Comparison MSI Katana A17 AI B8VF [B8VF-1004XPL] vs Acer Nitro 17 AN17-42 [AN17-42-R9TH]

Screen response time to a control signal — in other words, the time between the receipt of such a signal on the matrix and the switching of pixels to a given mode.

Theoretically, the lower the response time, the better the screen handles with dynamic scenes, the higher the frame rate on it can be achieved. At the same time, it is worth noting that almost all modern matrices have sufficient response speed to effectively process the classic frame rate of 60 Hz — and, recall, it is quite enough for most cases. So paying attention to this parameter makes sense, first of all, if you are purchasing an advanced gaming model, the screen of which operates at a frame rate of more than 60 Hz. In other cases, the response time is often not indicated at all.

The frame rate supported by the laptop screen. In fact, in this case we are talking about the maximum frequency; the actual frame rate may be lower than this value, depending on the content being displayed — but not higher.

Theoretically, the higher the frame rate, the smoother the movement on the screen will look, the less moving objects will be blurred. In fact, the situation is such that even in relatively modest modern laptops, 60 Hz matrices are installed — in general, this is quite enough for the human eye, since a further increase in speed ( 90 Hz and higher) does not significantly improve the visible “picture”. However, in high-end gaming and multimedia models designed for demanding users, higher values — 120 Hz, 144 Hz, 165 Hz and even higher, namely 240 Hz and 300 Hz.

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.

The colour gamut of the laptop matrix according to the Rec.709 colour model or according to sRGB.

Colour gamut describes the range of colours that can be displayed on the screen. It is indicated as a percentage, but not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the screen's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.

Specifically, sRGB and Rec.709 are the most popular of today's colour models; they have the same range and differ only in the scope (sRGB is used in computers, Rec. 709 is used in HDTV). Therefore, the closer the colour gamut is to 100%, the more accurately the colours on the screen will match the colours that were originally intended by the creator of the film, game, etc. At the same time, note that such accuracy is not particularly needed in everyday use — it critical only for professional work with colour; and even in such cases, it is more convenient to buy a separate monitor with a wide colour gamut for a laptop, rather than looking for a laptop with a high-quality (and, accordingly, expensive) matrix.

Laptop support for NVIDIA G-Sync technology.

This feature is only found on models equipped with discrete NVIDIA graphics cards. It is used to match the frame rate of the screen and the frame rate of the signal arriving at it — so that these frequencies match. This avoids flickering, twitching, and other image artifacts that can occur due to out-of-sync. This feature is especially useful for games where the frame rate of the video signal can "float" depending on the load on the graphics core; in fact, most laptops with G-Sync are specifically for gaming.

A similar solution for AMD video cards is called FreeSync.

The maximum amount of RAM that can be installed on a laptop. It depends, in particular, on the type of memory modules used, as well as on the number of slots for them. Paying attention to this parameter makes sense, first of all, if the laptop is bought with the expectation of and the amount of actually installed memory in it is noticeably less than the maximum available. So laptops can be upgraded in RAM to 16 GB, 24 GB a>, 32 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB and even more - 128 GB.

The amount of heat generated by the graphics processing unit (GPU) during normal operation. TDP is expressed in watts. It allows you to evaluate the thermal characteristics of a laptop and determine its potential for working with high graphics loads. The higher the GPU TDP value, the more power the GPU consumes, which may require a more efficient cooling system to avoid overheating and ensure stable operation of the device. Laptops with higher GPU heat dissipation are better suited for gamers or graphics and video production professionals.

A device for working with removable memory cards. Usually, it looks like a characteristic slot right on the laptop case, into which the media is inserted. There are different standards for memory cards, a list of compatible standards is indicated in the note to this item. It is worth noting here that for modern laptops it is almost mandatory to support the SD format and its modifications — SD HC, often also SD XC; other options may also be envisaged, but they have not received such distribution. Anyway, this feature is convenient because memory cards are widely used in other types of electronics: for example, SD is the generally accepted standard in digital cameras, and microSD (compatible with SD slots through simple adapters) is used in smartphones. Accordingly, the presence of a card reader greatly facilitates the exchange of data between a laptop and external devices.

Number of USB 3.2 gen1 ports provided in the laptop. Initially, this interface was called USB 3.0, later USB 3.1 gen1.

Be that as it may, USB is the most popular modern interface for connecting various peripherals to computer - from keyboards, mice and flash drives to very original devices. It can also be used to charge smartphones and other gadgets. And USB 3.2 gen1 is the successor to the popular USB 2.0. In this version, the data transfer speed was increased 10 times - up to 4.8 Gbit/s, and the power supply for external devices was also increased. At the same time, devices with other versions of USB can be connected to the USB 3.2 gen1 port - the main thing is that they have full-size USB A plugs and have enough power for normal operation.

As for the number of USB connectors, the more there are, the more peripherals you can connect to the laptop without using splitters.