X32 ordering plan -- Need help!

[PF]

Newbie, here!

This forum is proving invaluable and I've settled on a Thinkpad X32 as the best price/performance compromise (though I confess that I'd be all over the sleeker X41 despite the premium price if not for the slow hard drive and resulting slow Windows XP start up).

So, my thinking is get the most basic configuration -- 1.6/40GB/256 which is just incredibly cheap right now -- and then add 1 or 2 GB of Crucial memory separately. Maybe I'd upgrade the hard drive to a 7200 RPM unit, too.

A couple of questions:

1. Does this plan make sense, or should I load up the X32 with a gig of Lenovo's RAM when I order it at the outset?

2. If I swap the 5400RPM hard drive for the faster, 7200RPM drive, how do I get the XP operating system back on? Does the X32 ship with a restore disc? OTOH, maybe the 7200RPM drive is overkill for someone who basically uses a computer for Word documents, e-mail, a bit of Quicken, intensive web surfing, and the occasional Photoshop Elements touch ups.

3. And if it's true that there's no restore discs, maybe I should wait to buy any additional software (like MS Office Basic), too?

[bhtooefr]

1. It makes a lot of sense. Lenovo's RAM is expensive, and that 256MB stick can't be changed at Lenovo (it is user changeable, though - it's just the way Lenovo's system works), so your choices from Lenovo are 768MB or 1.25GB.

2. The X32 does NOT ship with a restore CD set. However, Rescue & Recovery gives you the option of making your own restore CD set if you've got a CD burner.

3. Go for it, if you're getting a CD burner, or you've got a USB CD burner.

[roblim]

1. RAM from Lenovo was a little less expensive (~$4.00) than RAM from Crucial when i ordered my x32 two months ago. This was unusual though bec. I ordered my RAM during some type of promotion, which may no longer be offered. RAM is usually a much better deal when purchased from a third party such as Crucial.

2. before you swap hard drives, boot the computer and run the IBM utility to create a set of restore CD's. you need a usb2 cd-r drive. i use an iomega cd drive. personally i would wait on the hard drive swap- a 5400 rpm drive is very fast.

[PF]

Good advice from you guys. Thanks!