A laptop, also known as a notebook, is usually a relatively small, lightweight portable personal computer, typically with a touch screen computer screen, typically having an alphanumeric keypad on the screen and a slim, flat screen on the lower lid of the laptop. The laptops vary in size and weight. Notebooks range in prices from under $300 to over a thousand dollars. Laptops can be used for personal, business, or gaming purposes. The mobility provided by laptops makes them very useful for students who are always on the go.
Laptops are generally smaller than desktops and provide similar performance for the same price. Laptops allow people to do more with their computers than they could do with desktop computers, because of their compact size and low weight. The mobility provided by laptops makes them very useful for students who are always on the go.
The older line of laptops, first produced in the late 1990s, were not as powerful as the newer generations of laptops. However, new technology has made recent laptops capable of providing high quality graphics and faster processing power. Laptops use much less energy than desktop computers, allowing their batteries to last longer. Today’s notebooks offer the same capabilities as desktop computers, including word processing power, spreadsheet processing power, audio and video features, and Internet browsing capabilities.
Many laptop computers come standard with CD/DVD drives, which store data in CD-RW and DVD-RAM formats. Other types of storage devices may also be included in the laptop. Monitors, speakers, and keyboards are also available for purchase by the owner. The latest models of laptops provide many extra functions, such as wireless internet capability, HD resolution, and built-in cameras, microphones, and webcams. Built-in speakers allow you to enjoy music or videos while you’re working on your laptop.
Some notebook computers come equipped with CD/DVD drives that store digital media (such as movies) on external disks rather than storing the media on internal memory. These external disks can be connected to the computer through a USB port or the DVD drive port. This option is popular with business professionals who may need access to their work on a regular basis but do not have a lot of room for a permanent computer room. Other laptops use an internal solid state hard drive, which stores data much more efficiently than the traditional hard drives found in desktop computers.
Laptops can be powered either by the built-in processors in laptops or buy graphics cards. Graphics cards are used to enhance the image displayed on the screen, usually by adding special effects, color, or texture to images that are drawn on a laptop computer. Built-in processors are efficient for basic everyday computing, but graphics cards can dramatically enhance the performance of laptops that use mainstream operating systems. While laptops with built-in processors offer many benefits, they may not be very useful to professional users who need additional processing power. If you need additional processing power, you may want to consider purchasing one of the many external graphics cards that can be attached to your laptop. External graphics cards can cost a few hundred dollars, but they’re well worth the extra money so you can enjoy the enhanced graphics on high-end laptops.
