riverripper
IBM's discount is terrible. My wife worked for them for a few years and their employee offers were pathetic. The only time they were good was for outdated models they wanted to get rid of.
Actually, not true. I've been using my friend's IBM discount to check Lenovo prices, and so far it's been $200 cheaper than the best any student store (undergrad and UCLA Anderson) can offer for the same things. I don't know about dabot's fatwallet deals, but those sound pretty good.
Also, you get to build your own computer right on the Lenovo website, so it's actually the same website you use if you don't have the discount. I was able to piece together a much better computer than what the Anderson student store was selling currently, for $200 cheaper.
That's why I'm just waiting to see where I get in and where I will go, but Lenovo is probably something I'll go for, and most schools support that. The only issue I have is how bad the service has gotten lately, based on all the CNET reviews. Hopefully the school helpdesk will be able to fix things.