What’s in a Laptop LCD Screen?

 A laptop part that many people consider when buying a laptop is the LCD screen. There are four things to take note of when assessing a laptop screen’s ability to display images: Screen size, resolution, screen type, and graphics processor. Let’s break each factor down.

Screen Size

Laptops come in various shapes and sizes to accommodate as varied a range of user preferences as possible. Whether you’re a casual computer user who does a lot of travelling, a hardcore gamer who goes out to attend the occasional LAN party, or any kind of user in between, rest assured that somewhere out there is a laptop tailor-made just for you.

There are four major laptop categories, grouped according to size. The general rule of thumb is, the bigger a laptop is, the less portable, but more powerful its laptop components are. The smaller it is, the less powerful its laptop parts become, but it gains an advantage in portability.

Since laptop screens account for the whole top half of a laptop, it follows that a laptop’s size dictates its screen size as well. Screen size is measured diagonally. Many laptops now come with screens in a wide aspect ratio to accommodate a more cinematic display and/or to reduce the screen’s depth dimension (and therefore its overall size,lowering the cost of production).

From the largest to smallest, here are the four laptop categories and the common screen sizes they have:

·         Desktop replacements: 17” to 19”

·         Thin-and-lights: 14” to 16”

·         Ultraportables: 13.3” and below

·         Netbooks: 12” and below

Resolution

Screen resolution refers to the number of pixels that a screen is able to display. Basically, the more pixels a screen can show, the sharper the image will be since more pixels equals finer individual image points.

Think of it like this: Usually, the farther you are from an image, the more defined it is; but as you get closer, you begin to see individual colors (or image points) that make up the whole picture. Now, if these image points were smaller (meaning there were more of them that made up the whole picture), then you’d have to go pretty damn close before the image broke up again into distinguishable image points. That’s how pixels in LCD screens work.

Most widescreen LCD’s give a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768, which is par for the course. If a laptop LCD can go beyond that (preferably the hi-def standard of 1920 x 1080), all the better.

Screen Type

Most people aren’t aware of this, but there are two common variants of LCD panels commonly used in laptops today. The first is TN (Twisted Nematic), which is cheaper to produce and has faster refresh rates. The other is IPS (In-Plane Switching), which offer better color density and wider viewing angles. The pros of one are the cons of the other.

Refersh rate refers to a screen’s ability to switch from image frame to image frame. The faster it is, the smoother the video moves. If it dips below standard speeds, screen-tearing ensues. Color density refers to the amount of colors an LCD can display onscreen at the same time. Finally, viewing angles means how well you can see an image in its full splendor when you’re not exactly front-and-center.

Graphics Processor

Finally, we have graphics processing units (GPUs), or video cards. The two major manufacturers of GPUs are AMD and NVIDIA. Video cards from each company have their own strengths and weaknesses best detailed in another article. The bottom line is that if you’re not the type of user who plays video games or watches hi-def media content a lot, then the GPU your laptop has really doesn’t matter much. If, however, you use graphics-heavy programs like the aforementioned video games, Blu-ray players, Photoshop, and the like, then GPU choice should factor into your decision.

Basic Laptop Maintenance and Tips

How does one take care of a laptop? Well, there are many ways to care of a laptop, especially the one you own that probably cost more than a thousand bucks! So it’s worth protecting because you want it to last as long as you can.

If you’re clueless about the basics of your laptop, consult this list. You’ll certainly find some useful information here.

Prolonging Laptop Lifespan

  

 There are several things you can do to increase the lifespan of your laptop: 

1. When left in cold places, allow your laptop to become accustomed to room temperature first before turning it on. This prevents any condensation, subsequently avoiding short circuits. 

2. To prevent any dust from accumulating in the vents, always place your laptop on top of a clean, flat surface.  

3. By preventing dust from entering, you’re also preventing heat buildup. To assist in preventing heat buildup, always make sure you have proper ventilation – again, place your laptop on top of a clean, flat surface.  

4. While on the subject of heat, never leave your laptop in direct sunlight. This prevents any damage to the internal components. They are very costly to repair. 

5. When transporting your laptop, always put it inside a heavily padded bag to prevent any accidents.

 

Cleaning Tips

To prolong the laptop’s life even more, cleaning must be an essential part of your routine. It’s important to follow these tips:

Keyboard

The keyboard is something we come into contact with every day. It’s important to clean them from time to time, preferably once every few weeks, or once a month.

Keyboards become hosts for germs, crumbs and dust. To clean them, use compressed air, because you can get into those hard to reach places easily.

Protecting the keyboard is important if you want to preserve the laptop’s aesthetic quality. To improve your chances, you can get a keyboard cover, or use a full keyboard when you’re at home.

 Screen

No doubt your LCD panel will accumulate stain spots and dusty corners as time goes by. To clean this, just apply some alcohol to a cotton ball to clean the edges. The quick evaporation of alcohol prevents any liquid from seeping into the cracks.

You can also use a warm, lightly damped cloth. You’ll be able to remove any stains with ease. Also, remember to not use excessive pressure, or else you’ll risk puncturing the screen.

 Body

To clean the rest of the body, all you need is a soft piece of cloth to wipe away dust. This will also prevent any scratches. If there are any stains, just apply some alcohol and it will quickly go away.

 Conclusion

The aforementioned tips here are plenty, and it’ll definitely help keep your laptop in top condition.

If you don’t have the time to clean your laptop regularly, try to prevent direct sunlight and dust. These two are the worst killers of laptops. You don’t want dust and heat damaging the internal components.