Most Popular Laptops for July 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.

This month saw a few newcomers to the top 10 list. Most importantly, we saw the Dell XPS M1530 drop from the top spot by the all new Dell Studio 15. The HP Pavilion tx2500z also made an impressive rise on the charts ... most likely due to the many students who are interested in a tablet notebook for taking notes in class.

	1. Dell Studio 15 (New to the Top 10) - The Dell Studio 15 is a 15.4" screen multimedia laptop offered in multiple colors and configurations. The Studio 15 can be equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo and dedicated ATI graphics. It comes with a slot-loading DVD drive, backlit keyboard, sleek drop-hinge design, widescreen glossy display and touch sensitive buttons. View NotebookReview.com Review for Studio 15
	2. Dell XPS M1530 (Previously #1) - 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
	3. HP Pavilion tx2500z (Previously #10) - The tx2500z tablet features an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology Processor, up to 4096MB DDR2 System Memory, ATI Mobile Radeon HD 3200 Graphics, and a 12.1" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Touch-screen Display - Panel rotates 180° and folds flat. View TabletPCReview.com First Look of the HP Pavilion tx2500z
	4. HP Pavilion dv6700t (Previously #3) - The HP dv6700t Entertainment Notebook PC is the replacement for the popular dv6500t. This laptop delivers a 15.4" Brightview display, dazzling high-gloss design, Intel's Core Duo processors and the option to upgrade to an Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS graphics card with 256MB dedicated video memory. Buy the HP dv6700t direct from HP
	5. Lenovo ThinkPad T61 (Previously #2) - The ThinkPad T61 was released in May of 2007 and is still holding strong on the most popular charts. The T61 sports the Intel Santa Rosa (Centrino Duo) platform and improves upon the popular T60 by offering an even sturdier build and extra port options. Buy the ThinkPad T61 direct from Lenovo
	6. Dell XPS M1330 (Previously #5) - The XPS M1330 stays solid on the charts at #5 for the month. The M1330 is a 13.3" portable notebook with the Intel Santa Rosa processor, Nvidia 8400M graphics and slick looks. The M1330 is available in red, black and white color lid options. Buy the XPS M1330 direct from Dell
	7. Toshiba Satellite A200 (Previously #4) - The Satellite A200 / A205 series is a 15.4" screen mainstream offering from Toshiba. It has Core 2 Duo inside and ATI dedicated graphics is configurable with this notebook. Buy the Toshiba A200 direct from Toshiba
	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. Dell Inspiron 1525 (Previously #6) - 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
	10. Sony VAIO SZ (Previously #8) - Performance in a small package, that sums up the Sony VAIO SZ. The bright glossy 13.3" display is powered by dedicated graphics and the Intel Santa Rosa platform for an extra performance boost. Sony recently released the VAIO SZ6 series. Buy the Sony VAIO SZ direct from Sony

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

11. Sony VAIO NR
12. Apple MacBook
13. Lenovo ThinkPad R61
14. HP Pavilion dv2700t
15. Sony VAIO CR
16. Sony VAIO FZ
17. Sony VAIO FW
18. Lenovo ThinkPad X61
19. Asus Eee PC
20. Acer Extensa

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 July

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 July:

1. The Mobile Graphics Card Info Page - Most GPU Qs answered (poster Chaz, posted 7/20/2008, 991422 views, 2492 replies)
2. Asus M50VM Montevina, NV 9600M GS Review (poster GenTechPC, posted 7/16/2008, 38072 views, 571 replies)
3. The *OFFICIAL* HP dv5t Owner's Lounge (poster Badious, posted 7/22/2008, 24034 views, 473 replies)
4. 6860 Replacement due within 3-4 weeks (poster Chase.Barnett, posted 7/23/2008, 17425 views, 439 replies)
5. Differences? 8800M GTX and 9800M GT (poster wr0ck, posted 7/14/2008, 26835 views, 392 replies)
6. Can NBR count to 20? (poster Chris27, posted 7/22/2008, 3293 views, 390 replies)
7. What do you think of the NEW Vaio FW? (poster TrisTan 08, posted 7/17/2008, 14212 views, 315 replies)
8. VAIO Z Series Owners Thread (poster DiscCollector, posted 7/15/2008, 19444 views, 300 replies)
9. All nVidia G84 and G86 cores are defective?! (poster Chainik, posted 7/9/2008, 21824 views, 294 replies)
10. Spill the Beans Dell Spill the Beans! Manufacturers Piling Up to Expose the World to Montevina. (poster Forte, posted 7/15/2008, 18747 views, 294 replies)
11. Remember Hybridgear.net? It appears that they've been reincarnated as PCMW - UPDATED (poster Shyster1, posted 7/8/2008, 12449 views, 286 replies)
12. *OFFICIAL: HP dv7t Owners Lounge* (poster Dabman, posted 7/2/2008, 15929 views, 251 replies)
13. NP5796(M570TU) available NOW at PCMW with ($450 instant rebate) & $550 instant rebate on the EDGE (poster TipTip, posted 7/4/2008, 6689 views, 221 replies)
14. *OFFICIAL* HP dv5t owner's lounge (poster MCAP61, posted 7/1/2008, 22614 views, 219 replies)
15. Dell XPS M1330 - nVidia GeForce 8400M GS - Copper Mod (poster sinstoic, posted 7/2/2008, 14729 views, 215 replies)
16. OFFICIAL: dv5z Owners Lounge ***PUMA Goodness*** (poster MightyJD, posted 7/7/2008, 16353 views, 214 replies)
17. Final Fantasy XIII For XBOX 360 Announced at E3 (poster Forte, posted 7/14/2008, 2364 views, 208 replies)
18. Intel has moved the Centrino 2 Launch forward to 12:01 AM (midnight) July 15th. Sager's launch will be at that same time (poster paladin44, posted 7/14/2008, 5835 views, 205 replies)
19. Best looking Game (poster Chase.Barnett, posted 7/26/2008, 3140 views, 189 replies)
20. Guide to changing your Vista theme and more... (poster CeeNote, posted 7/3/2008, 4557 views, 184 replies)

 

Wow... Studio more popular than XPS ?

 

At least for now. Our "Most Popular" list is driven mostly by search engine traffic and what people are clicking on after doing a bit of research on the site. As a result, it's influenced heavily by "buzz" about new products.

The Apple MacBook Air rose to the top spot on the list in record time ... and quickly dropped completely off the list after people realized purchasing that notebook only made sense for a select few consumers.

It's possible that the Studio 15 will have some staying power. It is reasonably priced and comes with some good options if you don't pick the absolute cheapest configuration. Only time will tell if it stays on the Most Popular list long term.

 

And playing games The tx2500z sure has an impressive GPU for a 12" tablet!

 

Woah..S15 before the XPS 1530 ???? I mean I like the S15...but am keen on the 1530~

Well, at least Dell took the top 2 spots!

 

Shhh!!! Quiet!!! We don't want parents to know that part ... the GPU just helps with editing school video projects and learning Photoshop for journalism or art classes.

 

I'm rather surprised to find the HP dv5 variants absent from the list, considering they made decent leaps in performance over the previous dv6000 series notebooks.

The Studio 15 at number one is really amazing to me. Wrap a new chassis around the older GM965 platform and Dell still has a very sought after model. Kudos to Dell for a brilliant marketing scheme, as it appears to be quite effective.

 

weird, I wouldn't buy any of the 15" laptops on that list, with the exception of FW. I guess it's a list for someone who really doesn't want to do a research before making a purchase.