Thinkpads Forum

I have a T40p, currently with a CDRW/DVDROM UJDA765. I am thinking of ordering a T60 that has a DVDRW drive. Would the drives be completely swappable? The idea is to put the DVDRW drive into the T40p and put the UJDA765 into the T60.

Yes, they are, but the bezels don't quite match.

How difficult is it to remove the bezels to exchange them?

I've never done in on a Thinkpad drive. Usually there's a couple clips that hold it on. They are somewhat easy to break. It's not really that bad, they are just not quite flush.

There are several brands/models, and most bezels cannot be swapped. The drive from a T4x will work fine, though.

IMO too, a t4x drive in a T60 is fine. There's an indentation where extra material (probably mostly or only plastic) would be if you used the T60 drive. A perfectionist might say that this could weaken the structure a tiny bit, allowing a chip or crack in that area from a direct hit. Or that it looks bad. I think it looks fine, and seems strong enough, don't know if there's any meaningful difference at all.

A T60 drive in a T4x sticks out a tiny bit on the bottom. Doesn't look bad IMO, and I've used it this way at home over the short term, even with CF boot drives. But maybe not ideal for important data with lots of people/movement, since might be more susceptible to bumps? Probably a very minor issue, but for those who like everything right, I could see this one being a little uncomfortable.

Thank you all for your input. Meanwhile I found a few threads on the matter by searching for "curved bezel" and "flat bezel". In many of those messages, there is confirmation that the T60 drives will work well in the T40, but the flat bezel will stick out a bit on the T40. I found one message that described a basic process to remove a bezel (and I even tried poking around with a paperclip myself - but I didn't get anywhere), so... ultimately it remains a dubious process. I would rather not risk breaking the bezels and stick with "form" over "function". I like the super slim design and curves of my T40; a flat bezel would ruin the look. I don't really need 8x DVD write speeds or DL; the original 4x speed for a curved-bezel drive designed for T40 will be fine.