ThinkPad T400 Save Extra 5%
Lenovo supplies some decidedly business-friendly security and utility software. In addition to Norton AntiVirus 2005 (a 90-day trial subscription), the ThinkCentre includes IBM's Client Security Solution (a data-encryption utility tied to an embedded security chip) and ThinkVantage Rescue And Recovery. The latter is a robust utility for backing up and recovering files and systems. You access it by pressing F11 when you boot, meaning that it bypasses Windows--and any problems Windows may be experiencing. The utility even enables Web access. These features go above and beyond what we've seen in other recent small-business systems.
The ThinkCentre's complete lack of printed documentation will disappoint fans of instruction manuals. Likewise, Lenovo skips recovery and OS CDs in favor of the aforementioned Rescue And Recovery utility, which, admittedly, is a faster and more versatile solution. Save for the warranty booklet, there's absolutely nothing in the box except the hardware. Lenovo's support is below average for a business system: a one-year parts-and-labor warranty that includes next-business-day onsite service and 24/7 toll-free phone support. You can bump the coverage to three years for $132, but business systems from Gateway and Dell include three years of support by default.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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System configurations:
Dell Dimension XPS 200
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2; 3.0GHz Intel Pentium D 830; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Intel 945G chipset; 224MB (shared) integrated Intel 950G; Maxtor 6L160M0 160GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
Dell OptiPlex GX620
Windows XP Professional SP2; 3.6GHz Intel P4 660; Intel 945G chipset; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 128MB ATI Radeon X600 SE (PCIe); Seagate ST380013AS 80GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
Gateway E-4500D
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.8GHz Intel Pentium D 820; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Intel 945G chipset; 128MB (shared) integrated Intel 945G; (2) Seagate ST3160023AS 160GB 7,200rpm SATA
Sony VAIO RB44G
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 3.2GHz Intel P4 640; Intel 915G chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB ATI Radeon X300 (PCIe); WDC WD2500JD-98HBB0 250GB, 7,200rpm Serial ATA
Lenovo ThinkCentre A52
Windows XP Professional SP2; 3.2GHz Intel Pentium 4 640; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Intel 945G chipset; 64MB (shared) ATI Radeon X300 (PCIe); Maxtor 6Y080M0 80GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
