Laptops: Features explained
We help you find the best laptop by explaining the key ways they differ from desktop machines.
Touchpad
Laptops come with a touchpad rather than a mouse
Laptops don't generally come with a mouse. Instead, they have a smooth, rectangular, touch-sensitive area in front of the keyboard. Moving your finger across the touchpad moves the cursor across the screen.
Typically, one or two clickable buttons at the front of the touchpad act like mouse buttons. Some laptops have a tiny joystick built into the keyboard instead of a touchpad.
A touchpad is more fiddly to use than a mouse, but it’s possible to attach a mouse instead should you prefer.
Keyboard
Unsurprisingly, a laptop’s keyboard is smaller than the ones that come with a desktop computer. The keys are closer together, and may also be smaller.
Because the keyboard is built into the body of the laptop, you may find that it’s not as comfortable to use as desktop keyboards that you can move around. It’s a good idea to try out a laptop’s keyboard before you buy, to ensure you get one you're comfortable with.
Laptops come with USB ports, and often FireWire ports, so that you can add peripheral devices
Unless you're using your laptop on the move, you always have the option to plug in a larger keyboard and a mouse to make things more comfortable. Like desktops, laptops come with USB ports, and often FireWire ports, for adding peripheral devices.
Battery
While all laptops come with a power supply for connection to the mains, they also have an internal battery for use on the move. Expect your laptop’s battery to last a few hours rather than days. Power-hungry tasks such as watching a DVD or using the wireless connection will drain the battery more quickly than day-to-day office tasks. See also our guide to making the best use of battery power when using your laptop.
Webcams
Many laptops come with a webcam built into the lid, just above the screen.
Memory (Ram)
A type of short-term memory, the processor uses the laptop’s random access memory (Ram) when it wants to perform tasks. Consequently, the speed at which the processor can operate is determined by the amount of Ram. Aim to have as much Ram as you can afford – ideally at least 1GB. It’s usually possible to add more Ram to your laptop, but you may need to get an expert to do this for you.
CPU (processor)
Made by either Intel or AMD, the CPU is the main brain of your computer. It performs all the calculations your laptop makes every second. The speed of a processor is expressed in cycles per second, the unit for which is hertz (typically megahertz and gigahertz).
Most laptop CPUs are now dual core, which means they are actually two processors on one chip that share the workload between them. Some current desktops come equipped with quad-core CPUs – it’s only a matter of time before these reach the laptop market.
Processor speed plays a big part in the performance of your computer, so if you’re looking for a high-performance machine or you're after something that'll last you for a few years, go for a faster processor.
Balance this with your laptop’s Ram, though (see Ram), as between them these two parts play the biggest role in determining the speed of your laptop. There’s no point in having a fast processor if you don’t match it with a decent amount of Ram.
Atom chips
Some of the mini-laptops or netbooks now available boast Intel’s Atom chip. Atom chips are designed specifically for mobile devices and aim to give you more computing power while using less battery power.
Hard drive
The HDD (hard disk drive) provides long-term memory for data storage – measured in gigabytes (GB).
We recommend getting a minimum of 100GB hard disk space, as storing video, high-resolution photos, music and software uses up lots of space. If in doubt, go for more hard drive space if you can afford it.
Solid-state storage
Some laptops – such as netbooks or mini-laptops – use solid-state storage rather than a conventional hard drive to store data. This uses less power and, since it has no moving parts, is more rugged.
It does mean that you get less space to store things, though. If you’re only doing general office tasks, this shouldn’t be a problem. Large files – such as video clips, for instance – could soon use up the space.
Screen
All laptops come with their own built-in LCD screens. Screen size has a direct impact on the size of the laptop itself.
A 15-inch display makes for a pretty standard-sized laptop. A desktop replacement-type laptop might come with a 17-inch display – possibly even a widescreen one – and ultra-portables might go as low as the 12-inch mark, while mini-laptops, or netbooks, can be a squint-inducing 7 inches.
Graphics
Laptops come with either integrated or dedicated graphics. Integrated graphics, which operate using a chunk of the laptop’s memory (Ram), are fine if you’re just planning to do basic, everyday tasks.
However, if you want to play games or use video-editing software on your laptop, for example, it’s best to go for a laptop with a separate graphics card. Separate cards have their own memory, so they don’t take up your laptop’s valuable Ram. Expect to pay more (from around £700) for a laptop with a dedicated graphics card.
If you want to play the latest games on your laptop, make sure your graphics card is DX10 compatible. Otherwise, any graphics card with 128MB of its own memory should be sufficient.
Operating system
This is the software that runs your computer. Macs come with OS X and laptop PCs usually come with Vista. Some mini-laptops – also called netbooks – have a version of Linux, another type of operating system, installed.
Optical drive
Most laptops come with a CD/DVD drive of some kind for playing CDs and DVDs, and most will allow you to burn your own discs, too. Many laptops come with a multi-format burner, which can record to a variety of blank DVDs as well as CDs.
All but the cheapest models include DVD burners, and we recommend opting for one if you can. A DVD burner is useful for making your own videos, as well as for backing up large amounts of data, since DVDs can hold much more data than CDs.
Wireless connectivity
Most current laptops include built-in wireless connectivity. This means that you can connect them to your existing home wireless network or go online at a wireless hotspot while out and about. The latest wireless protocol is 802.11n, though you’ll find that many models still use the older 802.11g protocol.
For more see our guide to choosing a laptop.