A laptop is not really much different from a desktop in terms of the components that make them work. The most striking difference is that the laptop has “miniaturized” the desktop’s parts and then tightly packed them into a vessel that can easily be carried around. This makes the laptop very convenient for people who are always on the go and have to use the internet at the same time.
So now we’re going to discuss the laptop’s major components and do it in a way that can easily be comprehended even by those who break out in a cold sweat at the mere mention of computers. We’re going to enumerate the major parts and discuss briefly their respective functions.
MOTHERBOARD
This is one of the most expensive parts of a laptop, and easily its largest internal component. It is also referred to as the system board or logic board. The motherboard is where all the internal components are connected to, and serves as the primary circuit board for all the laptop’s functions.
MEMORY OR RAM
The amount of memory or RAM installed on your laptop has a major bearing on performance. Quite simply, the more memory is installed, the more efficiently your laptop can perform multiple operations at the same time. It is widely known as “volatile” memory because information stored by the RAM is lost once the laptop has been shut down.
HARD DRIVE (HDD)
The hard drive is your laptop’s main storage device. It is where all programs and files are stored. You can lose all of your information if your hard drive malfunctions, and that is why owning an external hard drive to back up your files is always a good idea just in case an untoward incident causes permanent loss of data in your hard drive. While the RAM is coined as “volatile” memory, the hard drive in turn is referred to as “non-volatile” memory because information stored can still be retained by the hard drive even after the laptop has been turned off. Data in the hard drive can only be erased if it’s written over or deleted by the user.
PROCESSOR
The processor (or CPU) is simply the brain of the computer. It is the primary component that processes all information and executes your computer’s commands. The CPU can easily overheat because of its many functions, making it necessary for any computer to have a heat sink and a cooling fan plugged on its motherboard.
KEYBOARD
The keyboard is the main input device of your laptop. It is used to enter commands on the computer, or to put it simply, used as the device the user can utilize to “talk” to the computer.
OTHER COMPONENTS
The remaining parts of a laptop are the CD/DVD optical drive, LCD screen, video card and the wireless network cark. The CD/DVD optical drive allows you to read and write data from/to a CD or DVD disc. The video card is an expansion card that allows the computer to send graphical information through the LCD screen, while the audio board produces the sound that is emitted through the laptop’s speakers.
