Wait 4+ weeks for Lenovo Z61m or get something else?

[jkozlow3]

I placed an order for a Lenovo Thinkpad Z61m, but they are having some MAJOR supply issues with RAM for some reason and the estimated ship date is a month away

The basic specs are as follows:

Core 2 Duo T5500
WSXGA+ 15.4"
2GB RAM
ATI x1400 GPU
100GB 7200RPM

Price: approx $1400 before tax with the student pricing deal Lenovo is currently offering.

Anyway, the Lenovo rep informed me that the shipping delays are real and that there is little to no chance of receiving the machine before January. They won't ship the machine without RAM, so the delays are inevitable regardless of how much RAM I order it with. Not sure why Dell, HP and others can get RAM without a problem and Lenovo can't.

So, do I wait patiently or is there a comparable machine I should investigate in this price range? Do I stoop to Dell E1505 or HP DV6000t? Something else? Or just wait? Thanks!!

[pianowizard]

so the delays are inevitable regardless of how much RAM I order it with.

You mean even if you order one with only 256MB of RAM it would still take so long? You might also save some money if you get only 256MB RAM now and upgrade to 2GB later.

You can also try getting a Z61m with similar specs on www.costcentral.com or www.euclidcomputers.com

[jkozlow3]

Not sure about 256mb, but you need to configure the system with 512mb+ to be eligible for the free Vista upgrade. The rep informed me that 512mb & 1GB chips were in serious short supply and several customers have already been waiting 4 weeks for shipment as a result. Anyway, Lenovo's RAM prices are better than Kingston or Crucial right now anyway.

What kind of crap is that? How come other manufacturers can obtain RAM and Lenovo can't?

[pianowizard]

I see. Well, take a look at CostCentral and EuclideComputers. Both have competitive prices. Waiting for 5 weeks for a computer is unacceptable.

[jkozlow3]

I checked, and neither Cost Central or Euclid Computers has them in stock and their prices are a couple hundred higher than the Lenovo specials right now anyway.

I wish there was a decent viable alternative - something comparable AND well built in the same price range.

[kjjb0204]

That's very odd, considering the 512mb and 1gb modules are in heavy supply throughout the channel. Just check cdw, insight or any other major etailer. Everyone has in stock.

40Y7733 512mb
40Y7734 1GB

They are the same modules that are used in the original build, just different cru part numbers.

[jkozlow3]

Yeah, it's bizarre. No idea who their supplier is, but it seems that they need a new one.

[kjjb0204]

What I'm saying is that there is no shortage on the memory. Plenty of the modules available. The delay must be related to something else.

[jkozlow3]

I understand what you are saying, but perhaps they have a contract with a certain supplier and that supplier isn't supplying them with enough RAM?

I realize that there is no shortage of memory ANYWHERE ELSE in the industry, but I've called Lenovo on several occassions and every single rep I've spoken to says that they have been having supply issues with RAM. The guy I spoke to today said that they keep receiving RAM shipments sporadically but that the shipments have been picking up in frequency lately.

I have no idea what's going on, but they keep telling me every other part that my system requires is in stock except for the memory. I think they had some supply issues that they're just now catching up from, as one rep told me that he's had orders sitting around for a month waiting to be built as soon as the RAM came in. It's obviously a first-in, first-out system and if there's a backlog of orders from a shortage awhile back, then everyone gets screwed.

[philnicholas]

I wonder if Lenovo, due to their ownership, has to partner with Chinese manufacturers (who may be having delays) rather than Taiwanese, Malaysian or other OEM makers of RAM. If Lenovo buys on the open market, they may be buried behind all the other manufacturers who pre-ordered so they could build all the machines for holiday sales.

Back when Apple gobbled up 70% of the flash market to produce their iPods, other manufacturers used to buying flash memory on the open markey were shut out. I can only wonder if something similar happened to Lenovo on the RAM market.

Just a thought.