IBM ThinkCentre M51
Guide Rating - 
The Bottom Line
IBM's ThinkCentre M51 is geared so heavily towards the corporate customer that it fails to include many of the features expected in a consumer mainstream desktop computer system.
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Description
- Intel Pentium 4 540 (3.2GHz, 1MB) Processor
- 512MB PC3200 DDR Memory
- 40GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA Hard Drive
- 48x CD-ROM Optical Drive
- SoundMax Cadenza Audio
- Intel GMA 900 Integrated Graphics
- Intel Gigabit Ethernet
- Eight USB 2.0 Ports
- One PCI Express 16x Slot
- Windows XP Home, IBM Access 4.0
Guide Review - IBM ThinkCentre M51
2/19/05 - The specifications for the IBM ThinkCentre M51 start out fairly strong. It is powered by an Intel Pentium 4 540 (3.2GHz) processor that provides a lot of power. It also comes with 512MB of PC3200 DDR memory. This should provide it with a strong base as a desktop computer system.
Storage is a different matter. Since IBM's core cliental is corporations, the M51 does not feature much in terms of storage. The system ships with a paltry 40GB hard drive. This is smaller than most budget systems even come equipped with. Data security is also an issue for corporations, so the M51 does not come standard with any DVD or CD burners and instead uses a CD-ROM drive.
Graphics are also not generally something that is very important for the corporations. As a result, the system uses the Intel GMA 900 integrated graphics. This is acceptable for 2D graphics, but does not fair well for 3D graphics. Surprisingly, the M51 does feature a PCI-Express slot to allow for graphics card upgrades.
The software bundle is a mixed bag. The system does come installed with the more flexible Windows XP Professional. The only other application to come with the system is IBM's Access 4.0 productivity suite. This means that most users will need to purchase a fair amount of software along with the system.
In the end, the average consumer would be better suited to look at other mainstream desktops over the ThinkCentre M51's corporate design.
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