I should preface this by saying that I love IBM laptops -- I've had several (including the T42 I'm using to write this review) and agree they really are the gold standard for laptops. Although they may lack some of the whiz-bang features of HP and Dell machines, they are bullet proof, and have the best keyboards I've ever used.With that... I'd take a pass on this machine. Lenovo (who accquired IBM thinkpad operations) sells consumer machines that cost a few hundred dollars more than this, but are able to run current operating systems. With the soon to come release of the next version of Windows, this machine won't do. Moreover, it hard drive is small, and would require an upgrade for many applications, such as photos, mp3's, etc. Or, if I really wanted an IBM machine, I'd troll E-bay for more current used machines or factory refurbs.