Laptops can do most, if not all, of what many desktop computers can do. Even as laptops become as powerful as desktop computers, space constraints still make manufacturers conceive laptop hardware differently. For example, when discussing System buses in PCs and laptops, a significant concern is speed versus power consumption.
Computer Hardware and Buses
Computer hardware does not typically come in a monolithic package. Rather, computers consist of an assemblage of parts, often from different manufacturers but using the same communication protocols. In desktops and laptops, computer hardware connects together through "buses," or collections of wires that allow the transfer of data from one piece of hardware to another, or from one part of a hardware piece such as the motherboard to the other.
Expansion Bus
When attached to a computer, peripherals such as printers, monitors, or video cards need a path to send and receive signals from the computers processor. These connections, called the "external" or "expansion" bus, serve as the route by which signals to peripheral devices move. Even devices such as modems and communications ports that at one time were separate from the motherboard and are now integrated still communicate through the expansion bus.
System Bus
Opposed to the expansion bus, the "system" or "internal" bus connects parts of the motherboard to the processor. Through the system bus, the Central Processing Unit (CPU) communicates to main memory (RAM) and other components of the motherboard. The system bus does not handle direct signals from peripheral equipment; instead it manages the communications between memory and processing. In the daily activity of a computer, this connection is vital, and is thus given a dedicated route through the system bus.
System Bus on a Laptop
Much like desktop counterparts, laptops have expansion and system buses as well. The design and implementation of these usually do not differ that much. However, there is a space factor to consider when designing laptops. Buses carry signals in the form of electricity. This means that bus connections and the processor can get extremely hot under intense working conditions. In the small space of a laptop case, a high-speed processor with a faster bus would generate more heat, and possibly damage other components if not short-out. Therefore, many laptops come with slower processors and buses to maintain head and power limits.
Tags: desktop computers, other components, signals from, System Laptop