price w/o the durability and power. The only thing lacking is in the size of the screen i think. I've never used a laptop thats 12" before, but I did want a really light, small laptop lol.

i don't think the optical drive creates a big problem though, I may still consider.

Do you know the differnence between teh x61 and the x61s?
btw, hows the keyboard?

 

I think the s is a convertible tablet version.

 

theres a tablet section, so i doubt the 's' makes it a tablet. thanks though

btw,is there a kiosk or stores that hold these?

 

Yea, that's true. I was wrong again. I think it's the Ultralow voltage processor vs regular processor. ULV on the 61s, regular on 61.

 

oo. alright thanks.
Does that mean that there would be a better battery life? What about power wise?

 

these things are really small...everyone will be envious

 

build quality is excellent on all Thinkpads, It will take a bullet for ya!
(dont quote me on this)

 

In theory, it should have better battery life. But I would go and look for reviews to confirm that. Besides, I think these ULVs processors actually run at around 1GHz. Compare to the regular processors, which usually run around 1.5GHz to above 2GHz.

 

The X61s series has the lower voltage, more battery friendly processors. The X61 is the higher performance/less time on battery model. The tablet is called the X61 Tablet, some refer to it simply as the X61t.

I love my X61t, but I would not want to use it for anything heavy duty. As configured, it does everything I need 85% of the time, and my workhorse T61p comes out when I have some heavy development or gaming needs.