Not since lenovo aquired the rights to market their junk as "thinkpads." I'd say the T series are great. My brother actually had one stolen.
To the OP: where will you be purchasing the pc? If it's via the web check out
www.newegg.com. You could always order parts and put the PC together yourself, The process is rather simple. If not i'd recommend a pc from a site such as newegg, by not paying for brand name you save a ton, like someone else mentioned dont buy the "449 special" 800-1000 can get you a very very good high level midrange pc