What is a laptop or notebook?

A laptop or notebook is a PC designed to be used in more than one place, that is, in a mobile way. This is achieved thanks to a battery that is recharged using electric current.

The consumption of each of its components is very important since this determines the autonomy, which is no more than the time it works without the need to connect to the electric current.

The laptop market is very versatile. So much so that new types appear, adapted to increasingly specific needs, almost annually. For example, today you can find notebooks, netbooks, ultrabooks or tablet PCs.


Its features have grown over the years since the first laptops were anything but portable. We have seen how its size, weight and all this were reduced with benefits that have not stopped increasing.

The improvement of the batteries and the continuous improvements in all the elements that compose it has allowed us to be talking about a mature technology with a great future.

What is a laptop for?

They can be adapted to almost any need depending on the model you choose:

Replace to a desktop PC. The most powerful, their size is large since they are designed to work with them and they need a monitor of certain dimensions. In these models, power is more important than autonomy.

For Games. They include the latest in processors and graphics cards. Some models allow the connection of an external graphics card, that is, it is located outside the equipment, thus achieving autonomy and power when necessary.


Low cost. Here we would include netbooks and notebooks designed for those who want mobility but do not require great features.

Ultra-portable. Intel has created in 2012 a new model of laptop known as an ultrabook. These computers consume little, weigh even less, although their problem is the price and the lack of power compared to other types of laptops.

Hybrid tablet PC. With the arrival of Windows 8, the distance between tablets and the PC world is diluted. It is very important to also highlight the tablet PCs that you can use even with Windows XP.

As you can see there is a laptop model for almost any task, leaving the world of the PC increasingly limited.

When not to choose a laptop?

There are several cases in which a laptop is not the correct option:

You need power. A desktop PC will give you more features than a laptop for the same price. Also, a laptop is always more complicated to update.

You are not going to move it. How many laptops always end up connected to the current in the same place. In this case, do not hesitate and buy a desktop PC.

You will work with several screens. In many environments, especially professionals and players, it is normal to have more than one monitor. This way you get to work with more information at the same time. In this case, it is clear that a normal PC is a better option.

Specific needs. Do not buy a laptop for example if you are going to always have it connected to television since that is what you have HTPCs for.

What problems can you find when buying a laptop?

You have to learn how to care for batteries, and they still have a limited lifetime. You will lose autonomy as you use it and if the laptop lasts you will surely have to buy a new one.

Laptops are very prone to be hit. Because conventional hard drives have internal moving parts they can cause serious problems if they get too rattled. Fortunately, there is the possibility of using SSDs that are much less sensitive to these problems.

Process power, being more complicated to update, it will be obsolete before and you must buy a new one.