Trying to add a CDRW to a T20

[rschnei01]

Hello,
I am trying to figure out what type of CDRW to purchase for my T20(w/ Ultrabay 2000). When I go to Compuvest, they list many 8x4x24 CDRW's but all have different FRU #'s and are priced slightly different from one another. Do I need to find one with a specific FRU # to match my T20 or will any FRU # listed work that is Ultrabay 2000 compatible? Any idea why they are priced differently; anywhere from $12.99 to $19.14 and all are listed new.

Am trying to set this thing up to play with Linux. Should I just save my $$ and use the single USB port in the back?

Any help appreciated.

cheers,
rjs

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

Any Ultrabay 2000 optical drive will work inside the T20. Most likely the price differential is due to the higher read/write speeds or maybe it's simply a question of how many they have in stock or what they paid for them. You can even use non-Thinkpad branded drives if you're willing to do some homework and some surgery. I've found that most optical drives in the 12.5mm high format can work inside the T2x system by installing the Ultrabay rails and cutting/replacing the front bezel.

Not sure what you mean by using the single USB port. If you mean with an (external) optical drive, then realize that the T20 USB port is version 1.1 (slow speed).

[rschnei01]

Ray
Thank you very much for the info. I am going to go ahead and order one.

cheers,
rjs

ps thanks for the welcome.