Most Popular Laptops for December 2008

Each month we compile data for the number of times a particular notebook is viewed on this site's product pages to get an idea for what mainstream consumers are looking at and thinking about buying. While these laptops aren't necessarily the most popular in terms of sales, they are the most popular based on the number of times our visitors clicked on them.

In that sense, think of this list as the "most clickable laptops of the month" ... the notebooks that most of the people on this site are interested in learning about. Keep in mind that clicks directly on the "Most Popular Laptops" list do not count toward the total in order to keep the list as fair as possible each month. The only clicks that count toward the monthly totals come from web searches like Google or from visitors who have clicked on a laptop after visiting our "Notebook Database" or inside our forums.

The last month of 2008 didn't have too many surprises in terms of what notebooks our readers wanted to see. In fact, most of the laptops on the list have previously landed on the Top 10 list. That said, the list for December 2008 reflects the fact that consumers are looking for good values in hard economic times. Features and performance are important but so is price.

	1. HP Pavilion dv5t (Previously #1) - The dv5t features an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, up to 4096MB DDR2 System Memory, NVIDIA GeForce Go graphics available and 15.4" diagonal WXGA BrightView Widescreen. View NotebookReview.com Review for Pavilion dv5t
	2. Acer Aspire One (Previously #2) - The Aspire One is the latest "netbook" from Acer, offering a convenient, compact design at a budget price. The Aspire One features an Intel Atom Processor, 8.9" WSVGA TFT LCD, and a choice of either Genuine Windows XP Home Edition or Linpus Linux Lite version. View NotebookReview.com Review for Aspire One
	3. Sony VAIO Z (previously #3) - The VAIO Z notebook features a 13.1" XBRITE-DuraView LCD, Intel Centrino 2 Processor and an optional 128GB solid state drive technology ... making it an attractive alternative to the Apple MacBook. Buy the Sony VAIO Z online
	4.Dell Inspiron 1525 (Previously #4) - The Inspiron 1525 is a Core 2 Duo powered 15.4" screen notebook from Dell. The Inspiron 1525 has Intel X3100 integrated graphics, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a thinner and lighter form factor than the previous Inspiron 1520. View NotebookReview.com Review for Inspiron 1525
	5. Apple MacBook (previously #5) - With Intel Core 2 Duo processors, Nvidia 9400M graphics, an optional 128GB solid state drive (SSD), and a stylish yet tough design, the new MacBook promises to be one impressive 13-inch notebook. View NotebookReview.com Review for MacBook
	6. Lenovo ThinkPad T400 (Previously #6) - The ThinkPad T400 features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 14.1" LED-backlight widescreen, up to 8GB of PC2-8500 and integrated Intel X4500 or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470. View NotebookReview.com Review for ThinkPad T400
	7. Sony VAIO FW (Previously #10) - The VAIO FW is a 16.4" notebook featuring an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor with great options including: Blu-Ray, a 1600 x 900 viewing format, a HD video card, ATI 3650 or ATI 3470, and an HDMI port to output. View NotebookReview.com Review for VAIO FW
	8. Toshiba Satellite A305 (Previously #7) - The Satellite A305 laptops use the TruBrite 15.4-inch high definition diagonal widescreen display to get more from movies, games, spreadsheets and multitasking. The "Fusion finish" adds an extra level of durability and sexiness to this laptop. Available dedicated graphics and dual hard drives help this notebook really perform. View NotebookReview.com Review for Satellite A305 / A300
	9. Toshiba Satellite L300 (Back in the Top 10) - Offering a stunning 15.4" TruBrite widescreen display and Intel Centrino processor technology to help you stay ahead, the Satellite Pro L300 Series brings you the essentials for business.Take advantage of the broad, brilliant display space for multitasking, viewing business multimedia or watching a movie on the flight home. Leverage the Intel Core 2 Duo processor to do more and use popular software. Thanks to a clean, professional design you'll get more work done with fewer distractions. View NotebookReview.com Review for Toshiba Satellite L300
	10. Dell XPS M1530 (Previously #8) - The Dell XPS M1530 is the larger brother to the XPS M1330. It's a 15.4-inch screen sleek looking performance notebook that offers the powerful nVidia 8600m graphics card. The XPS M1530 is available in black, red, midnight blue and white colors. Buy the XPS M1530 from Dell

And here's the rest of 'em rounding out the top 20 most viewed and popular on NotebookReview.com for the month of December:

11. HP Mini 1000 - 10,255 unique views, 1.19985304578% of all product views
12. Dell Studio 15 - 9,282 unique views, 1.08601033359% of all product views
13. Dell XPS M1330 - 9,002 unique views, 1.05324984087% of all product views
14. HP Pavilion dv4t - 8,240 unique views, 0.96409449998% of all product views
15. Lenovo ThinkPad T61 - 7,400 unique views, 0.86581302182% of all product views
16. Asus Eee PC - 7,205 unique views, 0.84299767868% of all product views
17. HP Pavilion tx2500z - 6,585 unique views, 0.77045658766% of all product views
18. Sony VAIO SR - 5,923 unique views, 0.69300142274% of all product views
19. Dell Latitude E6400 - 5,551 unique views, 0.64947676813% of all product views
20. Dell Inspiron Mini 9 - 5,040 unique views, 0.58968886892% of all product views

Remember, to get advice on which notebook to buy don't just go with what's popular, visit our What Notebook Should I Buy forum to ask what everyone else thinks you should buy based on your needs. Check out how the current standings for this weeks most popular notebooks looks.

Top 20 Threads for December

While we're on the subject of top 20, to give an idea of what the hot topics were in the forums last month, here's a list of the most viewed forum threads posted in December:

1. GTA IV Performance (poster SVuser, posted 12/1/2008, 42638 views, 748 replies)
2. XP Quest for Vostro 1400 (poster killer23d, posted 12/12/2008, 30869 views, 94 replies)
3. P-7805u (poster fbettis, posted 12/22/2008, 27715 views, 490 replies)
4. New VAIO coming 9th of January (poster mrhaboobi, posted 12/20/2008, 15373 views, 241 replies)
5. What was YOUR first NOTEBOOK? Mine was... (poster jack53, posted 12/28/2008, 14197 views, 143 replies)
6. [W700ds]Lenovo announces updated W700 with 10.6-in diagonal second display panel (poster fs005, posted 12/4/2008, 13790 views, 19 replies)
7. HP DV5T 9600M GT Overclocking Guide (poster LeetPix, posted 12/5/2008, 10019 views, 225 replies)
8. Vista SP2 to land today! (poster ScuderiaConchiglia, posted 12/2/2008, 9660 views, 220 replies)
9. Installing XP Pro on an XPS 1530 (poster jobodaho, posted 12/28/2008, 8591 views, 11 replies)
10. GTA4: for everyone missing textures/models (poster airholland, posted 12/4/2008, 8522 views, 19 replies)
11. Pre-CeBIT 2009: New Clevo models leaked (poster Gophn, posted 12/15/2008, 7431 views, 91 replies)
12. Inspiron 1520 - activate bluetooth? (poster Ayashifx55, posted 12/23/2008, 7239 views, 9 replies)
13. NVIDIA Makes Laptop Graphics Drivers Available Online ... Finally (poster JerryJ, posted 12/18/2008, 6959 views, 83 replies)
14. HP Mini 1000 Review (poster Kevin, posted 12/8/2008, 6536 views, 69 replies)
15. As requested for M17.. ATI 8.12 Modded w/Full Screen Scaling Enabled (poster E-wrecked, posted 12/10/2008, 5698 views, 241 replies)
16. nVidia Delivering Direct Laptop Driver Updates (poster kazzaz, posted 12/18/2008, 5692 views, 125 replies)
17. TIGERDIRECT TO HAVE MORE P-7811FX's (poster elusiveflip, posted 12/15/2008, 5617 views, 136 replies)
18. nVidia Notebook Drivers 179.28 - December 18, 2008 (poster fonduekid, posted 12/18/2008, 5440 views, 37 replies)
19. GTA IV on M1530 (poster F1r3ball, posted 12/3/2008, 5373 views, 76 replies)
20. Lenovo ThinkPad X200s Review (poster Andrew, posted 12/4/2008, 4969 views, 58 replies)

 

Interesting, as always, but I'm not convinced that the extra precision of "0.64947676813% of all product views" adds a lot of value. I would have settled for 0.65%.

John

PS: Is it possible to compile a list of the most popular threads of 2008?

 

No Samsung NC10 in the top 20? That's strange...

 

We who know the NC10 believe it to be one of the best of the current crop of netbooks, but maybe it is also a well-kept secret. How widely has the NC10 been advertised? Not much that I've seen and given that most retailers have struggled to get sufficient stock, it wouldn't be sensible to increase the advertising and add to the number of frustrated potential customers. I suspect the Samsung factory has been working overtime during the past few months, first to have stock for the US launch of Samsung notebooks and second to try to meet demand for their popular netbook.

John

 

If Samsung had the same marketing budget and retail reach as Dell and HP the NC10 would certainly be more popular.

 

Agreed. That's part of the reason I mentioned that I suspect Samsung will have a few surprises in store at CES this year. Sure, HP, Dell, Lenovo, Sony, ASUS, and the rest will have plenty to show us, but I think Samsung wants to compete in the top 10 among notebook manufacturers in the US and that means they're going to come out swinging in 2009.

 

Thank's for the monthly info, Jerry!

Yeah! Dell is in the Top Ten 2x (for a *clickable list*)


Cin

 

sweet.... Engadget sure helped to put the Clevo thread on the list.

 

Good for the Macbook being Number 5 when more than 90% of the people have PCs. This shows Apple has been a bit more successful lately.

 

This is the fourth or fifth month in a row that I'm happy to see the HP dv5t as #1. I bought mine less than 24 hours after it was released and it's been treating me well ever since.

None of the notebooks from last month really moved around this month; I'm not surprised to see the Toshiba L300 move back into the top 10 since it's cheap and people were buying it for the Christmas season.