page_title: Laptop
section_title: Hardware
hierarchical_section_title: Laptop / Hardware
caption_attribution_description: English: A comparison of a desktop computer motherboard (Abit BX6, ATX) with a laptop motherboard (2008 Unibody Macbook 13") This is a combination of a Macbook motherboard photo from a teardown of the 2008 Unibody MacBook published on iFixit.com (permission granted by author, using GFDL) and a photo of the Abit BX-6 taken by me. The result is released here under the GFDL.
context_page_description: A laptop, is a small, portable personal computer with a "clamshell" form factor, typically having a thin LCD or LED computer screen mounted on the inside of the upper lid of the clamshell and an alphanumeric keyboard on the inside of the lower lid. The clamshell is opened up to use the computer. Laptops are folded shut for transportation, and thus are suitable for mobile use. Its name comes from lap, as it was deemed to be placed on a person's lap when being used. Although originally there was a distinction between laptops and notebooks, as of 2014, there is often no longer any difference. Today, laptops are commonly used in a variety of settings, such as at work, in education, for playing games, web browsing, for personal multimedia, and general home computer use.
  Laptops combine all the input/output components and capabilities of a desktop computer, including the display screen, speakers, a keyboard, data storage device, sometimes an optical disc drive, pointing devices, with an operating system, a processor and memory into a single unit. Most modern laptops feature integrated webcams and built-in microphones, while many also have touchscreens.
context_section_description: The basic components of laptops function identically to their desktop counterparts. Traditionally they were miniaturized and adapted to mobile use, although desktop systems increasingly use the same smaller, lower-power parts which were originally developed for mobile use. The design restrictions on power, size, and cooling of laptops limit the maximum performance of laptop parts compared to that of desktop components, although that difference has increasingly narrowed.
  In general, laptop components are not intended to be replaceable or upgradable, with the exception of components which can be detached, such as a battery or CD/CDR/DVD drive. This restriction is one of the major differences between laptops and desktop computers, because the large "tower" cases used in desktop computers are designed so that new motherboards, hard disks, sound cards, RAM, and other components can be added. In a very compact laptop, such as laplets, there may be no upgradeable components at all.
  Intel, Asus, Compal, Quanta, and some other laptop manufacturers have created the Common Building Block standard for laptop parts to address some of the inefficiencies caused by the lack of standards and inability to upgrade components.
  The following sections summarizes the differences and distinguishing features of laptop components in comparison to desktop personal computer parts.
caption: Miniaturization: a comparison of a desktop computer motherboard (ATX form factor) to a motherboard from a 13" laptop (2008 unibody Macbook)
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