Chapter 9: Understanding Laptops Flashcards
Laptops are also known as
Notebooks
Netbook
Extremely small laptop computer
Lighter, fewer features
What characteristics separate a laptop and a desktop PC?
Portability - Laptops are more portable
Price - Laptops are more expensive
Performance - DESKTOPs tend to perform better, per dollar spent
Expandability –Desktops are more expandable
Quality of construction – Laptops require better quality materials
3 main components of a typical laptop case
The display – LCD or LED
Case frame - the metal structure reinforcing the external shell
The case - the external shell, usually plastic.
Clamshell Design
Laptop has two halves, hinged together at the back
The primary differences between a laptop motherboard and a desktop motherboard are the lack of standards and _______
Much smaller form factor
Also, the motherboard is nearly always proprietary, and that’s what we mean
by “lack of standards.”
Name this part
Laptop motherboard
daughterboard.
A riser card connecting other components to a motherboard
To save space, components of the video circuitry (and possibly other circuits as well) of a laptop are placed on a _____
daughterboard
A downside to integrating audio, video and networking components on the same daughterboard is that ______
If one part goes bad, you have to replace the entire board
Laptops have less space, and thus,______ is a major concern
heat
What is done to laptop processors to help combat heat?
Lower voltages and clock speeds
Active sleep and slowdown modes
A laptop’s _____ is often soldered to the motherboard
Processor
Notebooks don’t use standard desktop computer memory chips, because ______
they’re too big.
two common types of laptop memory package
SODIMM
MicroDIMM
SODIMM
Small Outline DIMM
Smaller than standard DIMM
available in a variety of configura- tions, including 32-bit (72-pin) and 64-bit (144-pin SDRAM, 200-pin DDR, 200-pin DDR2, and 204-pin DDR3) option
Name that memory type:
SO-DIMM
MicroDIMM
icroDIMM is an extremely small RAM form factor. In fact, it is over 50 percent smaller than a SODIMM
Name that memory type:
MicroDIMM
While desktop hard drives are 3.5 inches, how long are laptop hard drives?
2.5 inches
PCMCIA
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
PC Card
The expansion card for PCMCIA Expansion Bus
How many pins does a PC Card use to connect to a PC
68
Docking Station
A docking station is basically an extension of the motherboard of a laptop. Because a docking station is designed to stay behind when the laptop is removed, it can contain things like a full-sized drive bay and expansion bus slots. Also, the docking station can function as a port replicator.
Port Replicator
A port replicator reproduces the functions of the ports on the back of a laptop so that peripherals such as monitors, keyboards, printers, and so on that don’t travel with the laptop can remain connected to the dock and don’t have to all be physically unplugged each time
the laptop is taken away.
What type of electric flow does a laptop use?
DC
Laptop batteries can be compared by _____ and _____
Energy density - How much energy a battery can hold
power density - how quickly the stored energy can be accessed
Backlight
small fluorescent lamp placed behind, above, or to the side of an LCD display. The light from the lamp is diffused across the screen, producing brightness.
CCFL
cold cathode fluorescent lamp
typical laptop display uses a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) as its backlight
Inverter
small circuit board installed behind the LCD panel that takes
DC current and inverts it to AC for the backlight
Location of the WiFi antenna on a laptop
The LCD display
Steps to replaced a laptop hard drive
Turn off PC
Disconnect peripherals
locate hard drive door & screw holding it in place
lift hard drive door / unlatch
pull out hard drive
