New guy since I'm looking for stuff for my toy hauler, and first post ....
I'm an IT guy and have been dealing with desktops, laptop, and everything in between for over 20 years. Let me break this down so it's easier to understand.
We're going to use what I like to call the toolbox and workbench mentality. We can all relate to it and it doesn't muddy things up with techno-babble. Even as a tech, I don't like techno-babble so that should say something.
CPU
This is really the vise on the workbench. You use it to work on things (programs and software) that you need, like Google Chrome/IE, MS-Word, Adobe Reader, etc.. The better the vise, the better it works ... so instead of a vise that deals only with metal or wood, you get the better one that you can use on a variety of materials.
Hard Drive
This is the toolbox that stores all your tools. Some hard drives, especially the older ones, have a slower spin rate. These are labeled "5400 RPM". The newer ones are either SSD's or HDD's that are labeled "7200 RPM". The reason for the 5400 RPM HDD's in laptops was because laptops are portable, and you could crash the read/write heads into the spinning platters inside the hard drive where the data was stored, causing a loss of data and in some cases crashing the computer so bad it wouldn't boot. With the newer 7200 RPM HDD's, it's not that much of an issue since they can handle shock values anywhere from 20g to 100g, depending on when they were made and if they're powered on or off.
For laptops that didn't come with an SSD, I highly recommend upgrading to them because they're much faster and there are no moving parts.
RAM
This is the workbench that the vise is attached to, and again, bigger and better rules supreme. It's also where you're putting your tools (programs/operating system, drivers, etc.) when you take them out of the toolbox (hard drive) to use them, so you want something big enough to handle more than a couple tools (programs). If your workbench can handle more tools, you're also not having to take tools back and forth to the toolbox all the time because of space limits (small amount of RAM).
Motherboard
This only applies to those doing custom computer builds, but think of it as what connects your workbench and toolbox together. More features (wireless, Bluetooth, USB ports, etc.) is always a good thing but it can also limit the portability. Some laptops are called "desktop replacements" and are not only very heavy as they're basically a portable desktop, but also use a lot more energy. Some laptops, and even tablets, can run for hours (as much as 8 hours or more) on their battery, but the desktop replacement style can run for maybe 2 to 3 hours max. Some of these desktop replacements can weigh up to 22 pounds (10 kilos) and it's painful to move them around.
Most upgrades can be done with simple hand tools, like RAM and hard drive upgrades, but I highly recommend you call to ask the manufacturer first if you can upgrade. For example, some computers come with the maximum amount of RAM installed, so even though it might not be enough to run properly putting more RAM in won't help. Also in cases where you're looking at upgrading to an SSD, it might not be possible due to the type of connector on the SDD itself.
-Kris
