The Asian PC market slumped 14% in last quarter, with just 17.2 million units shipping in Q4 2008, according to IDC.
Sales slid 5% year-on-year, the first such decline since the 1998 Asian financial crisis, IDC said.
The decline was exacerbated by a plunge demand in key markets such as China, which dragged the regional market below forecasts by up to 13%.
'This quarter was quite a jaw-dropper - not just in China, but also in India where economic and channel issues really took their toll,' said Bryan Ma, director of Asia-Pacific personal systems research at IDC.
For the full year, regional sales grew by just 9%, compared to 22% in 2007. This is the lowest growth rate since 2001, but still beats the 0% growth recorded in 1998.
Singapore and Hong Kong are still performing strongly, but both markets risk being dragged down by the global economy.
Lenovo still has the biggest market share, with nearly 20%. HP is in second place with 13.2%, and Dell third with 8%.