PC Portable (in English laptop or notebook) is a computer integrating all the elements it needs to
function, including a battery-powered power supply, a screen, and a keyboard, in a small-sized
housing (on average 360 x 40 x 270).
Interest of PC Portable.
The main advantage of a portable PC compared to a desktop computer is its mobility and
reduced size. On the other hand, the price is generally higher for slightly lower performance and the
hardware configuration of the notebook is much less flexible, except for connecting additional
external peripherals thanks to the numerous input-output ports that equip it. The purchase of PC
Portable must, therefore be motivated by a need for mobility or for the sake of saving
space.
In addition, with the emergence of wireless networks, and in particular WiFi, it is becoming very easy
to connect to the internet in public places equipped with Hot Spots or simply from any room in the
home, as long as it is equipped with a WiFi terminal.
For advanced multimedia uses (for example digital video manipulation, connection of a digital
camera, mp3 player, etc.), the choice will have to be made on the one hand on the performance of
the computer (both graphics and computing power) but also on the types of input-output ports
available and their number.
Processor and RAM.
The processor represents the PC’s brain as it processes the instructions. Its execution
speed is conditioned by its frequency (in MHz), but two processors of different brands can have
completely equivalent performance by having very different frequencies.
If the processor frequency remains an essential element among the criteria for choosing PC Portable, today it is preferable to prefer the quality of all the components (graphics card, memory) to the sole value of the processor frequency.
In addition, the amount of random access memory can have considerable importance on
performance, particularly for multimedia uses. In addition to the amount of memory, it is also
important to be attentive to its operating frequency, corresponding to the frequency at which
most peripherals will run.
Screen
PC Portable screens are flat screens. They are mostly active matrix (usually with TFT technology, Thin-Film transistor) screens, which means that each pixel is controlled individually. This allows for better display fluidity than passive matrix screens, for which the pixels are controlled by row and column. The latest generations favor active matrices to the detriment of passive matrices.
The screen is first characterized by its size, expressed in inches (an inch is worth 2.54 cm),
diagonal of a flat screen corresponds to the useful display surface. On the other hand, taking into
account of the liquid crystal-based technologies used in flat screens, the quality of a flat screen is
defined by the response time, the time necessary to
then again from black to white.
The display format is generally 4:3 (ie 4 units of width for 3 units of height), but there are exotic PC
Portable screen formats, close to 16:9, such as the 15:10 format, are more suitable for viewing video
sequences (DVD playback for example). This type of screen generally has a non-integer diagonal size (for example 15.4 inches).
Hard drive
The hard disk is where the computer’s data is stored, unlike the random access memory, which is a volatile memory that serves only as a transit area for information during the operation of the
computer. The most important characteristic of the hard drive is its capacity (expressed in gigabytes)
because it determines the amount of data (and in particular programs) that can be stored. However,
it is necessary to pay particular attention to its performance (linked in particular to its rotation
speed), which can penalize the overall capacities of the system if they are too low.
The existence of external hard drives (Firewire or USB 2.0) nevertheless makes it possible to
overcome the intrinsic limitations of standard PC Portable hard drives and to extend the storage
capacity as much as necessary.
Graphics card
The graphics card of the PC Portable is integrated, that is to say, that it is a specialized graphics chip
(graphics chipset) soldered on the motherboard and it is not possible to change it once the PC
Portable is purchased. Thus, if the PC Portable is intended for use in graphic applications (video
visualization or manipulation, video games, 3D applications, etc.) it is advisable to choose a branded
graphics chipset.
Guarantee
Purchasing a PC Portable is an important investment, so it is essential to protect yourself from
the risks associated with a malfunction by subscribing to a warranty. The warranty is
essential for a portable PC since swapping elements (graphics card, sound card, etc.) is impossible.
as can be the case on desktop computers. Most offers de facto include a warranty of a few months to a year, but it may be wise to take a warranty extension of a few years to cover the maximum risks.
