Most Popular Laptops for May 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. Once again, there were few big surprises for the month of May as most of the laptops in the top ten have been popular for a while. The Dell XPS M1530 maintained strength in the top spot and the Dell Inspiron 1525 made its return to the top 10 list. The all new Toshiba Satellite A305 made its first (but probably not last) appearance on the list this month.

	1. 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
	2. 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
	3. Toshiba Satellite A200 (previously #3) - 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
	4. Dell XPS M1330 (Previously #4) - 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
	5. HP Pavilion dv6700t (previously #5) - 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
	6. Sony VAIO SZ (Previously #6) - 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
	7. Lenovo ThinkPad R61 (previously #7) - The Lenovo ThinkPad R61 is a 14.1" or 15.4" screen notebook available with a Core 2 Duo (Santa Rosa) processor, optional integrated camera, roll cage in the lid and built-in media card and FireWire Buy the ThinkPad R61 direct from Lenovo
	8. Dell Inspiron 1525 (back in the top 10) - 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
	9. Sony VAIO FZ (previously #10) - The Sony VAIO FZ is a 15.4" screen notebook with Core 2 Duo processor and the latest Intel Santa Rosa chipset. Buy the Sony VAIO FZ direct from Sony
	10. Toshiba Satellite A305 (new to the top 10) - 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

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

11. Asus Eee PC
12. Apple MacBook
13. Lenovo ThinkPad X61
14. Apple MacBook Pro
15. Sony VAIO CR
16. Dell Vostro 1500
17. Sony VAIO NR
18. Dell Inspiron 1520
19. HP Pavilion dv6700z
20. Toshiba Satellite A215

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 May

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 May:

1. The Official Age of Conan Discussion Thread (poster MICHAELSD01, posted 5/10/2008, 17348 views, 426 replies)
2. Just updated BIOS to 2.17-1.08 and got a stopped working message. (poster zerosource, posted 5/2/2008, 10630 views, 4 replies)
3. >>> SetFSB Auto Tool v1.0 <<< - OC your CPU automatically - (poster Audigy, posted 5/12/2008, 9409 views, 327 replies)
4. Sony New Series , when ? (poster Saliquincer, posted 5/9/2008, 9189 views, 105 replies)
5. After the GPU Downclocking... Do we have a CPU one? A call to M15x owners. (poster milcs, posted 5/11/2008, 7263 views, 346 replies)
6. Help me figure out M1530 config!+ other questions (poster Forte, posted 5/6/2008, 7151 views, 223 replies)
7. Intel delays Centrino 2 "Montevina" platform (poster Chaz, posted 5/28/2008, 6828 views, 91 replies)
8. Inspiron 1435, 1535 and 1735 leaked ... (poster vallaird, posted 5/8/2008, 5935 views, 66 replies)
9. Help me figure out M1530 config! (poster Forte, posted 5/13/2008, 5813 views, 206 replies)
10. Mass Effect(PC) Released! (poster XPS1330, posted 5/28/2008, 5752 views, 162 replies)
11. Help me figure out M1530 config! (poster Forte, posted 5/12/2008, 5386 views, 199 replies)
12. So, the inspiron 1535 is being launched tomorrow (poster luke1708, posted 5/25/2008, 5291 views, 47 replies)
13. Laptop Purchasing Guide: Summer '08 (poster Lithus, posted 5/21/2008, 5194 views, 45 replies)
14. Asus Eee PC 900 Review (poster JerryJ, posted 5/12/2008, 5192 views, 44 replies)
15. The OFFICIAL Montevina / Centrino 2 Thread (poster shaba230, posted 5/18/2008, 5081 views, 74 replies)
16. Apple MacBook Air User Review (poster queshy, posted 5/10/2008, 4784 views, 86 replies)
17. GRID demo anyone? (poster eleron911, posted 5/9/2008, 4749 views, 169 replies)
18. I just bought an m17x (poster bebarhood, posted 5/5/2008, 4692 views, 108 replies)
19. [HOWTO] install windows XP on ASUS F3Sv (poster Fittersman, posted 5/19/2008, 4613 views, 2 replies)
20. XPS M1530 config/concern/questions (poster Pauw, posted 5/24/2008, 4500 views, 181 replies)

 

What about May?

 

Fixed. I guess I'm still a month behind the times.

 

No big deal. I suppose it's better than being a year behind... "Most Popular Laptops for May 2007".

 

Interesting. The Inspiron 1525 and Pavilion dv6700t really jumped up.

 

Nice rankings. Though i`m surprise the EEE pc isn`t on a higher position.
No surprise in the XPS series though

 

Wow... the XPS M1530 has been top for how many months?

 

Umm, is it just me, or are these rankings essentially somewhat meaningless?
On the main page, it says the rankings are compiled via:

% Share of 120,455 Clicks / Click Count

Well, that's great and all, but how many of those clicks come from the rankings themselves? In essence, people may be clicking for no other reason than those laptops are listed on the main page....

 

We've actually taken that into account. and clicks coming directly from the top 10 list on our homepage are not factored into the click counts. You have to actually be reading reviews, checking the notebook database, or clicking on links to laptops within the forums in order to have your click count.

We realize that if we counted the clicks from the Top 10 list on the homepage then the list would be sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Of course, that doesn't stop some people from seeing something on the top 10 list, going to the review, and then clicking on the pricing after they've read the review. That type of activity will generate a click that counts ... and would (at least in part) be motivated by the presence of a laptop in the top 10 list.

We've tried to come up with the most accurate and fair way to show this information. It's not perfect, but none of our staff is. We think it's important to give consumers who aren't familiar with laptops some idea about what is popular so they at least have a place to start searching.

 

Fair enough! Thanks for the good explanation JerryJ....

 

My main concern when I was purchasing a laptop was the screen. The screen HAD to be good so I chose the XPS over the Thinkpad. If only other manufacturers could have some fair-priced models with LED as an option.