Difference Between Desktop and Mobile Technologies
There are many differences between desktop computers and
mobile computers, as illustrated in the discussion of different parts of
notebook computers above.
The primary technology differences between a laptop and
desktop come from the requirement for low power consumption and small form
factor for laptop computers. This requires processors which use less money,
circuit boards which take up less space, and an overall design which can fit
into a unit no bigger than three inches high while closed.
Notebook computers use power
management to control the amount of power it uses to increase battery
life time. Power management does a combination of things, including slowing
down the hard drive, dimming the monitor, and throttling down the processor to
reduce power usage.
Mobile computers are also more likely to use
wifi than desktop
computers. Since the computer is more mobile, it is likely to have wireless
networking built-in to take advantage of wireless hotspots and corporate
wireless implementations.
Installing, Configuring, and Upgrading Laptops
Power Management
BIOS ACPI
The Advanced Configuration and
Power Interface (ACPI) specification defines common interfaces for
hardware recognition, motherboard and device configuration, and power
management.
ACPI is used for power management and is different than the
previous APM BIOS model by putting the Operating System in charge of power
management. Previously, APM had the BIOS control power management. ACPI also
brought the power management features from laptop computers to desktops and
servers, allowing desktops and servers to utilize low power modes where only
the RAM is powered with the ability to quickly “wake up” on command.
Microsoft first supported ACPI in
Windows 98 and continues to support it through current operating
systems.
ACPI requires compliant hardware, so it cannot be applied
to older systems.
Suspend, Hibernate, Standby
Sleep mode, or “standby”, is a mode in which your computer
uses a little power to retain the information in memory. This requires the
computer have some power in the battery or be plugged into an AC outlet. In
hibernate mode, the contents of the memory are written to a special area on
the hard disk and then recovered from the hard disk when the computer is woken
up. Because it is writing the contents of the memory to the hard disk, it
takes longer to recover from hibernation than from standby.
