Laptop

Parts

Many parts for a laptop computer are smaller, lighter, or otherwise adapted from the corresponding part in a desktop computer:

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• Most modern laptops use an active matrix display with resolutions of 1024 by 768 pixels (XGA) and above, screen sizes 10 inch (250 mm) or larger, and have a PC-Card expansion bay for expansion cards, formerly called PCMCIA. Internal hard disks are smaller—2.5 inch (64 mm) compared to the standard desktop 3.5 inch (90 mm) drive—and usually have lower performance and power consumption. Display adapters and sound cards are integrated. Modern laptops can often handle sophisticated games, but tend to be limited by their fixed screen resolution and display adapter type.
• Notebook processor There are a wide range of notebook processors available from Intel (Pentium M (with Centrino technology), Celeron, Mobile Pentium 4 and Mobile Pentium 4-M), AMD (Athlon, Turion 64) which develops and manufactures for the different Microsoft operating systems. Motorola and IBM develops and manufactures the PowerPC chips for Apple notebooks. Generally, notebook processors are less powerful than their desktop counterparts, owing to the need to conserve electricity and reduce heat output. However, the PowerPC G3 and G4 processor generations have been able to offer almost the same performance as their desktop versions, limited mostly by lower performance in other parts of the system bus bandwidth and peripheral units) in Apple's notebooks.

Some parts for a modern laptop have no corresponding part in a desktop computer:

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• Current models use lithium ion batteries, which have largely replaced the older nickel metal-hydride technology. Typical battery life for most laptops is two to five hours with light-duty use, but may drop to as little as one hour with intensive use. Batteries gradually degrade over time and eventually need to be replaced, depending largely on the charging and discharging pattern, from one to five years.
• Docking stations may be used for expanding connectors and quickly connecting many components to the laptop, although they are falling out of favour as laptops' integral capabilities increase and USB allows several peripherals to be connected through one plug.
• Most laptops are powered or recharged from an external AC converter that usually takes the form of a plain black rectangular box. These devices weigh about 500 g (about 1 lb) and often take the name "power brick." Apple laptops have a lighter, white and more stylish, charging device.