Brightness
The maximum brightness that a laptop screen can provide.
The brighter the ambient light, the brighter the laptop screen should be, otherwise the image on it may be difficult to read. And vice versa: in dim ambient light, high brightness is unnecessary — it greatly burdens the eyes (however, in this case, modern laptops provide brightness control). Thus, the higher this indicator, the more versatile the screen is, the wider the range of conditions in which it can be effectively used. The downside of these benefits is an increase in price and energy consumption.
As for specific values, many modern laptops have a brightness of
250 – 300 nt and even
lower. This is quite enough for working under artificial lighting of medium intensity, but in bright natural light, visibility may already be a problem. For use in sunny weather (especially outdoors), it is desirable to have a brightness margin of at least
300 – 350 nt. And in the most advanced models, this parameter can be
350 – 400 nt and even
more.
Contrast
The contrast of the screen installed in the laptop.
Contrast is the largest difference in brightness between the lightest white and darkest black that can be achieved on a single screen. It is written as a fraction, for example, 560:1; while the larger the first number, the higher the contrast, the more advanced the screen is and the better the image quality can be achieved on it. This is especially noticeable with large differences in brightness within a single frame: with low contrast, individual details located in the darkest or brightest parts of the picture may be lost, increasing the contrast allows you to eliminate this phenomenon to a certain extent. The flip side of these benefits is an increase in cost.
Separately, we emphasize that in this case only static contrast is indicated — the difference provided within one frame in normal operation, at constant brightness and without the use of special technologies. For advertising purposes, some manufacturers may also provide data on the so-called dynamic contrast — it can be measured in very impressive numbers (seven-digit or more). However, you should focus primarily on static contrast — this is the basic characteristic of any display.
As for specific values, even in the most advanced screens, this indicator does not exceed 2000: 1. But in general, modern laptops have a rather low contrast ratio — it is assumed that for tasks that require more advanced image characteristics, it is more...reasonable to use an external screen (monitor or TV).
3DMark06
The result shown by the laptop processor in 3DMark06.
This test is primarily focused on testing performance in games — in particular, the ability of the processor to process advanced graphics and artificial intelligence elements. Test scores are reported as scores; the higher this number, the higher the performance of the tested chip. Good 3DMark06 results are especially important for
gaming laptops.
Passmark CPU Mark
The result shown by the laptop processor in the Passmark CPU Mark test.
Passmark CPU Mark is a comprehensive test that is more detailed and reliable than the popular 3DMark06 (see above). It checks not only the gaming capabilities of the CPU, but also its performance in other modes, based on which it displays the overall score; this score can be used to fairly reliably evaluate the processor as a whole (the more points, the higher the performance).
SuperPI 1M
The result shown by the laptop processor in the SuperPI 1M test.
The essence of this test is to calculate the number "pi" to the millionth decimal place. The time spent on this calculation is the final result. Accordingly, the more powerful the processor, the smaller the result will be (this SuperPI 1M is fundamentally different from many other tests).
Video memory
The amount of native video memory installed in the laptop's graphics card. Only discrete video adapters and their advanced varieties like SLI or Dual Graphics have such memory (see "Video card type").
The more memory, the more powerful the graphics card and the better it can handle complex graphics. Of course, the specific capabilities of the adapter depend on a number of other parameters (primarily the characteristics of the graphics processor); however, the difference in the amount of memory, as a rule, is quite consistent with the difference in the overall level. In terms of specific numbers, solutions with
2 GB are entry-level,
4 GB and
6 GB are intermediate, and
8 GB - to advanced, and
12 GB and
16 GB can be found in top-end gaming laptops and high-end workstations.
Battery capacity
The capacity of the complete laptop battery in watt-hours.
Higher capacity allows the laptop to work longer on a charge, all other things being equal. However, keep in mind that the actual battery life will depend not only on the characteristics of the battery, but also on the power consumption of the laptop itself — and it is determined by both hardware characteristics and installed software. Therefore, only models with similar characteristics can be compared with each other according to this indicator. And if you need a
“long-playing” laptop, you should choose it not by battery capacity, but by directly stated operating time.
As for watt hours, this is a less popular unit of capacity than milliamp hours, but more physically correct: it accurately describes the amount of energy stored by a battery. Thanks to this, in terms of capacity in Wh, it is possible to compare batteries with different nominal voltages (whereas this is not allowed for mAh — additional calculations must be carried out using special formulas). At the same time, Wh can be easily converted to mAh if the battery voltage is known: for this, the capacity in Wh must be divided by the voltage and multiplied by 1000.
Operating time
Maximum laptop operating time on a single battery charge, without recharging. In this case, usually, the operating time in the maximum energy saving mode is implied: disabled wireless modules, minimum screen brightness, a small load on the processor, etc. Accordingly, the time of actual work on a charge is usually noticeably less than this indicator. Nevertheless, it can be used both for a general assessment of the battery life of a laptop, and for comparing it with other models. And choose work laptop (
from 7 operation hours) or
with more powerful battery (from 11 operation hours).
Material
The main material from which the laptop case is made.
Modern laptops can use materials such as plastic (mostly
matte plastic),
aluminium,
magnesium alloy,
carbon fibre, and even glass. These materials are found both individually and in various combinations; the most common case is
aluminium with plastic, but more specific combinations exist. Here is a more detailed description of the most relevant options:
— Matte plastic. Plastic with a matte (not shiny) surface is one of the most popular materials for laptop cases today. This is due, on the one hand, to low cost, on the other hand, to good practical characteristics. So, such a case can be given any colour and any pattern can be applied to it. The strength of plastic is lower than that of metals or carbon fibre, but it is usually more than enough for everyday use. And the light weight is not only an advantage in itself — it also allows you to make the walls of the case thick enough; as a result, plastic cases are often found even among shockproof models. As for the matte surface specifically, it itself looks dimmer than the glossy one, but it is not so prone to pollution. In particular, fingerprints and palm marks are practically invisible on it; and the scratches that plastic is subject to do not stand out as clearly as on gloss. A bright a
...ppearance of the device can be given due to other design solutions — for example, keyboard backlighting (see above).
— Aluminium. From a practical point of view, aluminium alloys combine lightness and high strength; in addition, the metal conducts heat well, which improves the efficiency of cooling systems. Most of these cases have a characteristic grey tint, which looks quite stylish even without special coloring; and in some models, aluminium can additionally be given one or another colour. The main disadvantage of this material is a higher cost than plastic; as a result, it is used mainly in devices of the middle and top classes.
— Magnesium alloy. Such alloys surpass even the aluminium described above in strength, while they have a relatively small weight and excellent heat dissipation. However, this material is not cheap. Therefore, it is used quite rarely, and in its pure form — even less often; combinations of magnesium alloy with other, usually more affordable materials are more popular (see below for more details).
– Aluminium / plastic. Combination of plastic and aluminium elements in one housing. Usually, parts subjected to the greatest loads are made of metal, and the rest of the structure is made of plastic. These materials are described in more detail above, and their combination allows you to combine the advantages and partially compensate for the disadvantages. In particular, such combined cases are cheaper than all-metal ones and at the same time more reliable than plastic ones; in addition, they are easier to give a bright appearance than products made of aluminium or magnesium. This combination can be found even among relatively inexpensive laptops, although most metal-plastic models still belong to more advanced categories.
— Carbon fibre. Also known as "carbon". Usually, it is used in the form of a composite — a carbon fibre base is complemented by a plastic filler. Carbon belongs to the premium class materials: it is characterized by very high strength and at the same time low weight. A dark colour and a characteristic pattern on the surface give such cases a stylish appearance. However, carbon fibre is very expensive — much more expensive than even aluminium and magnesium, not to mention plastic. Therefore, such cases are a characteristic feature of top segment laptops. Also note that carbon does not tolerate point impacts; thus, and also to reduce cost, it is often used in combination with metals (see below for more details).
– Aluminium / magnesium alloy. Cases combining two types of metals. Usually, the main part of such a case is made of aluminium, and the individual, most important parts are made of magnesium. This allows some cost and weight savings compared to pure magnesium alloy cases, while at the same time providing greater strength and reliability than aluminium. A rarer and more specific variant is the 2-in-1 devices (see "Type"), where the top half is made of lighter aluminium (for easy portability) and the bottom half is made of durable magnesium.
– Aluminium / carbon fibre. Cases that combine elements of aluminium and carbon fibre. The specific set of parts from both materials can be different, but the upper side of the lower half of the device (where the touchpad and keyboard are) are most often made of carbon fibre. Such a surface not only looks good, but often also turns out to be more pleasant to the touch than aluminium. As for the general features, the combination of aluminium and carbon fibre can be used both for design reasons and for practical purposes — in order to compensate for the sensitivity of carbon to point impacts. In the latter case, the body elements that are most prone to such “troubles” are made of aluminium. In addition, replacing part of the carbon fibre with metal reduces the overall cost somewhat (but increases the weight).
— Magnesium alloy / carbon fibre. A combination similar to the aluminium with carbon described above, adjusted for the characteristics of magnesium alloys. Recall that such alloys, on the one hand, are stronger and more reliable than aluminium, on the other hand, they are somewhat heavier and more expensive. See also above for more details on the properties of carbon fibre. In general, this is a noticeably rarer option than aluminium + carbon: such cases are more expensive, while they have almost no significant advantages.
– Aluminium / glass. Quite a rare and even exotic option; in fact — the only case when glass is used as a material for laptop cases. It is found in certain premium-class models, including fashion ones. The aluminium case (see above) in such models is complemented by an overlay made of special high-strength glass — usually on the outer part of the lid, on the opposite side of the screen. Such glass resists scratches even better than a metal surface, and it further enhances the appearance. However, the practical advantages of such a combination, in fact, are limited to this, so that it is used mainly as an original design move.
