Once in a while I click on banner ads. Today it was one from Lenovo, the Chinese manufacturer of Thinkpad-brand notebook computers that used to be from IBM.
The ad linked to a Web page offering two identical looking sytems, but one priced $450 more than the other. I began to read the specs for both, and did a double-take: in some cases, the cheaper system had better specs, such as:
* Windows XP Pro (more expensive system is stuck with Vista Business).
* 120GB hard drive (just 100GB on the more epensive system).
* A/B/G/N wireless protocols (just A/B/G on the more expensive one).
The more epensive system had these benefits, both of which are dubious for the intended business market:
* 2GB RAM (instead of 1GB, which is sufficient for XP).
* 256MB graphics board memory (instead of 128GB, which is sufficient for just about any app).
I wondered: what would it cost to upgrade the cheaper system with 2GB RAM and 256MB graphics?
+ Add 1GB RAM: $105
+ Upgraded graphics board: not available.
Okay, let's go the other way: upgrade the more expensive system:
+ Increase hard drive to 120GB: $134
+ Upgrade wireless to N:not available.
+ Upgrade to XP: not available.
Summarizing, you're much better off getting the cheaper system.
Tip for Canadians
With the Canadian dollar so strong so quickly, it may well be cheaper to purchase stuff across the boarder, because local retailers are not lowering prices quickly enough.
Sure, there is the cost of shipping, but it may well be cancelled out by the GST and sales tax that you might not have to pay.
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