Shopping for IBM - Lenovo Desktop Computers

Taking over IBM's desktop and laptop computer lines, Lenovo lets you customize to your heart's content, but really emphasizes its many preconfigured models.

The Lenovo online store, like the HP-Compaq store, can be slightly confusing at first glance--what can be customized? The preconfigured packages are fairly complete, and you can add some items, such as a monitor and Office software. But not everything is upgradeable on these systems: Despite a slogan on every page, "Lenovo recommends Microsoft Windows XP Professional," that's not one of the options for the preconfigured systems that come with XP Home. In some cases you can't upgrade the hard drive either.

In addition, there are systems available under the name "Think Express," and these are entirely fixed configurations — they don't even let you change the amount of RAM installed. The advantage is you get a good price and they can ship fast because the configurations are in stock. The economy-minded E series doesn't give you the opportunity to choose your own configuration. It only comes in preconfigured models with limited expandability — we couldn't even add the Office Suite. Again, price is the trade-off.