Lenovo ThinkCentre M55p Desktop PC

The Bottom Line
Lenovo's ThinkCentre M55p desktop computer system features a very powerful dual core processor and a solid warranty and service place to go with it. This makes it a great choice for the business, but it sacrifices some other features more geared towards business that make it only an average choice overall for the consumer.

Pros

* Solid Warranty and Service
* Strong Dual Core Processor

Cons

* Small Hard Drive
* Integrated Graphics

Description

* Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Dual Core Desktop Processor
* 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
* 160GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
* 16x Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Burner
* Intel GMA 3000 Integrated Graphics With 256MB Shared Memory
* Intel HDA Audio
* Gigabit Ethernet
* 10 USB 2.0 Ports
* Windows XP Professional

Guide Review - Lenovo ThinkCentre M55p Desktop PC

The ThinkCentre line of computer systems has always been geared towards business rather than consumers, but that doesn't stop Lenovo from also selling them to the average consumer.

One of the big benefits of the business focus is the emphasis on a strong processor at the heart of the system. While most mainstream desktops are featuring either the AMD Athlong 64 X2 or lower end Intel Core 2 Duo E6000 series processors, Lenovo has chosen to use the higher end E6600 model. This gives it a bit more performance than the average mainstream desktop. It is matched up with a single gigabyte of PC2-5300 DDR2 memory that is sufficient given the system uses the Windows XP Professional OS instead of the new Vista.

The drawback here is the lack of storage in the ThinkCentre M55p. Most new desktops come with at least 250GB or more of storage space. Instead this system uses a fairly anemic 160GB hard drive. This may cause storage problems for those doing a lot of multimedia work. At least Lenovo has finally started to equip their desktops with DVD burners rather than the older CD-RW combo or DVD burners in previous models.

Don't expect much in terms of multimedia either. The system uses all integrated audio and graphics that is sufficient for basic computing tasks. This does mean that the system doesn't have sufficient power for advanced 3D graphics, but it can be upgraded thanks to its PCI Express x16 graphics slot.

The end result is a very solid system for business users that don't really need to do any multimedia work. It will work for consumers looking for a general purpose PC, but it will end up costing more for upgrades compared to other systems currently available.