Uncover the mystery of the Ultrabook Ultrabook

Although the body is small, the Ultrabook Ultrabook has achieved a high performance comparable to traditional books. How exactly is it so thin? Compared with the traditional 13-inch book, where does it differ?

The premise of thin and light: low-power processor + core graphics Ultrabook is currently in the first phase, the ultra-low voltage Sandy Bridge processor platform, no discrete graphics. As you all probably know, the TDP of this type of processor is only 17W, which is significantly different from the 35W of the standard voltage SNB processor. Players who are more familiar with the hardware should know that the processor TDP is actually quite different from the real power consumption. TDP The real role is to provide guidance data for radiator design.

Therefore, by virtue of the low TDP low-voltage processor and the absence of a discrete graphics card, the Ultrabook's internal design can significantly reduce the size and thickness of the heat sink, as well as the heat pipe diameter and even the number, laying the foundation for the slimming of the entire machine. The same 13-inch set of books, Ultrabook in body size is far smaller than the conventional, but in terms of performance is exactly the same, in the internal specific how to have a unique design, I believe this is a lot of readers friends are very concerned about the topic.

Small knowledge: why there are standard voltage processors ultra-thin and thin This reader may ask: There are also ultra-thin notebooks with standard voltage processors and even discrete graphics cards on the market, such as the Sony VAIO Z series notebooks. How do they do it? What about? First of all, this type of notebook is expensive, more than 20,000 yuan, to know Ultrabook's price is far lower than this, where the gap is in the thermal design, machine material costs. Secondly, although the ultimate lightness is achieved in the finished products, the problem of excessive heat generation and insufficient battery life in the single-display mode still exists. Take the Sony VAIO Z notebook as an example. The latest Z21 series has been moved to the outside. In the docking station, heat dissipation is a consideration. Therefore, the current standard voltage high performance is intended to be ultra-thin, and the price and experience are not mainstream enough. Next year's IVY Bridge can solve these problems.

Structural differences: The secret of thin and light Ultrabook began with the external structure, Ultrabook has carried out a full range of thin and light design, the current Ultrabook mostly uses a magnesium alloy shell material, compared to the traditional polyester plastic material commonly used, the weight is lower At the same time, the strength and toughness are higher, and the thermal conductivity can be effectively improved (of course, this also leads to more obvious heat generation in the housing).

From the perspective of internal structure, Ultrabook is the same as most of the previous ultra-thin notebooks. The interior adopts a single-layer design, that is, only the motherboard between the C and D shells, the keyboard and the C-plane are integrated design; and the traditional 13 This inch uses a two-layer design (double-layer design, the motherboard is larger, the motherboard design is much simpler), the keyboard is removable, although the plastic C-shell strength is not necessarily better than aluminum-magnesium alloy, but can be designed through the internal "keel" Improve stability - this practice is actually lower cost.

Internal materials: Precision design is thin Consider the mainboard: small area, functional modules scattered First we look at the internal core of the notebook - the motherboard. In order to achieve maximum thinness, Ultrabook (right) first in the area of ​​the main board is much smaller than the traditional 13-inch notebook, in fact, in order to maximize the use of limited internal space, Ultrabook will be wireless network card, solid-state hard drive, reader interface and other functional modules from The main board is separated and filled into the free space inside the fuselage, and is connected to the main board through the data cable. This design can be said to be well-intentioned, and the thinness is ensured without losing functionality.

Radiator: Miniaturization in all aspects Next look at the radiator section. Although all are Sandy Bridge platform sets, but compared with the traditional 13-inch notebook, the Ultrabook's heat sink, whether it is the fan diameter, heat sink thickness or heat pipe diameter can only be considered "children", this is the ultra-low voltage The advantages of the processor, after solving the "bulk" of the radiator, at least the thickness of the backend can be effectively reduced.

Processor: The integrated package is denser and holds the heatsink. You can see that the Ultrabook processor (left) has a solid design (FCBGA1023 package) and cannot be replaced, while the traditional 13-inch (right) uses a replaceable design ( PPGA988 package). Because there is no socket, the thickness of Ultrabook is also reduced on the processor side, the radiator design is simpler, but the maintenance difficulty and cost are obviously improved.

Memory: Hardened Design Reduces Thickness In terms of memory modules, the Ultrabook continues to use a solidified design, where memory pellets are soldered directly to the motherboard, while traditional 13-inch notebooks do not have thickness concerns, so a dual-socket design is used. In addition, some models of SSDs also have a curing design. The advantages and disadvantages of this design are also clear at a glance. Although the size is reduced, maintenance and upgradeability will be sacrificed. Because of this, the memory capacity of the Ultrabook standard is relatively large, and all are high quality memory.

Battery: Lithium polymer battery is greatly reduced and then down is the battery part, many readers in the first saw the Ultrabook dismantling chart will ask a question: "Battery where?" In fact, like many tablets, Ultrabook adopted Lithium polymer battery, the biggest feature is thin, and can be shaped according to the design of the fuselage. Take the Acer S3 as an example, its battery thickness is only 1/5 of the traditional 13-inch lithium-ion battery, but at the same time it is also the largest part of the internal space, so it is easy to find.

Others: Some of the features that were discarded for thinness were previously mentioned. The hardware Ultrabook is equipped with the traditional 13-inch notebook. It is only a difference in size, but considering portability and comfort, optical drives, discrete graphics, and mechanical hard drives (parts The model has reservations, etc. etc. have to be canceled on the Ultrabook. The so-called fish and bear's paw can not have both, the ultimate light and thin have to pay a price, in this part has been fully reflected.

Summary: To be light and thin, and to use it all, through this comparison with the traditional 13-inch book, I believe that everyone has a more in-depth understanding of the thin profile of the Ultrabook, it can be said that in order to achieve "thickness less than 20mm, weight less than 1.4kg" The ultimate goal, Ultrabook both in the shell material, or the details of the internal design, are all extremely useful. From a design point of view, Ultrabook has a clear goal and all aspects are thin and light, and from the perspective of communication with readers, everyone gives a very high rating on its appearance design performance, and with hardware technology As we continue to improve, Ultrabook is also likely to become the main direction of the mainstream, which deserves attention.