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.
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).
RAM
The amount of random access memory (RAM or RAM) actually installed in the laptop.
The amount of RAM is one of the most important indicators characterizing the overall flow Rate of the system. The more RAM installed in a laptop, the better it will cope with “heavy” resource-intensive programs, and the more tasks can be performed on it simultaneously without “brakes” and failures.
Today
, 4 GB of RAM is considered the minimum required. A capacity of
8 GB is usually enough for comfortable household use and simple games,
16 GB and
32 GB are enough for running resource-intensive applications and confidently launching modern games. And in advanced gaming and professional laptops there are also larger amounts of RAM -
64 GB or even more.
Note that many laptop models allow you to increase the available amount of RAM; For more details, see “Maximum installed volume”.
Max. RAM
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.
Slots
The total number of slots for RAM modules provided in the laptop; in fact — the maximum number of slats that can be installed simultaneously in this model.
Features for upgrading RAM directly depend on this indicator. So, in low-cost models, there is often only
1 slot, and the only upgrade option is to replace the "native" bar. In more advanced devices,
two or even
four slots may be provided, while some of them may be free in the initial configuration.
A special case is embedded RAM; it is more compact and cheaper than removable modules, but does not imply replacement at all. At the same time, in some laptops, the “RAM” is
only built-in, in others it can be supplemented with
one or even two slots for interchangeable strips.
M.2 drive interface
The connection interface used by the M.2 SSD installed in the laptop (see "Drive type").
One of the features of the M.2 connector and drives for it is that they can use two different connection interfaces: PCI-E (in one form or another) or SATA. We emphasize that this paragraph indicates the data of the SSD module; the connector itself may provide other interface options, including more advanced ones — see "M.2 connector interface" (for example, a drive with a PCI-E 3.0 2x connection can be placed in a connector that also supports the faster PCI-E 4.0 4x). However, anyway, the connection connector usually allows you to realize all the features of the installed drive; so this item allows you to quite reliably evaluate the capabilities of the standard M.2 module.
As for specific interfaces, nowadays you can mainly find the following options:
— SATA 3. The SATA interface was originally designed for traditional hard drives. The third version of this interface is the latest; it provides data transfer rates up to 600 Mbps. This is significantly less than PCI-E, and in general, very little by the standards of SSD drives. Therefore, M.2 connection using SATA is typical mainly for low-cost entry-level modules. However, even these media are generally faster than most HDDs.
— PCI-E. Universal interface for connecting internal peripherals. Provides generally faster speeds than SATA, making it better suited for SSD modules: theoretically, PC
...I-E allows you to realize the full potential of SSDs, even the fastest. In fact, the supported data transfer rate may be different — depending on the version of the interface and the number of lines (data transmission channels). Here are the options most relevant for modern laptops:
- PCI-E 3.0 2x. Connection using 2 lanes PCI-E version 3.0. This version provides speeds of about 1 GB/s per line; respectively, two lines give a maximum of just under 2 GB / s.
- PCI-E 3.0 4x. Connection using 4 lanes PCI-E version 3.0. Provides a maximum speed of about 4 GB / s.
- PCI-E 4.0 4x. Connection using 4 lanes PCI-E version 4.0. In this version, the throughput, compared to PCI-E 3.0, has been doubled — thus, 4 lines give a maximum speed of about 8 MB / s.
Note that in the case of M.2 connectors, different PCI-E variations are usually quite compatible with each other — except that the connection speed when working with a "non-native" connector will be limited by the capabilities of the slowest component. For example, when connecting a PCI-E 3.0 4x SSD module to a PCI-E 3.0 2x slot, this speed will correspond to the capabilities of the connector, and when connected to PCI-E 4.0 4x, to the capabilities of the drive.Additional 2.5" slot
The presence in the laptop of an additional compartment for an internal drive of the form factor 2.5 ".
Usually, to install or remove a drive in such a bay, it was not necessary to disassemble the entire laptop — just remove the cover or remove the plug. As for 2.5", this is the traditional form factor for hard drives (HDD) for "laptop" purposes, although other types of media (SSD and SSHD — see "Media Type") can be produced in this format. For connection 2.5 "storage drives normally use the SATA connector — it is not as fast as more modern standards like M.2 PCI-E (see "Drive Interface"), however, it is cheaper, and for HDD this connector is quite enough.
Thus, the
presence of an additional 2.5" bay allows you to quickly and cost-effectively increase the total volume of laptop drives.
Connection ports
Connection connectors provided in the design of the laptop.
This paragraph mainly indicates data on video outputs:
VGA,
HDMI(versions 1.4,
2.0,
2.1 and their varieties),
miniHDMI /
microHDMI,
DisplayPort,
miniDisplayPort). In addition, the presence of other types of connectors can be specified here: audio
S / P-DIF, service
COM port. But information about interfaces such as full-sized USB, USB-C, Thunderbolt and LAN is provided in separate paragraphs (see below).
— VGA. Analogue video output, also known as D-Sub 15 pin. Technically considered obsolete: it has low noise immunity, does not provide sound transmission, and the maximum supported resolution in fact does not exceed 1280x1024. However, VGA inputs are still quite common in monitors today, and are also found in other types of video equipment — in particular, projectors. Therefore, some modern laptops, mainly for multimedia purposes, are equipped with similar outputs — counting on connection to the mentioned video devices.
— HDMI. The most popular modern interface for working with HD content. Uses digital data transmission, allows you to transmit high-def
...inition video and multi-channel audio over one cable at the same time. Most modern monitors, TVs, projectors, and other HD-enabled video equipment have at least one HDMI input; so outputs of this type are extremely common in modern laptops.
— microHDMI and miniHDMI. Reduced varieties of the HDMI described above: they are completely similar in functionality and differ only in the size of the connector. They are installed mainly in the thinnest and most compact laptops, for which full-size HDMI is too cumbersome.
The HDMI and mini/microHDMI ports on modern laptops may correspond to different versions:
- v 1.4. The earliest of the commonly used standards, released in 2009. Allows you to transmit a signal in resolutions up to 4096x2160 at a frame rate of 24 fps, and with Full HD resolution, the frame rate can reach 120 fps; 3D video transmission is also possible.
- v 1.4a. The first addition to version 1.4, in which, in particular, two additional 3D video formats were added.
- v 1.4b. The second update of the HDMI 1.4 standard, which introduced only minor clarifications and additions to the v 1.4a specifications.
- v2.0. Global HDMI update introduced in 2013. Also known as HDMI UHD, it allows you to stream 4K video at frame rates up to 60 fps. The number of audio channels can reach 32, and up to 4 audio streams can be broadcast simultaneously. In addition, support for the 21:9 aspect ratio and some improvements regarding 3D content have been introduced.
- v2.0a. First HDMI 2.0 update. A key innovation was compatibility with HDR content (see "HDR support").
- v2.0b. Second update of version 2.0. Key innovations have affected mainly work with HDR — in particular, support for HDR10 and HLG has been added.
- v2.1. One of the newest versions, released in the fall of 2017. Further increases in bandwidth have made it possible to support 4K and even 8K video at frame rates up to 120 fps. In addition, key improvements include enhanced HDR capabilities. Note that to use the full capabilities of HDMI v2.1, HDMI Ultra High Speed cables are required, although basic functions are available with regular cables.
— Display port. Digital high-speed port, allows you to transfer both video and audio in HD quality. It is similar in many respects to HDMI, provides a higher data transfer rate and allows the use of longer cables, but is less common, mainly used in computer technology.
— miniDisplayPort. A smaller version of the DisplayPort described above, designed to make the connector more compact; except for the dimensions, it is no different from the original interface. Some time ago it was a regular video connector for Apple laptops; and even the Thunderbolt interface that replaced it, in versions 1 and 2 (see below), uses a connector identical to the miniDisplayPort connector.
Both full-size DisplayPort and its smaller version may be different versions. Here are the most popular options today:
- v 1.2. The earliest version common in laptops, released in 2010. Among the most important innovations presented in this version are 3D support, the ability to work simultaneously with several video streams for serial connection of screens (daisy chain), as well as the ability to work through the miniDisplayPort connector. Bandwidth v 1.2 is enough to fully support 5K video at 30 frames per second and 8K video — with certain limitations.
- v 1.2a. Update version 1.2, released in 2013. One of the most noticeable innovations is the ability to work with AMD FreeSync (see above). Bandwidth and supported resolutions remain unchanged.
- v 1.3. DisplayPort version released in 2014. Compared to the previous version, the throughput has been increased by 1.5 times for 1 line and almost 2 times for the whole connector (8.1 Gbps and 32.4 Gbps, respectively). This, among other things, made it possible to provide full support for 8K video at 30 fps, as well as increase the maximum frame rate in 4K and 5K standards to 120 and 60 fps, respectively. In daisy chain mode, this standard makes it possible to work with two 4K UHD (3840x2160) screens at a frame rate of 60 Hz, or with four 2560x1600 screens at the same frequency. In addition, Dual-mode support was introduced in this version, providing compatibility with HDMI and DVI interfaces through the simplest passive adapters.
- v 1.4. Version introduced in March 2016. Bandwidth, compared to the previous standard, remained unchanged, but some important features were added — in particular, support for Display Stream Compression 1.2 compression, HDR10 standard and Rec. 2020, and the maximum number of supported audio channels has increased to 32.
- v 1.4a. An update released in 2018 "quietly" — without even an official press release. The main innovation was the update of Display Stream Compression technology from version 1.2 to version 1.2a.
— S/P-DIF. Output for digital audio transmission, including multi-channel. It has two varieties — optical and electrical; the first is absolutely insensitive to interference, but uses rather delicate cables, the second does not require special care in handling, but can be subject to pickups (although the wires are usually made shielded). Laptops use mainly optical S/P-DIF, while for compactness this connector is combined with a mini-Jack jack for connecting headphones. However, anyway, it's ok to clarify the specific features of this interface separately.
— COM port. Universal interface for connecting various external devices — in particular, dial-up modems — as well as for direct connection between two computers. Also known as RS-232 (after the connector). Nowadays it is considered obsolete due to the spread of more compact, faster and more functional interfaces, primarily USB. However, many types of equipment, including specialized ones, use the COM port as a control interface. Such equipment includes uninterruptibles, satellite receivers and communication devices, security and alarm systems, etc. Thus, COM ports, although almost never used in consumer-level laptops, are still found in some specialized models.Card reader
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.
