LC 200: Laptop Computer Hardware
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Battery: Current laptops utilize lithium ion batteries, with more recent models using the new lithium
polymer technology. These two technologies have largely replaced the older nickel metal-hydride
batteries. Typical battery life for standard laptops is two to five hours of light-duty use, but may drop to as
little as one hour or less when doing power-intensive tasks. A battery's performance gradually decreases
with time, leading to an eventual replacement in one to three years, depending on the charging and
discharging pattern. This large-capacity main battery should not be confused with the much smaller
battery nearly all computers use to run the real-time clock and to store the BIOS configuration in CMOS
when the computer is off. Lithium-ion batteries do not have a memory effect as older batteries may have.
The memory effect happens when one does not use a battery to its fullest extent, then recharges the
battery. Innovations in laptops and batteries have seen situations which the battery can provide up to 24
hours of continued operation, assuming average power consumption levels. An example is the HP
EliteBook 6930p when used with its ultra-capacity battery.
Video display controller: A Graphics Processing Unit or GPU (also occasionally called Visual
Processing Unit or VPU) is a dedicated graphics rendering device for a personal computer, workstation,
or game console. On standard laptops the video controller is usually integrated into the chipset to
conserve power. This tends to limit the use of laptops for gaming and entertainment. These two fields
have constantly escalated hardware demands, and because the integrated chipset is very difficult to
upgrade for a standard user, laptops may grow obsolete quickly for use in gaming and entertainment.
Higher-end laptops and desktop replacements in particular often come with dedicated graphics
processors on the motherboard or as an internal expansion card. These mobile graphics processors are
comparable in performance to low-end mainstream desktop graphic accelerator boards. A few notebooks
have switchable graphics with both an integrated and discrete card installed. The user can choose
between using integrated graphics when battery life is important and dedicated graphics when demanding
applications call for it. This allows for greater flexibility and also conserves power when not required.
Display: Most modern laptops feature 13 inches (33 cm) or larger color active matrix displays based on
CCFL or LED lighting with resolutions of 1280×800 (16:10) or 1366 × 768 (16:9) pixels and above. Some
models use screens with resolutions common in desktop PCs (for example, 1440×900, 1600×900 and
1680×1050.) Models with LED-based lighting offer lesser power consumption, and often higher
brightness. Netbooks with a 10 inches (25 cm) or smaller screen typically use a resolution of 1024×600,
while netbooks and subnotebooks with a 11.6 inches (29 cm) or 12 inches (30 cm) screen use standard
notebook resolutions. Having a higher resolution display will allow more items to fit onscreen at a time,
improving the user's ability to multitask.
Storage: Laptops commonly use 2.5" hard disk drives, which are much smaller than desktop hard drives.
Removable media drives: A DVD/CD reader/writer drive is nearly universal on full-sized models, and is
common on thin-and-light models; it is uncommon on subnotebooks and unknown on netbooks. CD
drives are becoming rare, while Blu-ray is becoming more common on notebooks.
Internal storage: Laptop hard disks are physically smaller—2.5 inches (64 mm) or 1.8 inches (46 mm) —
compared to desktop 3.5 inches (89 mm) drives. Some newer laptops (usually ultraportables) employ
more expensive, but faster, lighter and power-efficient flash memory-based SSDs instead. Currently, 250
to 500 GB sizes are common for laptop hard disks (64 to 512 GB for SSDs).
Input: A pointing stick, touchpad or both are used to control the position of the cursor on the screen, and
an integrated keyboard is used for typing. An external keyboard and/or mouse may be connected using
USB or PS/2 port, or Bluetooth (if present).
Ports
Today's computers and mobile devices are available with a wide array of ports, from traditional USB to
newfangled USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports. Even if you are familiar with the most common
connectors, it can still be a challenge to figure out what wires or adapters you need in order to plug your
device into a monitor, TV, network or peripheral.
When you are shopping for a new laptop, a 2-in-1 or a hulking desktop PC, you will also want to keep
ports in mind. If you need to attach to a particular type of device on the go, you will benefit from having
that connector built-in or, at least, knowing what kind of adapter to pair with your new system. That's why
