Can the search as you type behavior in the Mac OS X Spotlight feature be disabled?

Can the search as you type behavior in the Mac OS X Spotlight feature be disabled?

The goal is to invoke the spotlight search field, enter text and to generate search results only AFTER hitting enter. Default behavior is to start generating results as soon as a character is entered which creates sluggish performance on older Macs. Should be noted this refers to OS X versions prior to Snow Leopard.