Upgrading t61p with DVD burner

If i just bought the t61p with the cd/dvd drive how expensiveand hard would it be to put in a dvd burner?

THX
Noah

 

Much cheaper to upgrade at the time of purchase. The ultrabay drives retail for about $200... Better deals on eBay. There are LOTS of models out there, so if you're looking for a particular speed (i.e. 8x) or functionality (DL), make sure you check the specs.

 

ok so it would be cheaper to just upgrade when i order....i was just wondering because it said may delay shipping 3-4 weeks beside it on the website.....thx for the quick response...

 

However, another option to consider is that you can add a small external usb dvd writer designed to fit into the old larger ultrabay 2000 slot which won't fit into the ultrabay slim on the newer T series. These are pretty cheap. I got one at New Egg over a year ago for about $75. Next you need an external USB housing for it and these can be purchased online for about $15-$25 (last time I looked). After you put the drive in the housing you have a small light and compact external burner which will fit into your laptop bag and you can connect to the laptop via USB. The total cost for my set up was under $100 but I bet they are cheaper now.

Of course it is nicer to have the model that fits in the ultraby slim slot but if you decide to order your computer without it, this is another cheaper alternative to buying the expensive ultra bay slim model later on.

 

I'm having the same dilemma. Would this drive fit in that little slot (and function properly)?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827152073

 

The optical drive delays right now are ludicrous. I'd love to know what's going on, as you would think such common items would be plentiful. I've been thinking about picking up a DVD writer for my X61 but there will never be a deal on them while there's no supply.

Not sure what I would do in your position. It would be nice if Lenovo would ship the laptop immediately with an empty bay and ship the optical drive when it becomes available.

 

No it will not. Due to their slimness, the T series uses a super slim 9.5mm height drive whereas most other laptops use a 12.7mm height drive like the one you linked. Even if it did work, there's the whole issue of the notch cut in the bezel to accommodate the eject mechanism which most drives won't have.

If you aren't planning on burning much on the road, I would suggest an external desktop drive which will offer much better speed and quality.

 

Thanks. I sort of assumed, but I wanted to make sure. Grazi for clearing it up.