People sometimes do not make any difference between laptops and notebooks because basically, they do not differ in function or performance. Indeed, they are called mainly how the manufacturer chooses to call them; however, traditionally and technically, the main difference between the two is size. Laptop is the bigger; it is as big as it fits into your lap, while a notebook is as small as it can fit into a briefcase or a backpack. Consequently, a laptop is thicker than a notebook. Generally, a notebook weights less than 5 pounds. In terms of DVD drives, a laptop has an integrated one, while a notebook usually has a connection to allow one to be connected externally. As for RAM, laptops usually have between 1 GB and 8 GB of RAM, while notebooks have smaller memory. When it comes to cooling abilities, obviously, laptops have built in fans which adjust to their cooling capacity, while notebooks are not equipped with extensive cooling capabilities.