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If you were born before the late 90s, you probably remember a time when laptops

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were heavy, clunky power hogs with the elegance of a cinder block.

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But these days, the Cinequanon of laptop marketing

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seems to be an emphasis on how thin, light, and portable everything is.

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And somehow this is all without compromising on performance.

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We're even seeing laptops that are light enough to pick up with just two fingers,

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yet come with high-end processors, displays, and storage solutions.

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So how did we get from there to here?

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Before we answer, we'd like to give a huge thank you to our friends over at HP, specifically Kevin Wenzel,

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Derek Canas, and Kenneth Chan for contributing their insights to this episode,

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as well as to Intel and HP for sponsoring it. First, let's look at the most important components,

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integrated circuits like CPUs. The transistors that make up a CPU are called MOSFETs,

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and they have special physical properties that allow them to be easily scaled,

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meaning that for a long time, manufacturers were able to squeeze more and more

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of them onto a chip, increasing processing performance.

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And to a point, these higher-performance CPUs

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didn't need additional electrical power, as long as the size of the actual package

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stayed about the same. But more efficient processors aren't the only reason

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that our laptops are so light. The small electronic components like inductors

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and capacitors that feed the CPU with power have also gotten smaller.

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By gradually moving towards higher switching frequencies.

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So here's what that means. For power to get to your CPU without frying it,

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the voltage has to be stepped down. Small components like inductors do this

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by storing small amounts of energy, stepping it down, and releasing it to the CPU a certain number of times

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every second. And it turns out the physics behind this process

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allow higher-frequency inductors to be made smaller,

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which saves both space and weight in a compact device like a laptop.

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Even printed circuit boards, you know, the green layer that everything is mounted on, have changed.

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The improvements here are harder to see with the naked eye,

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but they make a big difference. Modern laptops use high-density interconnects,

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meaning that copper traces go through the PCB

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in multiple layers. This allows manufacturers to pack more connectivity

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into a smaller, lighter space. We've also seen improvements

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from increased manufacturing expertise, both from past experience and with better tools

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for predicting outcomes. Nowadays, manufacturers can run pretty accurate simulations

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on exactly what various design ideas

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are gonna do to thermal output. This reduces the chance that bringing the components

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closer together is gonna cause overheating in the finished product.

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Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't talk about improved chassis and battery technology.

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On one hand, shrinking connectors have made it so you don't have to have a thick design

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just to accommodate that gigantic printer port, but there's more to it than that.

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Many laptops have switched to using alternative metals,

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like lightweight magnesium alloys, like you'd find in HP's Dragonfly Elite Book.

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Metals such as these are chosen not only for their lightweight,

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but also for their relative strength, meaning that they're not just used for the outside,

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but also for internal brackets that hold components in place.

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Manufacturing the chassis, like the components inside,

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has also gotten more precise with advancements in techniques like CNC and thixemolding,

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which involves heating magnesium into a slurry and then precisely injecting it into molds

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to create components of different shapes and sizes.

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We've also seen a whole scale shift away from old school nickel cadmium

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and nickel metal hydride batteries. These were reliable and hardy,

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but also didn't hold as much energy per unit of weight.

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Nowadays, many laptops use lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries,

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which don't need to weigh nearly as much to hold lots of power.

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They've existed for many years, but growing demand for lightweight devices

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has led to falling prices, making them more and more common.

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Now, of course, there are still trade-offs inherent in buying an ultra-thin laptop.

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They still face thermal challenges that larger machines with better airflow do not,

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meaning that they can't be packed with the fastest hardware on the market.

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I mean, that's why gaming-focused laptops still exist and tend to be larger and heavier.

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But for everyday use, the sleek and lightweight machines that we have today

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are gonna satisfy the majority of users. Speaking of sleek, satisfying things,

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I'm off to hit the gym. Thanks for watching, guys. Check out our other videos, like or dislike this one

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if you're into that, and leave a comment if you have a suggestion for a future,

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fast as possible video. I will see you there.

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You'll be there.