What is Laptop? Part 1

What is a Laptop Computer?

A laptop computer (also called notebook computer) is a computer that integrates all the elements that needs to run properly, including a battery power supply, a screen and a keyboard, in a small casing (on average 360 cm x 40 cm x 270 cm).


Why a Laptop?

The main advantage of a laptop computer versus a desktop computer is its mobility as well as its reduced size. On the other hand, the price is generally higher for slightly less impressive performance and the laptop's hardware configuration is much less adaptable, even though it is possible to connect additional external peripherals thanks to its numerous I/O ports. Therefore, the motivation for buying a laptop computer must above all be a need for mobility or a need to save space.

Moreover, with the emergence of wireless networks, and WiFi in particular, it is becoming very easy to connect to the Internet in public Hot-Spots or simply in any room of your home as long as it is equipped with a WiFi terminal.

For advanced multimedia uses (e.g. digital video manipulation, connecting a digital camera or an mp3 player, etc.), the choice should fall on both the computer's performance (both graphic as well as computing power) and on the types and number of I/O ports that are available.
Processor and RAM

The processor represents the computer's brain in that it processes the instructions. Its execution speed depends on its frequency (in MHz), but two processors from different brands that have very different frequencies can perform equally.

Even though a processor's frequency is still an essential criterion for choosing a laptop computer, today it is preferable to favour the quality of all the components (graphics card, memory, etc.) over only the processor's frequency.

What is more, the quantity of random access memory (RAM) can have a considerable effect on performance, notably when it comes to multimedia use. In addition to the quantity of memory, it is also important to pay attention to its working frequency, which corresponds to the frequency that most of the peripherals will run on.
Screen

Laptop computers have flat screens. Most of the time they are active matrix screens (generally with the TFT, Thin Film transistor technology), i.e. each pixel is individually controlled, allowing for improved display fluidity over passive matrix screens, on which pixels are controlled by line and by column. The latest generations of laptops have favoured active matrix screens over passive matrix screens.

The screen is distinguished first of all by its size, which is expressed in inches (an inch equals 2.54 cm) and corresponds to the screen's diagonal length. Unlike screens with cathode ray tubes (CRT screens), the diagonal length of a flat screen corresponds to the effective display area. Moreover, considering the liquid crystal based technologies used in flat screens, the screen quality of a flat screen can be defined by the response time, which is the length of time necessary to turn a pixel from white to black and then back to white.

The display format is generally 4:3 (i.e. 4 units wide to 3 units high), but there are more exotic laptop display formats that are close to 16:9, such as 15:10, which is adapted to viewing video sequences (e.g. watching DVDs). In general, this type of screen has does not have a whole number diagonal length (e.g. 15.4 inches).
Hard Drive

The hard drive is the area where all the computer's data is stored unlike the RAM, which is a volatile memory that only acts as an information transit area while the computer is running. The most important characteristic of the hard drive is its capacity (expressed in gigabytes), because it determines the amount of data (and, in particular, programs) that a user can store on it. However, it is a good idea to pay particular attention to its performances (in relation notably to its spindle speed), which can hamper the system's overall capacities if they are too weak.

Using external hard drives (FireWire or USB 2.0) can nevertheless enhance a laptop computer by wiping out the intrinsic limitations of its standard hard drives and extending its storage capacity ad infinitum.
Graphics Card

A laptop computer's graphics card is integrated, i.e. it is a specialised graphics chip (graphic chipset) that is soldered to the motherboard. It is impossible to change it once the laptop has been purchased. Therefore, if the laptop computer will be used for graphics applications (video visualisation or manipulation, video games, 3D applications, etc.), it is best to choose a top-of-the-line graphics chipset.
CD/DVD Drive or Burner

More and more laptop computers are making a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM drive or even a burner into standard features on high-level configurations. When the drive combines several of these functions, it is called a "combo".

There are different types of CD (with a capacity of about 700 Mb) and DVD (with a capacity of about 4.7 Gb) burners.

    The term "CD-R" refers to recordable compact disks
    The term "CD-RW" refers to rewritable compact disks
    The term "DVD-R" refers to recordable DVDs
    The term "DVD-RAM" refers to rewritable DVDs Thus, there are two incompatible standards promoted by different manufacturer consortiums:
        DVD+RW, by Philips, that have performances in terms of recording time that are generally slightly better than the DVD-RW format
        DVD-RW, which cost slightly less than DVD+RWs


It should be noted that some burners support both of these standards and thus are called "multi-format" burners.