What is a laptop summary. What is a "discounted laptop". So what is a laptop

Modern humanity is highly dependent on technology, and the personal computer is undoubtedly part of the technological process. With the advent and development of the computer, the need arose to expand its capabilities, which served as an impetus for the development of such computer qualities as portability and mobility.

Without a doubt, a computer makes work very much easier, but a stationary PC is not suitable for using it on the road, moving it from room to room is also not the best option, not to mention a power source, which sometimes cannot be found at all. Such a personal computer as a laptop has become suitable for these criteria and has its own advantages. This raises a question that should not be postponed: what is a laptop?

So what is a laptop?

A laptop is a portable, foldable personal computer that has its own time autonomous work, i.e. temporarily independent of power supply; the composition of integrated components and input and output devices and is rightfully considered a portable and mobile device.

The Russian-language name "notebook" was borrowed from the English language, the word "Notebook" is the founder. There is also another name - "Laptop", which literally means - "on your knees." Due to its smaller size compared to other PCs, the laptop is a serious piece of equipment for work and entertainment.

This computer representative fits well in a special bag, which facilitates its transportation, and to learn about other computers there is an opportunity in the article: What computers are there, types and types of computers.

What kind of laptops are there?

The line of these portable computers is represented by laptops that can compete with ordinary personal computers (for example, DeskNote), which are quite impressive in size and several other technical solutions.

For lovers of slightly smaller dimensions, you can pick up something more standard than DeskNote, for example, Slim or Ultra Slim. These slim notebooks are sure to appeal to small and midsize businesses who value convenience rather than the cutting edge performance of these clamshell computers.

As for a small netbook and a laptop-transformer, which looks more like a tablet, then this is a good choice for people for whom a computer is nothing more than the opportunity to be constantly online. They take up almost no space compared to other laptops, and do an excellent job of most of the responsibilities assigned to them. But the performance, functionality, shape, dimensions and weight of netbooks depend on their cost.

For those who like to stand out, there are limited, mass-produced lots of fashion laptops, the cases of which can be covered with jaguar leather.

Laptop device in general

Visually, the laptop is divided into two parts - this is the cover with the display and the rest of the case, which actually contains the important computer components. The case itself can be made of plastic, light metal and other hybrid structures. The lid with the LCD display serves as a screen.

Screens are both completely ordinary and touchscreen, especially, this is typical for convertible laptops. In the visible part of the case, the keyboard and touchpad are integrated. The internal component, as well as the component of the system unit, has the following main components: the central processor, motherboard, RAM modules, video adapter and storage device, alternative power source represented by a rechargeable battery. The presence of a drive for reading optical discs is completely optional.

Also, most laptops are equipped with an integrated camera, speakers and microphone, which emphasizes the versatility of these computer representatives.

Advantages and disadvantages

As mentioned earlier, the presence of a laptop battery gives an advantage over an ordinary computer in its mobility. But the smaller size of the device complicates the manufacturing technology of its components and, as a result, increases the final price of the laptop itself.

Smaller dimensions and weight, in most cases, predetermine lower productivity, but at the same time, it is enough for everyday tasks. Therefore, less productive laptops can cost more than similar PCs, but you can overpay for convenience.

But the complete set in one case does not at all prohibit the use of third-party devices by connecting them to specially brought out connectors. In principle, some may consider such a complete set of a laptop as a disadvantage, because each of its components increases its overall cost.

The capabilities of the integrated Wi-Fi adapter are a good advantage when using wireless Internet. And a camera with a microphone and integrated acoustics is unlikely to hurt.

The really prominent disadvantage of the laptop is the limitation in further modernization and the not always present possibility of installing an alternative operating system. If replacement hard disk for more efficient SSDs and an increase in RAM is not a big deal, then the video card and other components will not always be possible to replace.

As for the installation of an alternative operating system, not every manufacturer provides support for other operating systems besides the pre-installed one. However, the laptop may be equipped with specific components that may cause a compatibility problem.

Using your laptop with care

The long service life of a laptop, in principle, like any other technology, depends on a careful attitude towards it. The lid of a laptop with its own filling is especially susceptible to damage. The cable connecting the display with the graphics adapter is not the strongest place, you do not need to constantly play with it, and before closing the lid, be sure to make sure that there is no foreign object on the keyboard. You should not eat and drink drinks at the computer, since repair and replacement of laptop components are more expensive than those of a regular PC.

Answering the question what a laptop is, we can conclude that this representative of the computer family has firmly consolidated its position due to its mobility and portability, a high degree of convenience and indispensability. But the more productive the device, the higher the quality of the manufactured material, not to mention its size, the less affordable the laptop becomes. Therefore, you need to choose a laptop according to your needs, and respect for it can increase its service life.

ProComputer.su

What is a laptop and what are its functions?

What is a laptop for a modern person? This is the kind of thing that you simply cannot do without. It is he who helps to complete a lot of tasks very quickly, replacing a whole host of other devices. But few know everything that is required about such an important thing. So, let's consider what a laptop is (the definition will be given below), what are its functions, capabilities and internal structure. So, let's begin!

What is a laptop: definition

The etymology of this word is easy to establish. What is a laptop is easy to understand. Everything is clear anyway, if you know English language... Translated into Russian, this word means "notebook". Usually a person writes down a lot of necessary things in his organizer, draws and uses for his business needs. The most important thing is that he is always with him, and at any moment you can look into him and find out something that has already been forgotten. So, the laptop has similar parameters. It is designed for the business needs of the owner. And the most important thing is its portability and independence. You do not need to constantly sit near the power source. A portable and independent personal computer - this is precisely the answer to the question of what is a laptop.

Laptop functions

A laptop, like all devices, must perform certain tasks. In essence, this is the same personal computer, more compact and non-volatile (at least for several hours). Even all the components and internals are the same as those of a PC.

On it you can deal with the processing and creation of documents. Fortunately, the standard installed Microsoft package helps in this. Also, the laptop allows you to quickly enter the World Wide Web. You can connect a cable to it directly or use special Wi-Fi routers. It is very convenient: you sit in a cafe with a cup of hot coffee and work. That's what a laptop is - it's always a fast way to process data and access the internet anywhere.

Differences between laptops and PCs

What is a laptop and how is it different from a regular computer? The first is a small copy of the second, which has slightly different features. Well, let's get down to the differences right away.

You can immediately highlight the feature by which these two devices differ - the size. The fact that a laptop is much smaller than a desktop computer is immediately apparent. This is one of the main advantages of one over the other. Thanks to its small size, you can work with the laptop even on the road, transport it to another city or carry it constantly with you so that it is at hand. It is clear that it is problematic to transfer a PC even to another room along with its wires, monitor, various devices and the system unit itself. Therefore, in the category of mobility, laptops are second to none.

Another nice plus - no need to connect additional attachments. Everything is built into the laptop: the screen, the keyboard, and even the mouse (touchpad). Without all this, an ordinary desktop computer will not only be useless, but even a burden. This category also includes autonomous operation in remote locations without access to an electrical network and fast Internet connections over wireless networks. Therefore, one more plus sign goes to the piggy bank of miniature computers.

Cons of laptops

But, despite all these advantages, these devices also have disadvantages. A significant disadvantage of all laptops is low power. In this regard, they are simply not comparable to conventional desktop computers. Even if the laptop is gaming (which means that it has the highest parameters), then it pulls in power only on an average PC. But this is also a controversial issue, for those who just need to work with documents, powerful laptop just not needed.

Replacing a specific element in the device will not be so easy. Compared to computers, where everything is simple and clear, in laptops (especially in cheap models) it is sometimes impossible to replace some broken element. Therefore, you need to use such devices very carefully.

What is laptop hibernation?

Each device has its own interesting features... An ordinary user will ask: what is hibernation in a laptop? Yes, the word is interesting. The function itself is not very popular. Few people know about her. Added to this is the fact that not all laptops have it. That is, the function exists, but in order for it to appear in the "Start" menu, you need to prescribe a certain code through the command term. By the way, in exactly the same way you can remove this function from the menu.

Some people confuse hibernation and sleep mode. Yes, in fact, they are similar to each other and serve the same purpose. Only here are the differences: the sleep mode assumes the operation of the device at a reduced power consumption. In this state, the battery can work up to twelve hours. In hibernation mode, the device can retain its charge for a longer period. How does he work? It's very simple: the system creates an image of RAM and stores it on the C drive (so you need to have enough space on it). Then the consumption of electricity is simply stopped. You can even unplug the plug. When a laptop is suddenly needed, you can take it out of this state.

The plus is that, unlike a regular boot, which lasts about one minute, you can work after ten seconds, and the effect will be as if the laptop was not turned off (everything will remain). There is no energy consumption while in hibernation mode. The function itself is not very useful for regular PC users. It can only be useful for programmers or very busy people, but there are very few of them. After all, it's not too lazy to spend just one minute downloading and another minute opening other files.

Touchpad, or touchpad

What is a touchpad in a laptop? This is one of the surprises in these computers. Thanks to him, the laptop does not require an additional mouse connection. You can use the touch panel just like on a phone. For some, it is even more convenient to use the touchpad, and not the mouse. In places where there is not so much space (in a carriage, minibus, small cafe), it is easiest to use it. Now it is clear what a touchpad is in a laptop.

Chipset

What is a laptop bridge? Usually ordinary users do not even think about the existence of any bridges in their device. However, such a term can be heard by those people who have contacted a service center with a breakdown. They may say that the north or south bridge has burned out: you will have to change the motherboard. Such words baffle the average user, because he does not know what the north bridge is in a laptop and why it is needed.

And really, why is it needed? First you need to find out what a laptop chipset is. The north and south bridges are called such a strange word together. Together, they are responsible for the operation of the components on the motherboard. The north bridge has many tasks. This is why it is so important. Its replacement is not possible because it is built into the motherboard. This node is responsible for the compatibility and operation of the so-called PAM memory (RAM), processor and video adapter. He also performs other tasks. Due to the fact that a lot of tasks (and not the easiest ones) were hung on such a chip, it overheats very much. A miniature cooler is sometimes even installed for it, but most often a simple passive radiator. Its temperature is thirty degrees higher than that of the south bridge or other node of the motherboard. Excessive overheating or overloading will simply kill him, which is why the north bridge breaks so often on the laptop.

South bridge

The south bridge is the smaller brother of the north one. It also fails quite often. This is because for this node it is not assumed additional cooling, in contrast to the north. As a rule, the south bridge "takes the blow" and does not let the entire laptop die. A common reason failure of this particular unit is overheating or short circuit USB connector: it just burns out.

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What is a laptop

In our time, for successful study and career, the speed of decision-making is especially important. With a laptop close at hand, you can always be in the center of the action. More and more Russian users, purchasing a laptop, opt for convenience and mobility. It is no longer a secret that the dynamics of the laptop market significantly exceeds the market for desktop computers.

Today we will dwell on the indisputable advantages of modern laptops over desktop computers (desktops). This article will be useful for those who prefer laptops, and not their older brothers - personal computers (PCs).

Notebook (English notebook - notebook, notebook PC) - a portable personal computer, in the case of which typical components of a PC are combined, including a display, a keyboard and a pointing device (usually Touchpad, or touchpad), Pocket PC, and rechargeable batteries. Laptops are small in size and weight, the battery life of laptops varies from 1 to 15 hours.

Laptop (English laptop - lap = knees of a seated person, top = top) - a broader term, it is applied to both laptops and tablet PCs. Laptops usually include laptops made in a folding form factor. The laptop is folded to protect the screen, keyboard and touchpad during transport.

Classification of laptops

There are 2 main classification systems for laptops, which complement each other.

Classification based on the size of the diagonal of the display:

17 inches or more - Desktop Replacement. The dimensions and weight of such portable computers are quite significant, which makes them inconvenient to carry. However, the relatively large display size provides a more comfortable experience, and the voluminous chassis allows for powerful components and adequate cooling. Sometimes laptops use desktop versions of processors and system logic, such devices are called desktop devices.
14 - 16 inches - mass laptops (there is no special name for this category of laptops). They have acceptable dimensions and weight while maintaining a decent level of performance.
11 - 13.3 inches - subnotebooks. Such laptops are small and lightweight, but the small screen size makes it less convenient to work with such a device. Subnotebooks are not large enough to accommodate powerful components due to cooling problems and therefore often use lower power mobile processors (LV or ULV models). Subnotebooks rarely come with discrete graphics, and some models do not have an optical drive.
7 - 12.1 inches (not having a DVD drive) - netbooks. Netbooks are geared towards web browsing, email and office programs... The small screen size, small keyboard and low performance of such devices are offset by the moderate price and relatively long battery life. The dimensions usually do not allow installing an optical drive in a netbook, but a Wi-Fi adapter is a must.
Devices with a screen diagonal of less than 7 inches are allocated to a special category of "handheld computers" (Handheld PC)

The classification by the size of the screen diagonal is rather arbitrary. Screens with the same diagonal but different aspect ratios have different areas.

Classification based on the purpose of the laptop and the technical characteristics of the device:

Budget laptops. Budget Laptops - Laptops with a low price tag and limited features. Low-end processors often have poor energy efficiency, which negatively affects laptop battery life. A number of ultra-budget models lack a Wi-Fi adapter. The screen diagonal of a budget laptop is usually 14-15 ", although a number of manufacturers offer models with a diagonal of 17".
Mid-Range Laptops - Mid-range laptops are by far the largest and most blurred category of laptops. The screen diagonal of such a device can be any. Laptops in this category do not have outstanding performance, the video adapter is built-in or discrete in the lower series, the processor is of the entry or middle level. The case of such portable computers, as a rule, is made of plastic, the design is simple, not eye-catching. The operating system in most cases is Windows 7 Home Premium, there is also Windows XP Home Edition. Most notebooks in the desktop replacement category can also be categorized as mid-range notebooks. Business laptops. Business laptops are meant for business people. According to their technical specifications business laptops are almost similar to mid-range laptops and differ from them mainly in a strict and laconic design, as well as in the use of more expensive materials. Business laptops quite often fall into the category of subnotebooks (intended primarily for those who often travel on business), rarely - into the category of "desktop replacement" (for those who do not need to take their laptop out of the office).
Multimedia laptops. Multimedia notebooks are another rather blurry category of notebooks. Positioning your laptop as “multimedia” depends on the manufacturer. Typically, multimedia laptops include laptops with video cards and processors of the middle class, which allows you to use a laptop for almost any purpose, including for most computer games. The diagonal of the screen of multimedia laptops is 15.6 - 18.4 inches, multimedia laptops with a smaller diagonal are almost never found, since the small size of the display makes it difficult to perform multimedia functions. Simple multimedia laptops are virtually indistinguishable from mid-range laptops. Sometimes you can find small screen on the back of the lid, which allows you to view images and video clips without opening your laptop.
Gaming laptops. Gaming laptops are designed for computer games. The main difference between a gaming laptop is a powerful processor and a powerful graphics card. Despite the fact that mobile versions of video cards are inferior to desktop ones, they are able to provide quite comfortable conditions for playing modern demanding games. Some manufacturers offer notebooks with two graphics adapters operating in SLI / Crossfire mode (of course, in the Desktop Replacement class models). Often, gaming laptops have an aggressive design, such models can be classified as fashion laptops.
Mobile workstation. Mobile workstation class notebooks are designed for professional work in 3D modeling and CAD programs. The key difference between a mobile workstation and other laptops is the use of mobile versions of professional video cards NVidia Quadro FX or ATI FireGL. Typically, such laptops have a powerful processor, and the display has high resolution(up to 1920x1200 on models with a screen size of 15.4 - 17 inches.
Image laptops. Image laptops stand out among others with a bright and memorable design. For the manufacture of fashion laptop cases, materials such as steel, aluminum, carbon and other unusual materials are often used. There are models adorned with some kind of jewelry. The typical fashion laptop is in the subnotebook class, but fashion models are found in all sizes. Some models of gaming and business laptops are sometimes referred to the class of fashion laptops. The performance of fashion laptops can be very low (compact models), and it can be quite high (Dell Adamo, MacBook Pro, gaming Asus laptops Lamborgini, Acer Ferrari, etc.).
Rugged laptops. Rugged notebooks ("off-road vehicles") are designed to work in extreme conditions. They are highly resistant to vibration, shock, high dustiness and humidity, aggressive chemical environments, and can operate at extreme temperatures. Manufacturers offer models with different classes protection. Such laptops are used in the army, emergency services (Ministry of Emergency Situations, firefighters, etc.), can serve as industrial computers, etc. Often such devices are developed by special order of government organizations (mainly the armed forces). Rugged notebooks use special components that are resistant to external influences. The widespread adoption of rugged notebooks is hindered by their high price and heavy weight.
Touchscreen Laptops (Tablet Laptops). Touchscreen laptops are a hybrid of a tablet PC and a laptop, which is why they are also called tablet laptops. From tablet PCs they got a touch screen, and from a laptop a case with a full keyboard. The positioning of such portable computers depends on the manufacturer, some refer to these devices as laptops, others as tablets. As a rule, the display on such laptops is made rotatable, which significantly expands the functionality of the device and allows you to use it both as a laptop and as a full-fledged tablet pc... The diagonal of the screen of tablet laptops usually does not exceed 15 inches, the performance is average. These features are associated with the high cost and relatively high power consumption of touch panels. The advantage of such laptops over other categories of portable computers is the ability to enter information directly on the screen, and over tablet PCs - a full-fledged keyboard that allows you to easily type large amounts of text. The main disadvantages are the high cost and relatively low performance of such devices. The disadvantages also include the lower reliability of the pivot joint (compared to traditional laptops).

Technical characteristics of laptops.

Laptops operate on battery power, but there is also the possibility of working through adapters that charge the laptop battery. Lithium-ion batteries are used in modern notebook computers. In modern laptops, two types of display coverings are used - matte and glossy. The image on the screen with a glossy finish is more contrasting and brighter, but often inconvenience occurs due to the mirror effect: the light is not scattered over the surface of the screen and the coating gives too bright reflections if any light source is located behind the user's back. The matte finish, on the other hand, makes the image less contrasting, but does not create glare.

Laptop computers can perform all the same tasks as desktop computers, although at the same price, the performance of a laptop will be significantly lower. Laptops contain components similar to those found in conventional computers and perform the same functions, but are miniaturized and optimized for mobile use and energy efficiency. Laptop computers usually have an LCD display and use Small Outline DIMM (SO-DIMM) memory modules (not the large DIMM found in desktop computers). In addition to the built-in keyboard, they can contain a touchpad or pointstick. Also external computer manipulators such as a mouse, an additional keyboard or a monitor can be connected.

Production

Laptops are manufactured by a large number of companies. Among them are Acer, Apple, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu, Gateway, HCL, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, etc. They are also produced (assembled) by companies operating in the markets of certain countries (for example, there are brands RoverBook and IRU). However, fewer companies actually manufacture laptops. For example, brands such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Dell, Gateway, Sony, Micron, Toshiba do not manufacture laptops themselves, but order them from third-party manufacturers.

The following companies are often used as laptop manufacturers:

Compal manufactures some models from IBM and Dell, as well as Hewlett-Packard.
Clevo makes the popular Alienware and VoodooPC gaming laptops.
Falcon Northwest hi-end laptops.
Quanta Computer is a large Taiwanese manufacturer (for Sony, Lenovo, Hewlett Packard, Apple).
Sager are powerful laptops.
Uniwill - ECS laptops.

Among the branded manufacturers there are also those with their own production lines, for example, Asus, Apple. After manufacturing the hardware of the laptop and assembling the components by a third-party manufacturer, the supplier with a well-known name only needs to install a hard drive with pre-installed software in the laptop, install a keyboard with the language of the desired region and package the laptop. Naturally, this approach to production does not mean that laptops of all well-known brands are of the same quality, since, in the end, everything depends on the laptop design, which is most often provided by the engineers of the customer companies and contains different requirements for the selection and arrangement of components used. materials, etc. This is why laptops from leading brand companies tend to be better (and more expensive) than laptops from less well-known suppliers.

mainview.ru

How to choose a laptop?

Laptops. How to choose a laptop.

A laptop is a portable personal computer, in a case of which the typical components of a system unit of a stationary PC are combined, as well as a display, keyboard, pointing device, communication devices and a rechargeable battery.

In terms of their functionality, modern laptops are not much inferior to their older brothers, desktops. At the same time, "laptops" have a number of advantages. They are lighter, more compact, not tied to one place, they can work autonomously and connect to the Internet without wires. Taking into account the above listed advantages of laptops, today when choosing a computer, people are increasingly abandoning stationary PCs and preferring laptops. For experienced desktop users who decide to purchase a laptop, choosing this device will not be difficult because, with the exception of some features, the characteristics of laptops are largely similar to those of ordinary PCs. However, there are many people for whom choosing a laptop is not an easy task. This article is for them.

What kind of laptops are there? What is important when choosing a laptop? What should you pay attention to first of all when choosing a laptop?

All you need to know about laptops can be found in this article.

Here you will also find tips on how to choose the right laptop.

Getting started choosing a laptop, the first thing you will come across is a large number of companies that produce them. Accordingly, the more brands, the more models and the more variety they are. With such a variety of options, how do you choose the “right” laptop, the one that's right for you?

Let's try to figure it out.

The first thing you need to do when choosing a laptop is to answer yourself two questions: what do you need a laptop for (for example, for work or study, for watching movies, for games, for status) and how are you going to use it (as a home PC as a mobile laptop or as a home and mobile at the same time).

The answer to the first question will help you to correctly determine the class of the laptop, and the answer to the second question will tell you its optimal size and weight.

Classification of laptops

Depending on the purpose, laptops are divided into the following classes:

budget laptops (for simple tasks);
middle class laptops (for work and study);
business laptops (for business people);
notebooks mobile workstations (for professional work);
multimedia laptops;
gaming laptops ("gaming");
image laptops ("status");
protected laptops ("off-road vehicles").

Budget Laptops

Rice. 1. Budget laptop.

Budget laptops (Figure 1) are low cost laptops with limited features.

Designed mainly for simple tasks, for example, for working with office applications (Word, Excel, etc.), working on the Internet, viewing photos and videos.

These laptops are usually based on cheap processors with poor performance and poor energy efficiency. The screen diagonal of a budget laptop is usually not large - 14-15 ". A number of ultra-budget models do not have a Wi-Fi adapter.

To keep costs down, they are often shipped without a preinstalled operating system.

Mid-range laptops

Rice. 2. A mid-range laptop.

Mid-range laptops (Fig. 2) are the most extensive and rather diffuse class of laptops. Manufacturers, as a rule, classify middle-class models as office or mainstream-series, sometimes position them as "economy-class multimedia laptops" and even as "economy-class gaming notebooks" (in this case, the laptop has a mid-range video card and an inexpensive processor) ...

Mid-range laptops are often purchased and used as "desktop replacement". The processor of such laptop computers does not have outstanding performance, but, more often than not, it is enough for comfortable work. Video adapter - built-in or discrete junior series, hard drive and screen diagonal can be any, the case is made of plastic, the design is simple and not standout.

On laptops of this class usually preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Basic.

Business Laptops

Rice. 3. Business laptop.

Business notebooks (Fig. 3) are practically the same as those of the middle class in terms of their technical characteristics. They are intended for business people and differ from them mainly in their strict and laconic design and the use of more expensive materials in the manufacture of the case. Business laptops quite often belong to the category of subnotebooks (intended primarily for those who often travel on business), rarely - to the category of "desktop replacement" (for those who do not need to take their laptop out of the office). Some models are equipped with professional video cards designed to output information to multiple external displays (these video adapters are certified for corporate applications). There are even business netbooks.

Business laptops are usually preinstalled with Windows 7 Enterprise.

Laptops mobile workstations

Rice. 4. Laptops are a mobile workstation.

Laptops mobile workstations (Fig. 4) are designed for professional work on them.

Typically, such laptops have a powerful processor. Screen diagonal 16-18 inches with high resolution (up to 1920x1200).

The key difference between a mobile workstation and other laptops is the use of mobile versions of professional video cards. and the display has

Multimedia Laptops

Rice. 5. Multimedia notebook.

Multimedia notebooks (Figure 5) are another rather blurry class of notebooks. Simple multimedia notebooks are practically indistinguishable from mid-range notebooks, while positioning a portable PC as a "multimedia" one depends on the manufacturer.

Typically, multimedia laptops include laptops with video cards and processors of the middle class, which allows you to use a laptop for almost any purpose, including for most computer games. The diagonal of the screen of multimedia laptops is 15.6-20 inches, multimedia laptops with a smaller diagonal are almost never found, since the small size of the display makes it difficult to perform multimedia functions.

It is quite common to see the ability to view multimedia files without loading the operating system. Advanced multimedia notebooks are equipped with a TV tuner and remote control.

The OS on laptops of this class is usually Windows versions 7 containing the Windows Media Center component (Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate).

Gaming Laptops

Rice. 6. Game laptop.

Gaming laptops (Figure 6) are designed for particularly resource-intensive tasks, such as computer games.

The main difference between a gaming laptop is a powerful processor and a powerful graphics card. Despite the fact that mobile versions of video cards are inferior to desktop ones, they are able to provide quite comfortable conditions even in the most demanding games. Some manufacturers offer notebooks with dual graphics. The most expensive models can be equipped with a full-fledged (desktop) processor and an effective cooling system.

Gaming laptops are often aggressively designed.

Image laptops

Rice. 7. Image laptop.

Image laptops (Fig. 7) stand out among others with a bright and memorable design - they can be decorated with artistic painting, any crystals, inlay, leather and jewelry. For the manufacture of fashion notebook cases, aluminum, carbon and other unusual materials are often used. A typical fashion laptop is a subnotebook with small dimensions and weight and performance, but not always, fashion models are also found among gaming and business laptops, in which case their performance can be quite high, and the display diagonal is appropriate.

Painting, inlaid with crystals and precious stones. metals, leather trim.

Rugged laptops

Rice. 8. Protected laptop.

Rugged notebooks (Fig. 8) are designed to work in extreme conditions. Rugged notebooks use special components that are resistant to external influences. They are highly resistant to vibration, shock, high dustiness, humidity and aggressive chemical environments, and can operate at extremely high and extremely low temperatures. The body of such devices is able to withstand a large static load, comparable to a collision with a car.

Such laptops are used in the army, emergency services, can serve as industrial computers, etc. For which, in fact, they received the nickname "SUVs".

Often, such devices are developed by special order of government organizations (mainly the armed forces).

The high price and heavy weight hinder the widespread adoption of rugged notebooks.

Laptop size and weight

Depending on the size, laptops are conventionally divided into four groups:

full-size;
mid-size;
small-sized;
mini laptops.

Full-size laptops are most convenient for use as a home PC. Typically, the group of full-size laptops includes: multimedia laptops and mobile workstations.

Laptops of this group are very powerful and in many respects are not inferior to bulky stationary desktops. They are well configured and work on the basis of powerful processors, their RAM is large, they are equipped with a fast video card, a large hard drive and a wide range of communication interfaces.

By purchasing a full-size laptop, you are acquiring an excellent tool for work, study, communication, recreation and entertainment. Such a "laptop" will cope well with almost any task and, moreover, it is very comfortable to work on it.

A full-sized laptop can weigh up to 4 kg.

Mid-size notebooks are general purpose notebooks. As a rule, the group of medium-format laptops includes: laptops for simple tasks, mid-range laptops, business laptops, gaming laptops, fashion laptops.

In terms of their technical characteristics, portable PCs from this group are inferior to full-size laptops (with the exception, perhaps, of gaming laptops), but, on the other hand, due to their smaller size, such laptops are more mobile. These laptops weigh no more than 2.5 kg.

Small-sized laptops are popular with people who often have to travel for business and who spend a lot of time on the road. This group may include budget laptops, laptops for work and study, fashion laptops, "off-road vehicles".

The technical specifications of small notebooks can sometimes be compared to those of mid-sized notebooks, but in most cases they are lower. Small-sized laptops weigh no more than 1.5 kg.

Recently, this group has been significantly competing with ultrabooks and, to some extent, netbooks and tablets.

Mini-laptops are a special small group of laptops that do not differ in performance. They are small and lightweight, but they have a very small keyboard, which may not be suitable for everyone.

Choosing a laptop hardware configuration

After you have decided on the class and size of your future laptop, the last step remains - to make the choice of its specific hardware configuration.

There are two approaches you can take when choosing a laptop hardware configuration:

the first is the "wallet method", which consists in choosing the most expensive configuration for which you have enough money;
the second is a meticulous study of the characteristics of laptops.

If you have enough funds, choosing an expensive machine will provide you with a powerful, well-configured laptop.

If your funds are limited or you just want to save money, then take a different approach - study the characteristics of laptops of your chosen class and size, and then choose the optimal configuration for yourself.

In doing so, pay attention to the components of the laptop such as:

display;
keyboard and touchpad;
motherboard;
processor (CPU);
video card (VGA);
random access memory (RAM);
data storage device (HDD, SSD);
battery,

and also, analyze:

communication capabilities of the laptop;
the presence of the input / output ports (connectors) you need;
the presence and characteristics of other important components (for example, a sound card and acoustics of a laptop, an optical drive, a built-in web camera and a microphone, a slot for a Kensington lock, etc.)

Flat-panel displays are used in laptops. Important characteristics display are:

screen size and area;
screen resolution and DPI;
panel type;
type of screen surface (glossy or matte).

Rice. 9. Diagonal of the screen.

The indicator of the screen size is the diagonal, i.e. the distance from the lower left corner to the upper right corner (Fig. 9).

The diagonal is usually expressed in inches.

For modern laptops, the screen diagonal can vary from 9 "-11" (small notebook group) to 17 "-20" (full-size notebook group).

Among the full-size laptops purchased as a replacement for desktops, laptops with a screen diagonal of 17 "-18" are now the most popular.

Among the small-sized ones, the best-selling laptops are with 10-inch screens.

The screen area depends on the format, i.e. from the aspect ratio of the screen.

The value of the screen area is usually expressed in cm2.

Depending on the aspect ratio, the screen may be:

a) standard - aspect ratio 4: 3 (fig. 10);

b) widescreen - aspect ratio 16: 9 and 16:10 (fig. 11).

Rice. 10. Standard screen.

Rice. 11. Laptop with widescreen display.

Screens with the same diagonal, but with different aspect ratios have different areas.

	16: 9 (wide)	4: 3 (standard)
Diagonal	Height	Sharina	Square	Height	Width	Square
inches	cm	cm	cm	cm2	cm	cm	cm2
9	22.86	11.21	19.92	223.30	13.72	18.29	250.94
10	25.4	12.45	22.14	275.64	15.24	20.32	309.68
11	27.94	13.70	24.35	309.25	16.76	22.35	374.59
12	30.48	14.94	26.57	396.96	18.29	24.38	445.91
13	33.02	16.19	28.78	465.95	19.81	26.42	523.38
14	35.56	17.43	30.99	540.16	21.34	28.45	607.12
15	38.1	18.68	33.21	620.36	22.86	30.48	696.77
16	40.64	19.92	35.42	705.57	24.38	32.51	792.59
17	43.18	21.17	37.63	796.63	25.91	34.54	894.93
18	45.72	22.41	39.85	893.04	27.43	36.58	1003.39
19	48.26	23.66	42.06	995.14	28.96	38.61	1118.15
20	50.8	24.91	44.28	1103.01	30.48	40.64	1238.71

Widescreen laptops are ideal for watching movies, but a traditional screen is better for working with text (such as MS Word).

Note. Nowadays, most manufacturers have concentrated on producing laptops with widescreen screens, so finding a laptop with a standard screen can sometimes be very difficult.

Screen resolution is the density of pixels per unit area.

The resolution is expressed either by the letter abbreviation of the standard, or in the form of two numbers, the value of which is equal to the number of pixels in the width and height of the screen. For example, VGA or (640x480).

For laptop screens, the most popular resolutions are XGA (1024 × 768) and WXGA (1280x800). In addition to the above resolutions, screen resolutions are widely used: XGA + (1152 × 864), WXGA HD (1366 × 768), WXGA + (1440 × 900), HD + (1600 × 900), WUXGAG (1920 × 1080), WUXGA (1920 × 1200) ... Sometimes there are others.

Note. When we talk about resolution as a characteristic of a laptop screen, it should be understood that it comes about the maximum screen resolution.

Models with the same diagonal size may have different screen resolutions. For example, XGA (1024 × 768) and XGA + (1152 × 864). In this case, the rule is: “the higher the screen resolution, the clearer the text looks and the more detailed the image”. High-resolution laptops are good for graphics, watching movies, playing games. To work with text, it is enough to buy a laptop with XGA.

DPI (dots per inch, number of dots per square inch) is another screen parameter that characterizes the density of pixels per unit area.

The DPI value determines the pixel size: a higher DPI value means a smaller pixel size, so the smaller the pixel size, the clearer the text and the more detailed the image.

Rice. 12. Laptop panel.

As for the types of panels used in laptops as a display surface (Fig. 12), briefly about them we can say the following:

There are several types of panels.
Panel type - is determined by the technology by which it is manufactured.
Within each type of panels, there are types and subspecies.
The type (type and subspecies) of the panel the laptop is equipped with depends on:

image quality (color rendering, brightness, contrast, black color rendering);
response time (the minimum time required for a pixel to change its brightness);
viewing angle (horizontal and vertical angle at which no significant drop in contrast is observed);
Energy consumption.

In modern laptops, the display surface is most often active liquid crystal panels driven by thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display (TFTLCD).

In this article, we will not consider the technical aspects of LCD panels created using TFT technology, we will only say that, in turn, they can be of different subspecies.

The most common TFTLCD subspecies are:

Twisted Nematic (TN). Modifications: STN, DSTN, TN + Film.
In-Plane Switching (IPS) or Super Fine TFT (SFT). IPS modifications: S-IPS, AS-IPS, IPS-Pro, H-IPS, e-IPS, P-IPS, AH-IPS. SFT modifications: A-SFT, SA-SFT, UA-SFT.
Vertical Alignment (VA). Modifications: MVA, PVA, Super PVA, Super MVA.
Plane-to-Line Switching (PLS).

Each of the above subspecies has its own advantages and disadvantages.

TN is the cheapest technology. The panels created using this technology, due to their low cost, are used mainly in budget models. Its main advantages are - good time response (16-25 ms.) and low power consumption, but otherwise it loses. Color reproduction, contrast and viewing angles are poor. Black is poorly reproduced and looks like dark gray.

Note. Among modern laptops with TN displays, most often you can find panels created using TN + Film technology. The word film in the name of the technology means an additional layer used to increase the viewing angle up to 140 °.

IPS and SFT are the most expensive technologies. In fact, this is one technology, but developed by different companies. Hitachi and NEC respectively. The purpose of this technology was to get rid of the shortcomings of TN + film.

Advantages of IPS (SFT): good brightness, high contrast and color rendition (panels created using this technology always reproduce full color depth), viewing angle increased to 180 °, black looks black.

Disadvantages of IPS (SFT): long response time (up to 50 ms), pixel density lower than NT, high power consumption, complexity and high production costs.

Note. Currently, IPS (SFT) has been supplanted by more advanced modern modifications that inherit all the advantages of IPS (SFT) technology with a simultaneous decrease in response time, power consumption, cost and increase in resolution, brightness, contrast, color reproduction (the color of the best IPS (SFT) modifications is no longer inferior to CRT monitors).

MVA (Multi-domain Vertical Alignment) / PVA (Patterned vertical alignment) technologies are considered a compromise between TN and IPS, both in terms of cost and consumer properties.

MVA / PVA advantages:

High brightness and contrast; - colors are displayed better than TN; - deep black color;

Viewing angles up to 180 °.

Flaws:

Distorted color rendition and the disappearance of details in the shadows at a perpendicular view; - dependence of the color balance of the image on the angle of view;

The response time is approximately 25ms.

PLS (Plane-to-Line Switching) is a technology developed by Samsung as an alternative to IPS.

PLS panels are somewhat cheaper than IPS.

Also, their advantages include:

Higher pixel density compared to IPS (and similar to MVA / PVA and TN); - high brightness and good color rendering; - large viewing angles (up to 180 °); - Full coverage of the sRGB range;

Low power consumption comparable to TN.

Flaws:

Lower contrast than all previously reviewed panels; - uneven illumination;

Response time (5-10ms) is comparable to S-IPS, better than MVA / PVA and worse than TN + Film.

Note. By themselves, liquid crystals do not glow. In order for the image on the liquid crystal display to be visible, a light source is needed. Until recently, cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL - Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) located behind the LCD panel served as such a source.

Since 2010, LCD displays with LED backlighting (LED - Light Emitting Diode) have become widespread. In trade, such displays are often referred to as LED displays. Do not confuse them with real LED and OLED displays, in which each pixel itself glows and is a miniature LED.

The type of screen surface (glossy or matte) depends on the additional coating applied to the screen. On their laptop displays, manufacturers often use them to improve image quality and increase viewing angles.

Before you buy a laptop, pay attention to the display cover. If the surface of the screen is matte, then you will be protected from glare. Glossy surfaces are more prone to glare, but images appear brighter on such screens.

Keyboard and touchpad

Rice. 13. Fully functional and "stripped down" laptop keyboard.

The laptop keyboard can be of two types: fully functional and "stripped down" (Fig. 13).

Full-size and most mid-size laptops are equipped with a full-function keyboard, which is almost indistinguishable from the usual desktop keyboard. On small-sized "laptops", manufacturers install all sorts of "cut-down" keyboard options, ie. those that do not have an additional number pad and are distinguished by a peculiar (often not very convenient) arrangement of some of the main keys. In addition, in the pursuit of compactness, manufacturers of small-sized laptops can reduce the size of the keys so much that it becomes very inconvenient to work on it blindly.

Therefore, before buying a laptop, you should pay attention to the keyboard. Try to type some text on it and do a series of familiar actions in order, as they say, to feel it.

Instead of a mouse, laptops use a touchpad, moving your finger over which you control the cursor. You can "click" either on the panel itself, or on the buttons located below the panel. It is inconvenient to work with the touch panel, we recommend using it only as an alternative to a regular mouse, which can be easily connected to a laptop via a USB connector (in some models it is supplied immediately in the kit). If a mouse is not supplied with the laptop, we advise you to purchase it immediately with the purchase of the laptop.

Motherboard

Rice. 14. Laptop motherboard.

Laptop motherboards are very different from desktop motherboards (Figure 14). The main difference between laptop motherboards is that many components are built into them, for example, a sound controller, a video card, a network adapter, a modem, etc. lack of interchangeability of components integrated into the board.

When choosing a laptop, pay attention to the fact that the characteristics of the motherboard and the nodes integrated into it initially satisfy you completely, otherwise, if you need to upgrade these components, it will be extremely difficult or, most likely, impossible, because most often, motherboards for laptops are developed individually for a specific line or model and are not subject to upgrade.

Processor (CPU)

Rice. 15. Laptop processor.

A processor is one of the main components of any computer, including a laptop. The processors used in laptops (Figure 15) differ from those found in desktop computers in that they are manufactured using technologies that help reduce energy consumption.

When choosing a laptop, pay attention to four points related to the processor:

processor performance;
power consumption and heat dissipation of the processor;
the number of processor cores;
processor type.

Processor performance is determined by its architecture, clock frequency and the amount of cache memory.

Currently, the term "processor architecture" is ambiguous. In the context of this article, when we talk about CPU architecture, we mean whether the processor is 32-bit (IA32) or 64-bit (AMD64 / EM64T).

Within the framework of this article, we will not conduct an in-depth analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of both CPU architectures. Let's just say that those who expect a significant performance gain from 64-bit CPUs will be disappointed - their performance in the overwhelming majority of modern applications (which are mostly designed for IA32) is practically the same as that of the good old 32-bit processors.

As for the clock frequency, we can say the following, in fact, a higher frequency is needed only for processing 3D images. In all other cases, the speed of work will be determined primarily by the balance of the entire system as a whole: the processor, the motherboard bus, the amount of RAM, the speed of the hard disk. If you are planning to buy a laptop to work with office documents, then a processor with a clock speed of 1.5 GHz will be enough. For more resource-intensive applications (games, graphics editors), it is advisable to buy a laptop with a 2.2-2.5 GHz processor or more.

All modern processors have a cache memory, which is a kind of ultra-fast array for storing copies of blocks of information retrieved from the main (RAM) memory and is, in fact, a buffer between the relatively slow RAM and the processor.

There are caches of 1-, 2- and 3-rd levels (designated L1, L2 and L3 - from Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3). The 1st level cache has the lowest latency (access time), but small size. The L2 cache usually has significantly higher access latency, but it can be made much larger in size. The L3 cache is the largest in size and quite slow, but still much faster than RAM.

Power consumption and heat dissipation of a processor are important parameters when choosing a processor. It will depend on them how much the processor consumes electricity and how much it heats up. The first will determine the duration of autonomous operation (from the battery), the second - the noise of the cooling system.

Both of these parameters are determined by the architecture and the processor clock speed.

The number of processor cores. Processors used in laptops can be of three types: classic single-core, dual-core and quad-core.

Dual-core notebook processors are already the norm. As for the quad-core processors, they are installed mainly in powerful gaming models.

However, if you are faced with the question of choosing a processor for your laptop, then, in any case, it is better to prefer a dual-core CPU (4-core for gaming PCs). Classic single-core CPUs are almost completely exhausted. The market is steadily moving towards multi-core systems and the moment is not far off when a 2- or 4-core processor will become an urgent need.

As for the question about the type of processor, i.e. with which processor to buy a laptop, then Intel still takes the lead. Most laptops use processors from this manufacturer. Although, there are also many successful notebook models based on AMD processors, which should not be underestimated.

Note. Recently, more and more laptops are equipped with mobile processors (usually they are denoted by the additional letter "M" or the word "Mobile" in the name, for example, Intel Core i3-370M, Intel Core i7-3610QM). Mobile processors have lower power consumption and lower heat dissipation.

Graphics card (VGA)

Rice. 16. Laptop video card.

A video card (graphics processor, graphics adapter, graphics card, video adapter) is a component of a laptop that is designed to display images on a monitor.

In fact, this is the same processor, only it is engaged in graphics processing (Fig. 16).

Video cards are:

integrated;
hybrid;
discrete.

Integrated video cards do not have their own chip and their own memory size. They are hard-wired into the motherboard and are part of the motherboard chip (north bridge) and use the amount of RAM for their tasks, rather than reducing the amount of RAM.

Laptops with such video adapters are not suitable for serious games and video processing, but perfect for working with documents, the Internet, viewing video files, images.

Hybrid video cards are video adapters that have a small amount of their memory and, if necessary, have the ability to take a certain amount of memory from the RAM.

Discrete video cards are a completely separate motherboard that has its own chip and its own memory module. Such video adapters will perfectly cope with the processing of any graphics, video capture, 3D games.

But if you are a big gamer, then you should pay attention not only to the size of the built-in video memory, but also to the video chip platform. But due to the quality and performance of the video adapter, the cost of the laptop rises sharply.

In modern laptops, you can find video cards with memory from 512 Mb to 2 Gb, and of course the more memory, the better. But not always. The great performance of the video adapter dramatically increases the cost of the laptop. Therefore, when choosing a laptop video card, we recommend proceeding from the purpose of purchasing a laptop. If you want to choose a laptop for office work or for viewing photos and films, then an integrated 512 Mb video card will be enough for you, but if you are a big gamer or like to work with "advanced" graphic applications for processing graphics and video editing, then you need to have a video card more powerful and in this case it is worth paying attention to discrete video cards with a volume of 1 Gb or more.

Note. Integrated graphics cards with less memory use up the laptop battery more economically.

Random access memory (RAM)

Rice. 17. Random access memory of the laptop.

Random access memory is a volatile semiconductor rewritable computer storage device on which the performance of a laptop depends (Fig. 17).

RAM is an important component of any laptop and should not be economized on. When choosing a laptop, when analyzing RAM, you should pay attention to two points:

Memory.
Memory type.

As for the amount of RAM - all temporary files and commands are stored in RAM. If it is not enough, part of the temporary information is redirected and written to the hard disk, while the speed of many tasks significantly slows down.

For simple tasks (for example, for processing office documents), 1 Gb of RAM is enough - they don't install less, so any laptop is suitable for these purposes.

For more complex tasks, for example, for image processing and especially video, as well as, for some games, 2-3 Gb of RAM or more are required. With a smaller volume, some games will simply not be installed, and the video processing will be very slow.

It should be borne in mind that 32-bit operating systems (for example, the most common distributions of Windows XP), due to architectural features, do not see memory larger than 3Gb, while modern 64-bit operating systems easily solve this problem.

As for the type of RAM - a modern laptop can be equipped with DDR2 and DDR3 memory. DDR3 is 2x faster than DDR2.

Note. In some models of laptops, it is possible to increase the RAM by installing an additional board. For these purposes, their motherboards are equipped with an additional slot.

Data storage device (HDD, SSD)

Two types of storage devices can be found in modern laptops:

Hard Disk Drive.
Solid-State Drive.

Rice. 18. Laptop hard drive.

A hard disk drive (HDD) is an electronic-mechanical rewritable computer storage device with a hard case, inside of which there is a spindle with a metal data storage device fitted on it and a solenoid drive with a read head (Fig. 18).

Laptop hard drives are built in the same way as desktop hard drives. Notebook HDDs are characterized by a more compact size and lower power consumption.

When choosing a laptop with a hard drive, pay attention to two points:

amount of disk space;
spindle rotation speed.

Today you can find laptops with a disk space of 120 Gb to 1 Tb or more. How much disk space to buy a laptop depends on what you will be using it for. If you are going to store only documents and photo galleries on the laptop's hard drive, then 120 Gb will be enough for you, but if you are going to create collections of music, games and films on it, then purchase a more capacious HDD, for example, 320 Gb or more.

Note. Many laptop models have the ability to replace the hard drive, so if necessary, you can upgrade the HDD supplied in the basic configuration to a larger HDD. In addition, there is always the option of connecting an external hard drive via the E-SATA port or USB port, however, we recommend initially not to save on the volume of the hard drive and purchase a laptop with a slightly larger HDD than is needed to complete the tasks set for the laptop.

As for the spindle speed, here you can find hard drives with the following values: 7200 rpm, 5400 rpm, 4200 rpm.

Laptops with an HDD rotation speed of 7200 rpm are preferable if you choose a powerful computer for yourself and for you, first of all, its performance is important, but let's say right away, HDDs with such a spindle rotation speed are quite rare because require increased energy consumption for their work, which is important when operating on battery power. Therefore, in order to save energy consumption, not very fast hard drives are installed on most laptops. Most often you can find "laptops" with a 5400 rpm hard drive. Sometimes 4200 rpm.

Rice. 19. Solid state drive.

A solid-state drive (SSD) is an electronic, non-volatile solid-state, rewritable computer storage device with a hard case with no moving mechanical parts, consisting of a printed circuit board, a chipset, and a controller (Figure 19).

As a storage device in laptops, non-volatile SSDs are relatively new. They have a number of advantages over HDD, but they also have some disadvantages.

SSD advantages:

they are much faster than HDD:

recording on an SSD is almost instantaneous (the time it takes to write data to an HDD can take a few seconds);
accessing data on the SSD takes 0.1ms. (on HDD, data access time ranges from 5 to 10 ms.);
when using an SSD, fragmentation does not affect the speed of reading data from memory (to increase the speed of reading from an HDD, defragmentation is required).

consume less electricity (less than 18 W);
weigh less;
are not afraid of shocks (falls) and vibration.

Disadvantages of SSD:

have a finite number of rewriting cycles, i.e. after a certain number of cycles, the device may fail (a rather dubious drawback, since the number of rewriting cycles is huge, and they will hardly end before you stop using your laptop);
quite high price.

About the appropriateness of use solid state drive As a device for storing data, there are a lot of discussions now, perhaps those who oppose the use of SSD technology at this stage of its development are in some way right, so we will not give unequivocal recommendations in this regard, we will only say one thing - for SSD future.

Battery

Laptop users can be roughly divided into two categories:

the first one is for those who care about laptop mobility and the amount of time a laptop can work autonomously;
the second - those who use a laptop as a stationary computer, and they do not care about any other characteristics, except for the power and performance of the system.

Rice. 20. Laptop battery.

If you belong to the first group of users, then, when choosing a laptop, the characteristics of the battery supplied with the laptop (Fig. 20) will be of no small importance to you.

Battery characteristics to look out for when choosing a laptop include:

Battery Type;
battery capacity;
number of battery sections.

The type of storage battery is determined by the technology by which it is manufactured.

Nickel-cadmium (NiCad) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries were widely used several years ago. They had many shortcomings, so over time they were supplanted by more advanced lithium technologies. Today, two types of lithium batteries can be found in new laptop models - lithium-ion (Li-ion) and lithium-polymer (Li-poly) batteries. The difference between Li-poly batteries and Li-ion is the absence of a hard case and the ability of the battery to take any shape.

Lithium batteries have a number of advantages over their predecessors: they are more capacious, age much more slowly, weigh almost 3 times less and they have no "memory effect".

Note. The "memory effect" refers to the phenomenon observed when the recommended charging regime for Ni-Cd and NiMH batteries is violated. The name is associated with the external manifestation of the effect: the battery seems to "remember" that in the previous cycle of operation its energy was not fully used, and after the next recharging it gives up charge only up to the "memorized boundary".

Speaking of capacity, it should be noted that this is the most important technical characteristic of a battery, the battery life of a laptop depends on it. It is measured in milliampere-hours and watt-hours (capacitance values in milliampere-hours and watt-hours are linearly proportional).

As noted above, modern laptop batteries based on Li-ion and Li-poly technologies have more capacity than outdated NiMH batteries, i.e. Li-ion and Li-poly batteries will conserve more energy than comparable NiMH batteries and hold this energy for longer. Accordingly, a laptop with a Li-ion or Li-poly battery lasts longer. On average, 2 hours or more. 2.5 hours of battery life is a good indicator, although it should be remembered that the battery life claimed by the manufacturer rarely matches the actual battery life of laptops. The reason for this is the difference between the test conditions and the actual operating conditions. Typically, battery testing creates “ideal” conditions - with a minimum of running applications.

If the laptop battery life declared by the manufacturer is not enough for you, as an option, you can purchase an additional battery and keep it in your laptop bag "in reserve". In addition, today many manufacturers produce high-capacity batteries - it can also become an alternative to the standard battery, but in this case it should be remembered that in these batteries, an increase in capacity is usually achieved by an extensive increase in the number of sections, which leads to an increase in the weight and size of the battery. Due to the increase in size, the battery often protrudes outside the laptop.

Communication capabilities laptop

The communication capabilities of a laptop are of great importance to every user, therefore, today you will hardly find a laptop that does not have an Ethernet 10/100/1000 network card and 802.11 b / g / n wireless Wi-Fi. In addition, laptop manufacturers very often supply them with a WiMAX adapter and Bluetooth, and in some models you can still find an infrared port and a V.90 / V.92, 56k modem.

I / O ports (connectors)

Rice. 21. Connectors of the laptop.

I / O ports provide the ability to connect other devices to the laptop. The more ports the better. When choosing a laptop, pay attention to the fact that it has at least three USB 2.0 (or USB 3.0), HDMI, VGA (D-sub), LAN (RJ-45), E-SATA, audio / headphone output, microphone input ( fig. 21). In addition to the above standard set, modern laptops are increasingly equipped with an additional (fourth) USB port, an IEEE 1394 port (FireWire, i-Link), line-in (S / PDIF), and a card reader.

Other laptop components

Other components that you might find it helpful to look out for when choosing a laptop include:

sound card and laptop acoustics;
optical drive;
built-in web-camera and built-in microphone;
slot for Kensington lock.

A sound card in a laptop is usually built-in and has all the standard features you need. The built-in AC'97 codec is enough for playing audio files. On a laptop, you can often find built-in speakers. They have low power, so if you want to get better sound, then you should buy speakers for your laptop separately.

Rice. 22. Laptop optical drive.

The presence of an optical drive will not be superfluous if you choose a laptop to use it as a home PC (Fig. 22). If your laptop should be primarily mobile, then it is better to refuse from the built-in drive - this will save space, weight, and cost! As an alternative to the built-in drive, you can purchase an external USB drive separately and use it if needed.

The built-in web camera and built-in microphone have become almost traditional gadgets for laptops. If you often communicate on Skype or participate in video webinars, their availability will be very useful to you.

Rice. 23. K-Slot and cord lock.

The Kensington lock slot (K-Slot) is a small oblong hole designed for attaching a special metallized cord. This cord is wrapped around some stationary object, like a bicycle one (Fig. 23). The entire design is designed to provide entry-level security so that the laptop will not be "taken away". This mount can be found on many laptops; for those of them that are initially positioned by the manufacturer on the corporate market, it is almost mandatory.

Case material and laptop design

Notebook case material and quality may also vary.

Cases of budget notebooks are made of low quality plastic. They do not hold their shape well (bend when pressed lightly), are fragile and not heat-resistant. In order for such a case to serve for a long time, it must be handled with sufficient care.

The cases of more expensive models, for example, of the middle class, are also made of plastic, but of a higher quality, shockproof and heat-resistant.

Cases of expensive laptops are made of even higher quality plastic or aluminum alloy. Aluminum alloy cases are the most reliable cases, and if you have the opportunity to purchase a laptop with such a case, you should give preference to it.

As for the design of laptops, as a rule, it does not differ much. The only exception to the rule are fashion laptops, the design features of which have already been mentioned above.

Operating system

Among the pre-installed on laptops operating systems most often you can find any OS of the Windows family. However, Linux is also not uncommon. As a pre-installed Linux OS, you can often find it in budget laptops.

For Linux newbies, it is quite a complex OS. So if you are not ready to spend time studying it, then it would be more logical to choose a more familiar OS of the Windows family.

Want to see buying tips? Click on one of these buttons.

Happy shopping!

Video for dessert. The ginger cat has mastered the laptop. Hana squirrel

tags: laptop, how to choose a laptop, which laptop to choose

techadviser.ru

Laptop computer - what kind of device is it? Types and types of laptop computers

A computer is, first of all, a computing machine. Therefore, the integration of these devices into many devices at the present time no longer surprises anyone. However, what everyone is accustomed to calling the word "computer" actually has the full name "personal computer". And recently, even the "personal laptop" is gaining popularity. This means "portable", which defines the portability of the device.

Mobility as the goal of portability

The PC can be portable and desktop. A desktop PC is a fully assembled computer that is interconnected equipment that provides power and versatility, but due to its bulkiness, it is tied to one place. Of course, now they are trying to produce as small parts as possible, thin displays and mobile wireless mice, but all this is still inferior in convenience to laptop PCs. A portable computer is a much smaller size and a more capacious battery (after all, desktop computers, in turn, always work from the mains and do not need a long battery life). However, this affects the performance of such devices, which becomes smaller. However, the computing power of some portable devices is also quite great.

Three main categories of laptop computers

laptop;
notebook;
subnotebook.

It is in this classification that they are presented on the market. However, ordinary people tend to confuse this terminology, based on the fact that they do not understand enough in this area. Sometimes professionals are also confused, since the boundaries of defining certain devices in a certain group are very unclear. Frames are usually set according to the size and weight of the device, and each of the categories has its own standards.

Laptop

The very first portable computer was a laptop. It is a portable computing system in its most primordial, so to speak, form.

A laptop is a very small device. If we consider the term in detail, that "power line" translates as "knees", which means that the device should be placed on this part of the human body.

The concepts of "laptop" and "laptop" closely overlap with each other - for example, Google translator stubbornly perceives them as synonyms, although this is not entirely true.

Main features of laptops

The characteristics of a laptop include the following:

the diagonal of the screen must be at least fourteen, but not more than seventeen inches;
built-in video cards provide high quality graphics;
large, comfortable and extended keyboard;
there is always an optical drive (in other words, a floppy drive);
the capacity of the battery allows you to work autonomously from it for three or more hours;
easily replaceable components (in case of breakdown).

All this leads to the fact that a good laptop becomes a full replacement for the desktop PC. It is a laptop, no doubt about it, but it can rival non-portable devices in terms of performance.

Notebook

Notebook - from the English words "laptop" ("note") and "book" ("book"). Represents portable device with a high level of mobility. It is thinner and more minimalistic than a laptop, but due to its portability it often costs the same or even more expensive.

Among the characteristics of the laptop:

long battery life;
simple graphics;
multifunctionality;
screen diagonal within twelve to fourteen inches.

This is a classic division of notebooks and laptops, which is undergoing changes at the present time. The terms "laptop" and "netbook" are much more common. To describe this classification, the hallmark of a laptop is called its combined components, and screen sizes range from fourteen to seventeen inches (like a laptop).

Netbooks

Netbook - "book" ("book") for using the Internet ("no"). Typically a small laptop with a monitor diagonal of less than thirteen inches is a netbook. Its performance is less, but battery life reaches more hours. Resource-intensive programs will not fully work on a netbook, difficulties will arise when working with large-scale tables and images. Drives are not built into such devices, and memory (both RAM and hard disk) is much less important than in laptops.

On the other hand, netbooks are equipped with high-quality network adapters, and their mobility is very high: they weigh no more than 1 kg and fit into an ordinary women's handbag, because they can be very small - with a screen diagonal of 7 inches.

Are they all laptop computers?

The types described above do not reflect the entire situation in the modern market. The topic of tablet computers and smartphones, as well as handheld computers that have lost their prevalence, has not been touched upon. Further we will focus on them.

Tablets

A portable tablet computer is usually referred to simply as a tablet. By outward appearance distinctive feature- the absence of a keyboard as an input device and replacement of the main functional interface with a full-size touch screen.

Tablets lose even more performance than netbooks, however autonomous time their work is increasing. It is easy to see this proportional relationship.

Tablets usually have sufficient multimedia capabilities and Internet access - the computing power of the device is aimed at this.

The concept of a tablet laptop is also known, to which a keyboard is still attached to help the touchscreen.

PDA

The pocket-sized laptop was much more popular when smartphones had not yet taken over the market. It was a very small computing device about the size of a cell. PDAs are rigidly tied to their operating systems and in the first years of release were intended for use as organizers by business people. At the same time, smartphones have the same or even more functionality, so the PDA has lost its popularity.

Smartphones

The types of laptop computers have long included smartphones. After all, they are both PDA and ordinary mobile phones at the same time. Powerful smartphones have versatility comparable to a weak netbook + enable cellular connectivity. For the most part, such devices are produced with a touch screen, although there are also push-button models.

Note: talking about the portability of computing devices, we need to mention portable programs for a computer, that is, those that do not require installation. They are extremely popular for use on netbooks that lack memory and processing power for a lot.

General idea

Ø What is a laptop?

Notebook(from the English. notebook- notebook PC) - a portable personal computer, in the case of which typical PC components are combined, including a display, a keyboard, and rechargeable batteries. Laptops operate on battery power, but there is also the possibility of working through adapters that charge the laptop battery.

Compact computers containing all the necessary components (including the monitor) in one small case and, as a rule, folds in the form of a book. Adapted to work on the road, in a small free space. To achieve small dimensions, they use special technologies: specially designed specialized microcircuits (ASICs), RAM and reduced-size hard drives, a compact keyboard that does not contain a digital field, external power supplies, a minimum of expansion slots.

As a rule, they contain advanced means of connecting to wired and wireless networks, built-in multimedia equipment (speakers, often a microphone and a webcam). Recently, the computing power of laptops has not been much inferior to stationary PCs, and sometimes even surpasses them. The very compact models do not include a CD / DVD drive.

Using special docks, laptops can turn into desktop PCs: by inserting a laptop into such a dock, the user connects an external large screen, a full-size keyboard, mouse, speakers and connection ports to the laptop's computing devices.

What kind of laptops are there?

Ø First of all, laptops differ in their size.

Laptops are small in size and weight, the battery life of laptops varies from 1 to 6-8 hours.

Netbook(from the English. Netbook) - a small laptop designed to access the Internet and work with office applications. Netbooks are distinguished by their compact size (screen diagonal 7-10 inches or 17.8-25.4 cm), light weight, low power consumption and relatively low cost.

Laptops are classified by size based on the size of the display diagonal:

17 "and more -" Desktop Replacement "14 - 16" - mainstream notebooks (no special name for this category of notebooks) 11 - 13.3 "- subnotebooks 7 - 10.2" - netbooks. Devices with a screen diagonal of less than 7 inches are allocated to a special category of "handheld computers"

Let's consider these classifications in more detail:

Desktop Replacement (display size 17 inches or more)

The Desktop Replacement (DTR) laptop is intended to replace the desktop PC. In fact, this is a type of multimedia and business notebooks that have one key feature- large screen (with a diagonal of 17 inches or more). The dimensions and weight (3-5 kg.) Of such portable computers are quite significant, which makes them inconvenient to carry. However, the relatively large size of the display makes for a more comfortable operation. The case of the device allows you to install powerful components and provide them with sufficient cooling. A number of manufacturers install 2 hard drives in large laptops, which are usually combined into a RAID array. DTR laptops usually have high performance, a discrete graphics card, a large selection of connectors, a high-quality screen, and a comfortable keyboard with a separate numeric block. The cost of laptops in this class ranges from 18,000 to 120,000 rubles.

Subnotebooks - Notebooks with display sizes 11 - 13.3 inches

Such laptops are small and lightweight, but the small screen size makes it less convenient to work with such a device. Subnotebooks are not large enough to accommodate powerful components due to cooling problems and therefore often use lower power mobile processors (LV or ULV models). Subnotebooks rarely come with discrete graphics, and some models do not have an optical drive.

Netbooks - Sizes 7 - 10.2 Inches

Term Netbook(netbook) is becoming as familiar as the words laptop, laptop. In fact, they are all used to refer to portable computers. A netbook is a defective laptop. The logic is simple Inter Net+ note Book = Netbook... Netbooks are geared towards web browsing, e-mail and office software. For these notebooks, special energy efficient Intel Atom processors have been developed. The small screen size, small keyboard and low performance of such devices are offset by the moderate price and relatively long battery life. The dimensions do not allow an optical drive to be installed in the netbook, but a Wi-Fi adapter is required.

Now the netbook market is growing rapidly and new models appear almost every week. In general, there is a noticeable tendency for netbooks to approach conventional laptops in terms of price, size, but, unfortunately, not in terms of performance. So if you need a portable workhorse then you better look towards ultraportable laptops. Yes, they are much more expensive, but they also have much more power. A netbook won't help you here.

And the smallest ones are -

PDA - Pocket personal computer (handheld).

The diagonal of such computers is less than 7 inches.

Pocket personal computer is the collective name for a class of portable electronic computing devices, originally proposed for use as electronic organizers. The English name Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) into Russian can be translated as "personal digital assistant". The PDA is often called a PDA (eng. handheld) due to the small size. As a rule, they are controlled using a small in size and resolution screen, sensitive to finger pressure or a special pen (stylus), and there are no keyboard and mouse. Some models, however, contain a miniature keyboard fixed or sliding out of the case.

And so we examined the classification of laptops by size, their next feature is their internal filling.

Ø Classification of laptops by technical characteristics.

According to technical characteristics, laptops are classified into:

Budget Laptops Mid-Range Laptops Business Laptops Multimedia Laptops Gaming Laptops Mobile Workstation Image Laptops Rugged Laptops Touchscreen Laptops

So let's look at this category.

Budget Laptops

The screen diagonal of a budget laptop is usually 14-15 ", although a number of manufacturers offer models with a diagonal of 17".

Budget Laptops - Laptops with a low price tag and limited features. These laptops are based on cheap Intel processors Celeron M and AMD Mobile Sempron, as well as lower models Intel Core 2 Duo and AMD Turion, sometimes VIA C7 processors are used. Low-end processors often have poor energy efficiency, which negatively affects laptop battery life. A number of ultra-budget models lack a Wi-Fi adapter.

A special position among budget notebooks is occupied by netbooks with a screen diagonal of 7 - 10.2 inches. These devices were originally designed for the lower price segment, but their performance and comfort are low, and the cost of many models is comparable to regular budget laptops, which makes them not the best choice for the role of the main computer.

To keep costs down, budget laptops are often shipped with no operating system preinstalled, or with FreeDOS or GNU / Linux based OS preinstalled.

Mid-range laptops

The screen diagonal of such a device can be any.

Mid-range laptops are by far the largest and most vague category of laptops. Laptops in this category do not have outstanding performance, the video adapter is built-in or discrete in the lower series, the processor is of the entry or middle level. The case of such portable computers, as a rule, is made of plastic, the design is simple, not eye-catching. The operating system in most cases is Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium, there is also Windows XP Home Edition.

Manufacturers usually classify middle-class models as office and mainstream-series, sometimes such portable computers are positioned as "economy-class multimedia notebooks" or even as "economy-class gaming notebooks" (in this case, the laptop has a mid-range video card and an inexpensive processor ). Most of the DTR (desktop replacement) notebooks can also be classified as mid-range notebooks.

Business class laptops.

Business class - these are laptops for business people. In terms of their technical characteristics, business laptops are almost the same as those of the middle class and differ from them mainly in a strict and laconic design, as well as in the use of more expensive materials. Business laptops are often categorized as subnotebooks (primarily intended for those who often travel on business), rarely - in the DTR (desktop replacement) category (for those who do not need to take their laptop out of the office). Some models are equipped with professional video cards Quadro NVS, designed to output information to multiple external displays (these video adapters are certified for corporate applications). There are even business netbooks (HP 2133 Mini-Note PC). Business notebooks are usually preinstalled with Windows XP Professional Edition or Windows Vista Business.

Multimedia Laptops

Multimedia notebooks are also a rather blurry category of notebooks.

The diagonal of the screen of multimedia laptops is 15 - 17 inches, multimedia laptops with a smaller diagonal are almost never found, since the small size of the display makes it difficult to perform multimedia functions. Simple multimedia laptops are virtually indistinguishable from mid-range laptops. Sometimes you will find a small screen on the back of the lid that allows you to view images and video clips without opening the laptop. It is quite common to watch movies and other multimedia files without loading the operating system. Advanced multimedia notebooks are equipped with a TV tuner and remote control. The operating system is usually Windows XP Media Center Edition or Windows Vista Home Premium.

Positioning your laptop as “multimedia” depends on the manufacturer. Typically, multimedia laptops include laptops with video cards and processors of the middle class, which allows you to use a laptop for almost any purpose, including for most computer games.

Gaming Laptops

Gaming laptops are designed for computer games. The main difference between a gaming laptop is a powerful processor and a powerful graphics card. Despite the fact that mobile versions of video cards are inferior to desktop ones, they are able to provide quite comfortable conditions for playing modern demanding games. Some manufacturers offer notebooks with two graphics adapters operating in SLI / Crossfire mode (of course, in the Desktop Replacement class models). Often, gaming laptops have an aggressive design, such models can be attributed to the class Image laptops.

Mobile workstation

Mobile workstation class notebooks are designed for professional work in 3D modeling and CAD programs. The key difference between a mobile workstation and other laptops is the use of mobile versions of professional video cards NVidia Quadro FX or ATI FireGL. Typically, such laptops have a powerful processor, and the display has a high resolution (up to 1920x1200 on models with a screen size of 15.4 - 17 inches).

Image laptops

Image laptops stand out among others with a bright and memorable design. For the manufacture of fashion laptop cases, materials such as steel, aluminum, carbon and other unusual materials are often used. There are models decorated with Swarovski crystals. The typical fashion laptop is in the subnotebook class, but the fashion laptop is found in all sizes. Some models of gaming and business laptops are sometimes referred to the class of fashion laptops. The performance of fashion laptops can be very low (compact models), or very high (MacBook Pro, Asus Lamborgini gaming laptops, Acer Ferrari, etc.)

Rugged laptops

Rugged notebooks ("off-road vehicles") are designed to work in extreme conditions. They are highly resistant to vibration, shock, high dustiness and humidity, aggressive chemical environments, and can operate at extreme temperatures. Manufacturers offer models with various protection classes. Such laptops are used in the army, emergency services (Ministry of Emergency Situations, firefighters, etc.), can serve as industrial computers, etc. Often, such devices are developed by special order of government organizations (mainly the armed forces). Rugged notebooks use special components that are resistant to external influences. Solid state hard drives (SSD) are widely used. The widespread adoption of rugged notebooks is hindered by their high price and heavy weight.

Touchscreen Laptops (Tablet Laptops)

Touchscreen laptops are a hybrid of a tablet PC and a laptop, which is why they are also called tablet laptops. From tablet PCs they got a touch screen, and from a laptop a case with a full keyboard. The positioning of such portable computers depends on the manufacturer, some refer to these devices as laptops, others as tablets. As a rule, the display on such laptops is made rotatable, which significantly expands the functionality of the device and allows you to use it both as a laptop and as a full-fledged tablet computer. The diagonal of the screen of tablet laptops usually does not exceed 15 inches, the performance is quite average. These features are associated with the high cost and relatively high power consumption of touch panels.

The advantage of such laptops over other categories of portable computers is the ability to enter information directly on the screen, and over tablet PCs - a full-fledged keyboard that allows you to easily type large amounts of text. The main disadvantages are the high cost and relatively low performance of such devices. The disadvantages also include the lower reliability of the pivot joint (compared to traditional

The idea of creating a portable computer "the size of a notebook, has a flat screen and can connect to networks without wires" was put forward by Alan Key, head of the research laboratory at Xerox.

The first civilian model Osborne 1 (weight 11 kg, 64 KB RAM, Zilog Z80A processor with a clock frequency of 4 MHz, two 5.25-inch drives, three ports, including for connecting a modem, monochrome display 8.75x6.6 cm, containing 24 lines of 52 characters; 69 keys) was created by inventor Adam Osborne in 1981 and released to the market for $ 1,795. Due to a marketing mistake in which the start of sales of the subsequent Osborne Vixen was announced long before the cars went on sale (and this hit sales of the Osborne 1), the company went bankrupt.

Functions

Also, by connecting a laptop (with a TV-out or HDMI connector) to a TV and / or audio system, you can use it as a multimedia home entertainment center (multimedia station). For this, some of them are equipped with remote controls (eg Pavillion series).

Comparison of laptops and desktops

Advantages laptops over desktops:

Light weight and dimensions... Even notebooks category desktop replacement can be easily moved to another location. A laptop can be taken on a business trip, to the country, on vacation. Moving a desktop computer to another room / office is often a challenge, let alone moving to another city.
It is not necessary to connect external devices to work... A laptop includes a built-in display, keyboard, and pointing device (usually a touchpad), but all of these devices must be connected separately to the desktop computer.
Possibility of autonomous work... The presence of a battery allows the laptop to work in conditions when the electrical network is not available (on a train, plane, car, cafe and just on the street). A desktop computer can work autonomously for a very short time and only if available.
Wireless connectivity... Almost all modern laptops (with the exception of some ultra-budget models) are equipped with a built-in Wi-Fi adapter, which allows you to connect to the Internet without wires. There are Wi-Fi access points in many cafes, entertainment centers, airports, hotels. There are also city Wi-Fi networks that allow you to connect to wireless network in many parts of the city. Desktop computers usually do not contain a built-in Wi-Fi adapter (with the exception of some expensive models and most nettops), however, this disadvantage is insignificant for stationary computers.

In sum, all the advantages of laptops over stationary computers make up the main quality of laptops: mobility .

But, in addition to the advantages, laptops have limitations:

High price... Perhaps the biggest drawback of laptops. A fully stocked desktop computer (complete with a monitor, input devices - keyboard and mouse - and a speaker system) equal to the price of a laptop will be more productive. It should be noted that with the constant development of technology, the difference in prices is gradually decreasing and at the moment is no longer so fundamental.
Low maximum performance... The compact size of notebooks places special demands on cooling, so the components used in notebooks are subject to severe heat dissipation and, therefore, power limitations. Even powerful gaming laptops and mobile workstations cannot compete with powerful desktop PCs designed for demanding tasks such as PC games, 3D modeling and design, rendering, engineering calculations, and the like. Few desknotes they cannot correct the situation, since they have the same restrictions on dimensions and heat dissipation as for other laptops. Therefore, in desknotes not the most productive desktop processors are installed and mobile versions of video cards are used.
Limitations of modernization... Unlike desktop computers, laptop upgrades are severely limited. In laptop computers, as a rule, it is possible to self-replace the RAM and hard drive. Upgrading the graphics card in most laptops is not provided, although there are models that allow you to replace the graphics adapter. If you need to replace other components, including the processor and optical disc drive, it is recommended that you contact a qualified technician. In retail, mobile versions of processors and video cards are practically not found.
Compatibility issues with different operating systems... Notebook manufacturers rarely support a family of operating systems other than the one preinstalled on this model laptop. In addition, notebook computers often use specific components, so compatibility issues with other operating systems are much more common than with desktop computers.

Disadvantages of laptops resulting from the portability of laptop computers:

Quality built-in components... Unlike desktops, a laptop has a built-in display and input devices (keyboard and touchpad). This is an undoubted advantage of laptops, but at the same time the quality and usability of the built-in components are often low. Notebook keyboards generally have fewer keys than a desktop keyboard (due to the overlapping numeric keypad), and key sizes, especially on subnotebooks and netbooks, can be very small and inconvenient for some users. The touchpad is less comfortable than a computer mouse. The viewing angle and color gamut of laptop monitors are low, which makes them practically unsuitable for photo processing, the screen size in most models is quite small. It should be noted that the listed disadvantages of built-in elements are quite natural for mobile devices, and they can be easily compensated for by connecting external components (monitor, keyboard, computer mouse), but this increases the final cost of the laptop and somewhat reduces the portability of the laptop.
Cooling system electronic components notebooks often do not provide adequate heat dissipation, and the fan speed due to their small size is very high, which generates a strong high-frequency noise, which cannot be eliminated. Laptop microcircuits are more likely to overheat to degradation temperatures and fail - especially if users, neglecting this factor, place a powered laptop on a pillow. Adequate cooling is usually not difficult in desktop computers, especially in modern chassis with a bottom-mounted PSU.
Increased likelihood of breakage... Laptop mobility raises another problem, which is also sometimes included in the disadvantages of laptop computers - that it is more likely to break down than a desktop PC. Laptops are dropped more often. There is a chance of breaking the laptop display when closing the lid (if a foreign object gets between the keyboard and the display). If you fill the keyboard of a laptop with any liquid, then there is a high probability that the laptop will fail (while in a desktop computer only the keyboard will fail). However, the likelihood of breakage Rugged laptops usually much lower than desktop computers and comparable to industrial computers.
Complexity of repair... The compact layout, fragility of parts, the presence of very small components make disassembly and repair very difficult, especially in unsuitable conditions. Some time ago, repairing laptops was quite cost effective; However, now, when the costs of components and products inevitably fall, and the cost of manual labor of a skilled craftsman, on the contrary, has increased, there are more and more cases when it is easier to purchase a new product. In contrast, repairing conventional desktop computers is generally not a problem.

Laptop device

A laptop is essentially a complete computer. But to ensure mobility, portability and non-volatility, all components have their own peculiarities.

Frame a laptop is usually made of high-strength plastic. Inside, it is covered with a special thin metal foil to isolate the electronic filling from external electromagnetic fields. A metal cord is sometimes inserted around the perimeter of the case, which gives additional strength to the case.
Inside the top cover of the laptop, everything that is necessary for its full operation is placed - the display matrix itself, its cables transmitting data, an inverter to ensure the operation of the backlight lamp and some additional devices (for example: a webcam, speakers, a microphone, antennas of wireless Wi- Fi and Bluetooth).

Cooling system the laptop consists of a cooler that draws air from the ventilation holes on the bottom of the laptop (which is why the laptop can only be used on a hard, flat surface, otherwise cooling is disturbed) and blows it through a radiator, which is connected to the processor (and sometimes a chipset) with a copper heat pipe on heat pipes motherboard by blowing it through a hole in the back or side wall.

Memory Input / Output Devices

The laptop keyboard is made using a special technology and consists of several layers of thin plastic with contact pads, which allows you to reduce the thickness to a few millimeters.

As a pointing device in laptops, the so-called touchpad is widely used - a touch panel that responds to the touch of a finger.

Classification of laptops

There are 2 main classification systems for laptops, which complement each other.

Classification based on the size of the diagonal of the display:

17 inches or more - "desktop replacement" (eng. Desktop Replacement)
14 - 16 inches - mainstream laptops (there is no special name for this category of laptops)
11 - 13.3 inches - subnotebooks
9 - 11 inches - ultraportable laptops
7 - 12.1 inches (not having a DVD drive) - Netbooks.
Devices with a screen diagonal of less than 7 inches are classified into a special category of "handheld computers" (Handheld PC).

Classification based on the purpose of the laptop and the technical characteristics of the device:

Budget Laptops
Mid-range laptops
Business Laptops
Multimedia Laptops
Gaming Laptops
Mobile workstation
Image laptops
Rugged laptops
Touchscreen Laptops

The classification by the size of the screen diagonal is rather arbitrary. Screens with the same diagonal but different aspect ratios have different areas.

Comparison of the screen area at different diagonals depending on the aspect ratio

Diagonal	Screen area at aspect ratio:	Loss of area on a wide-format screen in cm2
Diagonal

Modern laptops are mainly produced with an aspect ratio of 16/10. This means that the usable screen area of such laptops is 11% less than the usable screen area of earlier models with an aspect ratio of 4/3. Thus, the screen with an aspect ratio of 16/10 and a diagonal of 21 inches is smaller than its predecessor with the same diagonal, but an aspect ratio of 4/3, - by the whole area of a screen with a diagonal of 7 inches. However, screens with an aspect ratio of 16/9 and 16/10 are less convenient in cases where vertical space is of value (working with text, programming, etc.), but more convenient when watching films and playing computer games. Market conditions have forced laptop manufacturers to make just such a choice.

Desktop Replacement

As a replacement for a desktop PC, laptops with a screen diagonal of 15 inches and above are usually positioned. The dimensions and weight of such portable computers are quite significant, which makes them inconvenient to carry, but the relatively large size of the display provides a more comfortable work, and the voluminous case allows you to install powerful components and provide them with sufficient cooling. Sometimes laptops use desktop versions of processors and system logic, such devices are called desknotes(from English: DESKtop + NOTEbook = desknote). A number of manufacturers install 2 hard drives in large laptops, which are usually combined in a RAID array.

Laptops with a screen diagonal of 14 - 16 inches

For laptops with a screen diagonal of 14 - 16 inches, no special designation has been invented. Laptops in this category are the most common. They have acceptable dimensions and weight while maintaining a decent level of performance.

Subnotebooks

Subnotebooks are laptops with a screen diagonal of 11 - 13.3 inches. Such laptops are small and lightweight, but the small screen size makes it less convenient to work with such a device. Subnotebooks are not large enough to accommodate powerful components due to cooling problems and therefore often use lower power mobile processors (LV or ULV models). Subnotebooks rarely come with discrete graphics, and some models do not have an optical drive.

Ultraportable Laptops

Ultraportable laptop- the most mobile laptop, perfect for working on the road (for example, ASUS Eee and S-series, Sony VAIO TZ, Samsung Series 4).
Ultraportable notebooks are very compact in size and weigh about 1 kg, usually based on a processor with reduced power consumption (CULV, eg Atom, AMD Fusion), which allows achieving one of their advantages - record (4-7 hours) battery life. However, this is combined with a higher cost with an average performance and equipment. Also, a screen with a small diagonal (9-12 inches) is uncomfortable for long-term work or entertainment. Can use Windows, Linux, Android, Chrome OS.

Netbooks

Netbooks as a separate category of notebooks were separated from the subnotebook category in the first quarter of 2008 by Intel. The diagonal size of netbooks is from 7 to 12.1 inches. Netbooks are geared towards web browsing, e-mail and office software. For these laptops, special energy-efficient processors Intel Atom, VIA C7, VIA Nano, AMD Geode have been developed. The small screen size, small keyboard and low performance of such devices are offset by the moderate price and relatively long battery life. The dimensions usually do not allow installing an optical drive in a netbook, but a Wi-Fi adapter is a must.

Budget Laptops

Budget notebook iRU Intro 3114

Budget Laptops - Laptops with a low price tag and limited features. Such laptops are based on cheap Intel Celeron M and AMD Mobile Sempron processors, as well as lower models Intel Core 2 Duo and AMD Turion, sometimes VIA C7 processors are used. Low-end processors often have poor energy efficiency, which negatively affects laptop battery life. A number of ultra-budget models lack a Wi-Fi adapter. The screen diagonal of a budget laptop is usually 14-15 ", although a number of manufacturers offer models with a diagonal of 17".

To keep costs down, budget laptops often come with no operating system preinstalled, or with FreeDOS or GNU / Linux based OS preinstalled.

Mid-range laptops

Mid-range laptops are by far the largest and most vague category of laptops. The screen diagonal of such a device can be any. Laptops in this category do not have outstanding performance, the video adapter is built-in or discrete in the lower series, the processor is of the entry or middle level. The case of such portable computers, as a rule, is made of plastic, the design is simple, not eye-catching. Mid-range laptops are usually preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Basic.

Manufacturers, as a rule, classify middle-class models as office and mainstream-series, sometimes such portable computers are positioned as “economy-class multimedia notebooks” or even as “economy-class gaming notebooks” (in this case, the laptop has a mid-range video card and inexpensive processor). Most notebooks in the desktop replacement category can also be categorized as mid-range notebooks.

Business Laptops

Business laptops are meant for business people. In terms of their technical characteristics, business laptops are almost the same as those of the middle class and differ from them mainly in a strict and laconic design, as well as in the use of more expensive materials. Business laptops quite often belong to the category of subnotebooks (intended primarily for those who often travel on business), rarely - to the category of "desktop replacement" (for those who do not need to take their laptop out of the office). Some models are equipped with professional Quadro NVS graphics cards designed to output information to multiple external displays (these video adapters are certified for corporate applications). There are even business netbooks (HP 2133 Mini-Note PC). Business laptops are usually preinstalled with Windows 7 Enterprise.

Multimedia Laptops

Multimedia notebooks are another rather blurry category of notebooks. Positioning your laptop as “multimedia” depends on the manufacturer. Typically, multimedia laptops include laptops with video cards and processors of the middle class, which allows you to use a laptop for almost any purpose, including for most computer games.

The diagonal of the screen of multimedia laptops is 15.6 - 18.4 inches, multimedia laptops with a smaller diagonal are almost never found, since the small size of the display makes it difficult to perform multimedia functions. Simple multimedia laptops are virtually indistinguishable from mid-range laptops. Sometimes you will find a small screen on the back of the lid that allows you to view images and video clips without opening your laptop. It is quite common to watch movies and other multimedia files without loading the operating system. Advanced multimedia notebooks are equipped with a TV tuner and remote control. The OS on laptops in this category is usually Windows 7 versions containing the Windows Media Center component (Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate).

Gaming Laptops

Gaming laptops are designed for particularly demanding tasks, such as computer games. The main difference between a gaming laptop is a powerful processor and a powerful graphics card. Despite the fact that mobile versions of video cards are inferior to desktop ones, they are able to provide quite comfortable conditions even in the most demanding games. Some manufacturers offer laptops with two graphics adapters operating in SLI / Crossfire mode (of course, in Desktop Replacement models), the most expensive models can be equipped with a full-fledged desktop processor, and there is an effective cooling system. Oftentimes, gaming laptops have aggressive, sometimes simply charming designs.

Mobile workstation

Image laptops

Image laptops stand out among others with a bright and memorable design. For the manufacture of fashion laptop cases, steel, aluminum, carbon and other unusual materials are often used. There are models adorned with some kind of jewelry. The typical fashion laptop is in the subnotebook class, but fashion models are found in all sizes. Some models of gaming and business laptops are sometimes referred to the class of fashion laptops. The performance of fashion laptops can be very low (compact models), or very high (Dell Adamo, Asus Lamborghini, Asus G-series gaming laptops, Toshiba Qosmio, etc.)

Rugged laptops

Touchscreen Laptops (Tablet Laptops)

Touchscreen laptops are a hybrid

Nowadays, perhaps everyone already knows what a laptop is. Many have acquired this device for a long time and easily understand the nuances related to its operation. Nevertheless, not everyone knows the features of these machines, so they do not fully use the device. The laptop has a history. It has become popular at the level of desktop PCs, tablets and smartphones. Let's talk about these gadgets in more detail.

Concept

You need to start with the very term "laptop". As many people know, it translates from English as "notebook" or "portable PC". One way or another, a laptop is a portable personal computer that has all the same elements as stationary devices. Each model receives a screen, keyboard, mouse, which is replaced by a touchpad. All this is combined into one technical "organism" and constitutes unified system... This is the main advantage of such devices.
Speaking about what a laptop is, it is worth noting its main advantage. These machines have a fairly compact size compared to a stationary PC, as well as a low weight, which allows them to be transported, if necessary, without difficulties. Notebooks can operate for extended periods without power depending on the model.

Second name

This device is often referred to as a "laptop". This term refers to netbooks, smartbooks and laptops. A device with a folding form factor is assumed here. As a result, it can be carried folded to avoid damaging the display, touchpad and keyboard. As mentioned earlier, this name is associated with easy transportation. Often, a backpack or a special bag is enough for users to take a laptop with them to work or study. Although, as we will see later, not all models are so easy to transfer.

History reference

It is better to start a review of laptops with their history. And it is quite rich in these devices. In general, the idea to create a device that would be suitable for work, study and could replace a notebook appeared back in 1968. Back then, Alan Kay of Xerox dreamed of creating a flat-screen device that could connect to networks without additional cables.

But it took 14 years for such an idea to come true. The first laptop became popular in the world thanks to William Mogridge. By today's standards, the device was inferior to even a "smart" flower pot. Inside there was a chip from Intel with a frequency of 8 MHz, and there was only 340 KB of RAM. But this option was intended for NASA employees, so you won't find it on the tables of ordinary users.
For them, the model appeared earlier, in 1981. The laptop weighed 11 kilograms, the RAM was 64 KB, the processor worked at 4 MHz. The device had two built-in drives, there were three connectors. The display measured 8x6 cm. Such a gadget could be purchased for $ 1,800. The development of laptops has been rapid. By the early 1990s, Intel had specially developed a mobile processor that was energy efficient and easy to fit in a compact case.

Design

Continuing the review, you need to consider the device of the laptop. Despite the fact that this is actually the same PC as a stationary one, its elements are somewhat different from full-format ones. In addition, parts of the device have their own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, and most importantly - sizes. The device consists of a case, a cooling system, which is represented by a cooler. Further, the laptop device is represented by power, display, processor, memory, data storage system and information input elements. Let's take a quick look at each element.

Protection

The main protection of everything that is in this device is the case. It can be completely different both in the materials used and in appearance. Most often, plastic is used for modern devices, and high quality, with metal inserts. Also, the body has a different texture: corrugated, matte, soft-touch or glossy.

The inside of the case usually, although it depends on the model, contains the motherboard, hard drive, drive, keyboard, and battery. It also houses ports, slots, connectors, speakers and a camera. In the cover itself, you can see the antennas of the wireless modules, microphones and other openings.

Charger

As you know, the advantage of this device is its mobility. Many users choose this option, abandoning a stationary PC, because with it you can travel, work on the road, play in a chair without being tied to an outlet. The laptop battery has different capacities, so it can work from 2 to 15 hours without recharging. Again, everything depends on the model and specification. Gaming laptops, which we will talk about a little later, often have a not very powerful battery, so they require a network adapter to be connected.
It is worth saying that the laptop battery is more often lithium-ion. For some models, several can be used. Additionally, there is an option to place the battery in the hole for the drive or attach it to the bottom of the case. There are also models with a non-removable battery.

Image output

The display can be made using different technologies. A liquid crystal display with LED backlighting is often used. They can use a glossy or matte finish for it. The first option is suitable for fans of a bright and rich picture, but you will have to put up with glare and reflections. The second option is more comfortable for those who like to work in nature. It has less contrast, but is still protected from glare.

Display sizes vary. There are compact 7-inch options. Such models are now the least popular, as smartphones will soon receive such a display. There are also tablets with such a diagonal. Gaming laptops usually get large screen sizes of 17 inches or more. Laptop models have a ratio of 16: 9, there are 16:10 options for business devices.

Performance

This part is represented by the motherboard, which integrates processor chips, RAM and a video card. Such a single mechanism is more often disappointing for users, since over time an accelerator or processor cannot be replaced in a laptop. Although there are models with discrete parts. A laptop processor is usually designed differently from a PC. It must implement special technologies that could reduce energy consumption and heat dissipation. When these devices first appeared on the market, they had very weak chips. Nowadays, many can compete with desktop processors.

Memory

Laptop models received two memory options: RAM and internal. The RAM is made in a reduced size with a SO-DIMM form factor. Although the specs are no different from the RAM in a desktop PC, the laptop version is slightly more expensive. In the case of a processor, there is an option to expand the RAM with an additional slot, and it also happens that the memory is soldered on the "motherboard", and therefore it is impossible to increase it.

The second memory device is the hard drive. It also has its own format and is slightly more expensive than the standard model. The volume of hard disk drives can be different - up to 1-2 terabytes. Now, instead of the classic hard disk drives, they began to use solid-state SSDs, which were created on the basis of flash memory.

Output device

Even the cheapest laptops have a keyboard and touchpad. The keyboard is completely different. It all depends on the cost of the model, design and manufacturing technology. Budget models have a one-piece design with a train, but such options are not always good, since with prolonged use, individual buttons begin to "lose" and, as the people say, "go bald". There are options with a keyboard that is built into the body. Each key has its own hole, and only individual buttons can be replaced if desired, but everything does not change at once. There are also fully rubberized options that are easy to clean and change. The touchpad is generally standard on all models.

Classification

We have already figured out what a laptop is, what elements it consists of. Now it's time to understand what laptops are. Of course, there is no official classification. Everyone can assign a device to one or another group according to a variety of characteristics. Still, two groups can be distinguished. One is based on screen size and the other is based on device specifications.
Let's start with the display. As mentioned earlier, it can have completely different sizes. The smallest is 7 inches. This includes so-called handheld computers. Below is a series of netbooks that stand out for their compact dimensions: the screen has a diagonal of 7 to 12 inches.

Experts distinguish ultraportable laptops, which have received sizes of 9-11 inches, ultrabooks and subnotebooks with 11-13 inches. A business laptop typically comes in the bulk of 14-16 inches, while 17-inch models fall into the "desktop replacement" category.
The next classification, as mentioned earlier, is performance based. There are budget and mid-range laptops, business models, multimedia and gaming devices, fashion, secure options, as well as those that have a touchscreen display and a mobile work station. A review of laptops can show that a particular model belongs to several categories at once, which proves the classification conventionality. This heading can be attributed to several categories of laptops at once. Next, we will talk about the ultrabook, netbook, ultraportable laptop, subnotebook and fashion model. So, the ultrabook appeared on the market relatively recently. Often this device is associated with "apple" models. This is because it was Apple who was the founder of this design.
The Ultrabook is ultralight and thin laptop, which has small dimensions and weight. At the same time, the device in most cases remains a full-fledged laptop: powerful and productive. This variety is contrasted with a netbook. since it is also compact, it is compared to an ultrabook, although this is not entirely correct.

The fact is that netbooks themselves are small and light, but still weak in performance and resemble a simple work laptop necessary for office applications and surfing the internet. Both of these classes are grouped under the subnotebook category. The first such device appeared in the 90s of the last century. And only later, in 2006 and 2008, such directions as netbooks and ultrabooks emerged. As a result, new products have pushed subnotebooks out of the market as a class.
Finally, fashion devices should be attributed to external signs. Laptops in this category have got a pretentious and catchy design. They are often performed in small editions, some models are completely exclusive. They are adorned with jewelry, unexpected materials such as wood, fabric or stone.

Specification

You can also fit multiple models in this heading. First, there are cheap laptops that are in the budget segment. They have limited opportunities, are designed for office work and Internet searches. This also includes netbooks, which, in addition to their small size, also have a low cost.
There is also a middle class of devices. This includes a home laptop that can combine multimedia features. This category is the most extensive and rather "blurry", as there are also good options for ultrabooks, business models and even beginner gaming devices. In general, this group contains average, both in cost and in characteristics, laptops.

Many groups of laptops can be classified as expensive devices. There are also options for business, made in a simple style, with excellent performance and mobility. There are gaming devices that have now captured the market and are becoming the most purchased models. Also in the expensive category there are multimedia devices with extraordinary displays, excellent sound and special software.

Comparison with a stationary PC

The main question that sooner or later will arise from the buyer: what is better to choose - a stationary PC or a laptop? Everyone has an individual answer, it all depends on the requirements of the appointment. We will consider the main advantages and disadvantages. Why are laptops so attractive? Their prices and characteristics are often very similar to desktop computers, while the devices are small in size, which makes it easy to move them from place to place, as well as transport them in transport in the case of work or study.
Also, perhaps, such a story happened to everyone, when the lights were turned off in the house, and the laptop did not stop working, since it does not need to be powered from the mains. As a result, in the dark it was possible to kill time in solitaire or finish a job. Among the advantages are compactness - it means that you do not need to carry additional gadgets with you, such as a mouse and keyboard. Well, the ability to connect wireless networks. If you need to buy a special adapter for a desktop PC, then laptops have a built-in Wi-Fi module.

Flaws

But there are much more disadvantages. The laptop power supply and the entire charging system suffer. This may be due to a bunch of problems. Sometimes models do not withstand stress, sometimes poor build quality affects. In general, the very likelihood of laptop breakdown is high. It crashes much more often than a desktop PC.

Some users have to figure out what a controller is in a laptop. This degree of power protection often fails. As a result, changing the battery or buying a new power supply does not always help. The controller can only be fixed at the service center, since it is very difficult to do it yourself.
The next disadvantage is related to compatibility. Not all laptop software will optimize and work correctly. OS support is not always provided by the device manufacturer. As a result, compatibility issues are more common than with a desktop PC. There is also a downside to the coin, which should be defined as merit. Often the manufacturer in the kit provides proprietary software for a particular laptop model. So, the buyer simply inserts the disc, and the installation of everything necessary software happens automatically.

Beginning of work

Rarely does a buyer want to spend extra money on setting up a device. It is often much easier to do it yourself. In addition, there are many instructions on the Internet that allow you to step by step through a number of actions. As a result, setting up a laptop begins with the installation of the operating system, if it was not "installed" for you in the store.

After installing the OS, you will need to enter data. First, you need to set a username and password. In principle, it is not necessary to establish a cipher; often it is just a formality. If you did not install it at first, and then you wanted to, then everything can be done in your account later.
Typically, setting up a laptop results in a partitioning of the hard drives. If you did not install the OS yourself, then you will have to distribute the information space afterwards. By default, one disk contains the system itself, and the second is designed for personal files. Next, you usually have to install various programs and remove unnecessary software. If the set includes a disc with software, then you just need to update some programs.

Prices

Laptops prices and specifications are different. These two parameters are dependent on each other. If we talk about netbooks or budget devices, then the cost starts from 4-5 thousand rubles. Medium models have quite a variety of characteristics, so their price is the same - from 15 to 40 thousand rubles. The next price segment is occupied by ultrabooks. Although some of them still belong to the "middle peasant", thin models can cost up to 60-70 thousand rubles.
But the most expensive at the moment are gaming laptops. Their prices and characteristics are directly proportional. The more powerful the processor and video card are installed, the more zeros on the price tag. So, you can find gaming options from Asus for 150-200 thousand rubles. Fashion models are also considered expensive. This is due not to their high performance, but to expensive materials.

conclusions

Now everyone knows what a laptop is. Of course, not everyone is familiar with the variety, characteristics, etc. Nevertheless, the device is popular not only for personal use. It can often be found in organizations, offices, firms and different locations. Laptops prices and specifications are different. It all depends on the design, shape, "filling" and much more. So, it is easy to choose your device of the desired size, quality, color, shape, etc. As we have already learned, laptops can be classified not only by screen diagonal, but also by specification. There are gaming devices, models for business, work, office and multimedia.

The main advantage of a laptop is its portability. The device is easy to move, you need to put the laptop power supply and the device in the bag just in case. Sometimes you have to spend more money on a model with the same specs as your desktop PC. Therefore, the choice between these two devices is individual for everyone. If performance is important to you, it is easier to get a desktop PC, if you prefer mobile model, then a laptop is a better option.

Notebook- a laptop, in the case of which the usual components of a PC are combined, including a screen, a keyboard and a pointing device (usually a touch panel or touchpad), as well as rechargeable batteries. Laptops are small in size and weight, the battery life of laptops varies from 1 to 6-8 hours.

Comparison of laptops and desktops

Benefits of laptops over desktops:

Light weight and dimensions... Even laptops in the desktop alternative category have the ability to simply be moved to another location. It is possible to take a laptop on a business trip, to the country house, on vacation. Moving a desktop computer to another room / office is often a challenge, let alone moving to a different city.

It is not necessary to connect external devices for operation. The laptop contains an integrated screen, keyboard and pointing device (usually a touchpad, and all these devices must be connected to a desktop computer separately.

Possibility of autonomous work. The presence of the battery allows the laptop to work in conditions when the electronic network is not available (in a train, plane, car, cafe and just on the street). A desktop computer can work autonomously for a very short time and only if there is an uninterruptible power supply.

Ability to connect to wireless networks. In fact, all laptops (except for some ultra-budget models) are equipped with an integrated Wi-Fi adapter, which allows you to connect to the Internet without wires. Points Wi-Fi access is in almost all cafes, entertainment centers, airports, hotels. There are also city Wi-Fi networks, allowing you to connect to a wireless network in almost all areas of the city. Desktop computers usually do not contain a built-in Wi-Fi adapter (except for some expensive models and most nettops), in general, this defect is insignificant for stationary computers.

Disadvantages of laptops

Highest value... Perhaps the main drawback of laptops. A fully stocked desktop computer (complete with a monitor, input devices (keyboard and mouse) and a speaker system) at the same price as a laptop will be more productive.

Low highest performance. The small dimensions of laptops have special cooling requirements, therefore the components used in laptops have strict heat dissipation and, consequently, power limitations. Even massive gaming laptops and mobile workstations are no match for high-performance desktop PCs built for demanding tasks like PC games, 3D modeling and design, rendering, engineering calculations, and the like. Small number of desktop computers cannot improve the situation, since they have the same size and heat dissipation limitations as for other laptops. Therefore, in desktops, not the most productive desktop microprocessors are installed and mobile versions of video cards are used.

Limitations of modernization... Unlike desktop computers, the ability to upgrade laptops is very limited. In portable computers, most often it is possible to independently replace the RAM and hard drive. Upgrading the video card in most laptops is not provided, although there are models that allow you to perform an alternative to the video adapter. If you need to replace other components, including the microprocessor and optical disc drive, it is recommended to contact qualified specialists. In retail, mobile versions of microprocessors and video cards are practically not found.

Difficulties of comparability with different operating systems. Laptop manufacturers occasionally provide support for a family of operating systems that are good from the one preinstalled on this laptop model. In addition, special components are often used in laptops, because the difficulties of comparability with other operating systems appear much more often than for desktop computers.

Disadvantages of laptops resulting from the portability of portable computers

The quality of the integrated components. Unlike desktop computers, the laptop has an integrated screen and input devices (keyboard and touchpad). This is an indisputable advantage of laptops, but at the same time, the quality and usability of the integrated components are often low. Laptop keyboards usually have fewer buttons than a desktop keyboard (due to the combined numeric keypad), and the button sizes, separately for subnotebooks and netbooks, can be very small and awkward for some users. The touchpad is less comfortable than a computer mouse. The viewing angle and color gamut of laptop monitors are not high, which makes them practically inapplicable for photo processing, the screen size in most models is quite small. It should be emphasized that the listed shortcomings of the integrated parts are completely natural for mobile devices and it is possible to simply make up for them by connecting external components (monitor, keyboard, computer mouse), but this increases the final price of the laptop and slightly reduces the portability of the laptop.

Inflated possibility of breakage. The mobility of laptops gives rise to another problem, which is also introduced from time to time to the shortcomings of portable computers - a great possibility of breakdown in comparison with a desktop PC. Laptops are dropped more often. There is a possibility of breaking the laptop screen when closing the lid (in this case, a third-party object gets between the keyboard and the screen). In that case, fill the laptop keyboard with some kind of liquid (for example, kefir), then there is a great possibility of the laptop breaking down (while in a desktop computer only the keyboard will fail). At the same time, the possibility of breakage of Protected Laptops is usually even lower than that of desktop computers and is comparable to industrial computers.

Primary sources

wikipedia.org - laptop definition;

zapteh.ru - comparison of a PC with a laptop;

new-webs.ru - Pros and cons of laptops and desktops.

Material source Internet site