But the only real difference between a laptop and a desktop, of course, is how they're put together. A laptop has all of the same hardware and accessories a desktop does, like a screen, a keyboard, a microprocessor, memory storage and a series of fans to cool the system down. Everything is just arranged differently since it needs to fit in a much smaller package. That means once you start building up more files, adding more pictures, uploading more music and using more programs simultaneously, you'll experience something many laptop computer users lament -- slow load times and sluggish performance.