The first best budget laptop from the year 2008 we shall look at is the Truenote FU420. This laptop is run on an Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor 1.73GHz, with 1GB of RAM. It lacks some features like Bluetooth connectivity, but it is really cheap at US$500. The unit also comes with a 14.1-inch display, a 120GB hard disk drive, a DVD writer and the Linux operating system.

The Dell Dell Inspiron 1525 is a great budget laptop entry in 2008. It definitely sells like hotcakes in the market. Its specifications are solid: an Intel Pentium Dual-Core 1.86GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 15.4-inch display, a 120 GB hard drive, as well as a DVD writer. Windows Vista Home Basic Edition comes pre-installed. The laptop also has some nice touches like an HDMI output port and touch-sensitive media control buttons.

The Dell Inspiron 1525 was a real hot seller in 2008
 

The downside to this unit is that it does not offer as many configuration options as some of Dell's other laptops (e.g. the Dell XPS series ). Also, there's quite a loud fan noise from the Dell Inspiron 1525 which many users have complained about - read about that here.

In my opinion, Dell actually produces some really good budget laptops. In my previous reviews of budget laptops , Dell keeps coming up in my recommendation lists. So I'd say that HP is definitely a budget laptop brand you want to check out. 3. Acer Extensa 4620Z The next budget laptop from the year 2008? It's the Acer Extensa 4620Z. Yes, its an unknown model, but it boasts some great specs: an Intel Pentium Dual-Core 1.86GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 14.1-inch display, a 120GB hard disk drive, a DVD writer and (again) a Linux operating system. The unit sells at a very low price indeed so it definitely fits the category of "budget laptop".

The HP 520 is a solid super budget laptop that comes with an Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz processor, 3 GB of RAM (yup you got that right) and a 14.1-inch display. You also have a 120GB hard drive, a DVD writer, as well as pre-installed Windows Vista Business or Windows XP Professional Edition. The downside here is that the Core Duo chipset is several generations behind in terms of technology.

The HP 520 is a great value budget laptop from 2008
 

The Toshiba Satellite L300 is a solid budget laptop from 2008 that comes with a Core Duo 1.73GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. Like most of the other budget models in this list, you get a decent 15.4-inch display, a 120 GB hard disk drive, a DVD writer, as well as pre-installed Windows Vista Home Business Edition.

The budget Toshiba Satellite L300 is also worth a look
 

The interesting stuff that sets the Toshiba Satellite L300 apart from the other contenders in this list is its special USB Sleep-and-Charge ports, as well as a face-recognition webcam.