The Top 6 Best Selling Desktop Brands In Q4 2016

Desktop Leaders

Even amid the PC slowdown, a handful of major tech companies continue to bring to market new ideas in desktop computing for commercial productivity and gaming. Six vendors were dominant in sales of desktop PCs during the fourth quarter of 2016, as measured by sales through major technology distributors. Leading the pack were Hewlett-Packard Inc. and Lenovo, according to The NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm.

NPD Group's DistributorTrack sales database is comprised primarily of U.S. Global Technology Distribution Council members. In the following slides are details on the six top-selling desktop vendors in Q4, based on NPD Group's data.

6. Asus

Taiwan-based Asus saw its desktop market share among distributors decline to 1 percent in the fourth quarter, from 2 percent a year earlier.

In 2016, Asus introduced the VivoMini VM65 Series of small, consumer-oriented desktops. The VivoMini VM65 features sixth-gen Intel Core i processors and discrete graphics (NVIDIA GeForce 930M Optimus). The desktops can also support three external displays (via HDMI and DisplayPort++), as well as two 2.5-inch SSDs and HDDs.

5. Acer

Taiwan-based Acer held steady with a 2-percent share of the desktop market, in terms of sales through distributors, in the fourth quarter--on par with the same quarter of 2015.

Acer's desktop debuts in 2016 included the Predator G1, touted as a VR-ready gaming desktop in a small form factor (a 16-liter body). The Predator G1 supports graphics from GeForce GTX (up to Titan X) and features sixth-gen Intel Core processors as well as up to 64GB of DDR4 memory.

4. Apple

According to The NPD Group, Apple saw its desktop market share slip to 6 percent in the fourth quarter, in terms of sales through technology distributors. That's compared to an 11 percent market share for the Cupertino, Calif.-based company during the same period a year earlier.

Apple didn't refresh any models in its desktop line in 2016. The company's all-in-one desktop offering, the iMac, was most recently updated in October 2015. Meanwhile, the Mac Pro desktop, popular for video production and other graphics-intensive professions, last got a refresh in December 2013. And the more affordable Mac Mini desktop was last updated in October 2014.

3. Dell

Round Rock, Tex.-based Dell enjoyed an uptick in its share of the desktop market during the fourth quarter, to 16 percent of sales through distributors, up from 13 percent a year earlier.

Dell saw strong sales in Q4 of desktops including the OptiPlex 7040, a tower that features a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and offers a small form factor option (11.4 inches high and 3.5 inches wide). In terms of new desktops released in 2016, Dell's Alienware gaming desktop line added the new Alienware Aurora mid-tower desktop and the new Alienware Alpha compact desktop.

2. Lenovo

Chinese PC maker Lenovo surged in the fourth quarter in terms of desktop sales through distributors, snagging a 34-percent market share, up from 27 percent during the same period of 2015.

A top-seller for Lenovo in Q4 was the ThinkCentre M700 Tower, an enterprise-oriented desktop featuring sixth-gen Intel Core processors and support for up to two monitors. Among the new desktop offerings from Lenovo in 2016 was the ThinkStation P410, a high-powered desktop that includes an Intel Xeon E5-1600 v4 processor (with up to eight cores).

1. Hewlett-Packard Inc.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Hewlett-Packard Inc. kept its lead in the desktop market, in terms of sales through distributors, in the fourth quarter, according to The NPD Group. However, HP's share of the market declined to 40 percent, from 44 percent a year earlier.

HP's sales in Q4 were buoyed by desktops including the ProDesk 400 G3, which includes sixth-gen Intel Core processors along with Intel HD 530 graphics. Among the desktop introductions for HP in 2016 was the HP Elite Slice, a modular desktop computer that the company says is its smallest desktop on the market. The Slice can be stacked on top of other modules that provide additional functionality -- including the Collaboration Cover, which turns the desktop into a Microsoft Skype for Business phone; the Wireless Charging Cover, which eliminates charging cables; and the Audio Module, which includes Bang & Olufsen speakers and a dual-microphone array.