Laptops

Photo: Kari Shea on Unsplash

In short: Portable computers where the screen, keyboard, battery and all components are built into a single case.

In more detail: Because of limited space and heat dissipation, laptop components are often permanently soldered or manufacturer-specific — upgradability is considerably more limited than with desktop PCs. In exchange, they enable mobile work thanks to a built-in battery.

In Depth

A laptop’s compactness forces technical compromises that aren’t necessary with desktop PCs: heat dissipation is the biggest limiting factor — inside the tight case there’s considerably less room for heatsinks and fans than in a desktop case, which is why laptop processors are usually deliberately shipped with lower power draw (and correspondingly lower raw performance) than their desktop counterparts, even with the same model name. For the same reason, the CPU and often also RAM or SSD are permanently soldered rather than socketed in many laptops — removable connectors need more space and are mechanically less robust for mobile use.

The battery is another special feature with no direct desktop equivalent: it has to offer enough capacity for several hours of operation, while staying light and compact, which creates a constant trade-off between battery life, weight and performance. Modern laptop chips therefore rely heavily on energy-efficiency technologies (dynamic clocking, turning off unused components), which play a smaller role for desktop PCs permanently plugged into mains power. These compromises make laptops ideal for mobility and space-saving use, but for purely performance-focused tasks (gaming with high settings, professional video editing), a comparably priced desktop PC usually remains noticeably superior.

See also: Desktop PCs