Screen size
Diagonal size of laptop display.
The larger the screen, the more convenient the laptop for watching high-definition movies, modern games, working with large-format graphic materials, etc. Large screens are especially important for multimedia and gaming models. On the other hand, the diagonal of the display directly affects the size and cost of the entire device. So if portability is key, it makes sense to pay attention to relatively small solutions; especially since most modern laptops have video outputs like HDMI or DisplayPort and allow connection of large-format external monitors.
In light of all this, the actual maximum for laptops these days is
17"(17.3"); however
larger devices (18") reappeared at the beginning of 2023. The standard option for general purpose laptops is
15"(15.6"), less often
16", a diagonal of
13"(13.3") or
14" is considered small by the standards of such And smaller screens can be found mainly in specific compact varieties of laptops — ultrabooks, 2 in 1, transformers, netbooks; among such devices there are solutions for
12 ",
11" and even
10" or less.
Surface treatment
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Glossy. A glossy surface improves the overall picture quality: other things being equal, the picture on such a screen looks brighter and more colorful than on a matte one. On the other hand, pollution is very noticeable on such a surface, and in bright external lighting, a lot of glare appears on it, which can greatly interfere with viewing. Therefore, instead of the classic gloss, laptops are increasingly using an anti-reflective version of such a coating (see below). Nevertheless, this option still does not lose popularity: it is somewhat cheaper than the “anti-glare”, and in soft, relatively dim lighting, it can even provide a more pleasing image to the eye.
—
Matte. Matte finish is inexpensive and does not form glare even from fairly bright lighting. On the other hand, the picture on such a screen is noticeably dimmer than on a similar glossy display. However, this moment can be compensated by various design solutions (primarily a good margin of brightness); so this option can be found in all categories of modern laptops — from low-cost models for working with documents to top gaming configurations.
—
Glossy (anti-glare). A variation on the glossy finish described above, designed to reduce glare from external light sources. Such screens really glare noticeably less than traditional glossy ones (or even do not give glare at all); at the same time, in
...terms of image quality, they are at least superior to matte ones. So it is this type of coating that is most popular nowadays.Response time
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.
Model
The specific model of the processor installed in the laptop, or rather, the processor index within its series (see above). Knowing the full name of the processor (series and model), you can find detailed information on it (up to practical reviews) and clarify its capabilities.
Code name
The code name for CPU installed in the laptop.
This parameter characterizes, first of all, the generation to which the processor belongs, and the microarchitecture used in it. At the same time, chips with different code names can belong to the same microarchitecture/generation; in such cases, they differ in other parameters - general positioning, belonging to certain series (see above), the presence / absence of certain specific functions, etc.
Nowadays, the following code names are relevant in Intel processors:
Coffee Lake,
Comet Lake,
Ice Lake,
Tiger Lake,
Jasper Lake,
Alder Lake,
Raptor Lake (13th Gen),
Alder Lake-N,
Raptor Lake (14th Gen),
Meteor Lake (Series 1),
Raptor Lake (Series 1).
For AMD, the list looks like this:
Zen 2 Renoir,
Zen 2 Lucienne,
Zen 3 Cezanne,
Zen 3 Barcelo,
Zen 3+ Rembrandt,
Zen 3+ Rembrandt R,
Zen 2 Mendocino,
Zen 3 Barcelo R,
Zen 4 Dragon Range,
Zen 4 Phoenix
Zen 4 Hawk Point.
Detailed data on different code names can be found in special sources.
TurboBoost / TurboCore frequency
Processor clock speed achieved in TurboBoost or TurboCore "overclocking" mode.
Turbo Boost and Turbo Core technologies are used by different manufacturers (Intel and AMD, respectively), but they have the same principle of operation: load distribution from more loaded processor cores to less loaded ones to improve performance. The "overclocking" mode is characterized by an increased clock frequency, and it is indicated in this case.
For more information about clock speed in general, see the relevant paragraph above.
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).
